Mark Bowden, Atlantic Monthly Press, $25
As a narrative, Mark Bowden’s “Worm: The First Digital World War” leaves something to be desired. As a warning, it’s distinctly unnerving.
“Worm” is the story of Conficker, a nasty piece of software injected into the Internet’s bloodstream in 2008. Since then it has infected millions of computers worldwide, assembling the largest-ever “botnet.” This drone army of machines might, unknown to their owners, be ordered at any time to unleash digital havoc that could bring down global communications systems, power grids, perhaps the very Internet itself.
A combination of factors, such as the lengthy history of malware near the beginning of the book and the lack of knowledge on who perpetrated Conficker and why, all conspire to make “Worm” an oddly unsatisfying yarn. So, too, does a series of annoying factual errors. Personal computers were widely available in 1984, contrary to the book’s assertion.
As a cautionary tale, though, “Worm” is worth attention.
Rich Jaroslovsky, Bloomberg News
