Fans pick 25 books like Practical IoT Hacking

By Fotios Chantzis, Ioannis Stais, Paulino Calderon , Evangelos Deirmentzoglou , Beau Woods

Here are 25 books that Practical IoT Hacking fans have personally recommended if you like Practical IoT Hacking. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems

Dominik Merli Author Of Engineering Secure Devices: A Practical Guide for Embedded System Architects and Developers

From my list on embedded system security enthusiasts.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been playing with computers and electronics since childhood. I even supported the people in my village with their computer issues back then. During my studies in electrical engineering, I learned how to solve technical challenges with structured approaches. At this time, I became fascinated by topics like cryptography and embedded system security. The books on this list helped me understand important concepts and practical real-world obstacles. I hope they are also of value to you!

Dominik's book list on embedded system security enthusiasts

Dominik Merli Why did Dominik love this book?

When I take this book off my shelf, the probability that I find the answer I'm looking for is very high. Yes, it's a big book, and I'm pretty sure I haven't read every single page yet, but because of its broad coverage of security engineering knowledge, from crypto to real-world processes, it is an invaluable reference for teaching and practical cyber security.

By Ross Anderson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Security Engineering as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now that there's software in everything, how can you make anything secure? Understand how to engineer dependable systems with this newly updated classic

In Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems, Third Edition Cambridge University professor Ross Anderson updates his classic textbook and teaches readers how to design, implement, and test systems to withstand both error and attack.

This book became a best-seller in 2001 and helped establish the discipline of security engineering. By the second edition in 2008, underground dark markets had let the bad guys specialize and scale up; attacks were increasingly on users rather than…


Book cover of Threat Modeling: Designing for Security

Dominik Merli Author Of Engineering Secure Devices: A Practical Guide for Embedded System Architects and Developers

From my list on embedded system security enthusiasts.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been playing with computers and electronics since childhood. I even supported the people in my village with their computer issues back then. During my studies in electrical engineering, I learned how to solve technical challenges with structured approaches. At this time, I became fascinated by topics like cryptography and embedded system security. The books on this list helped me understand important concepts and practical real-world obstacles. I hope they are also of value to you!

Dominik's book list on embedded system security enthusiasts

Dominik Merli Why did Dominik love this book?

I love this book because it has the power to pull even technical people out of their “security technology will save the world” bubble. I regularly encounter engineers randomly throwing countermeasures like strong encryption, secure boot, and TPMs at devices without knowing why.

This book provided me with a set of methods and practical hints for identifying and assessing relevant security threats—a much better starting point than penetration testing! 

By Adam Shostack,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Threat Modeling as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The only security book to be chosen as a Dr. Dobbs Jolt Award Finalist since Bruce Schneier's Secrets and Lies and Applied Cryptography! Adam Shostack is responsible for security development lifecycle threat modeling at Microsoft and is one of a handful of threat modeling experts in the world. Now, he is sharing his considerable expertise into this unique book. With pages of specific actionable advice, he details how to build better security into the design of systems, software, or services from the outset. You'll explore various threat modeling approaches, find out how to test your designs against threats, and learn…


Book cover of The Hardware Hacking Handbook: Breaking Embedded Security with Hardware Attacks

Dominik Merli Author Of Engineering Secure Devices: A Practical Guide for Embedded System Architects and Developers

From my list on embedded system security enthusiasts.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been playing with computers and electronics since childhood. I even supported the people in my village with their computer issues back then. During my studies in electrical engineering, I learned how to solve technical challenges with structured approaches. At this time, I became fascinated by topics like cryptography and embedded system security. The books on this list helped me understand important concepts and practical real-world obstacles. I hope they are also of value to you!

Dominik's book list on embedded system security enthusiasts

Dominik Merli Why did Dominik love this book?

I like embedded systems a lot, but I like hardware attacks on them even more because they represent very powerful attackers! I love the wonderful collection of expert knowledge and practical experience on side-channel analysis, fault attacks, and corresponding countermeasures created by Colin O'Flynn and Jasper van Woudenberg.

When reading through this one, I always remember my time as a PhD student, when my colleagues and I performed several tricky hardware attacks in our lab... That was definitely challenging but also a lot of fun!

By Jasper van Woudenberg, Colin O'Flynn,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Hardware Hacking Handbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Hardware Hacking Handbook is a deep dive into embedded security, perfect for readers interested in designing, analysing, and attacking devices. You'll start with a crash course in embedded security and hardware interfaces and learn how to set up a test lab. Real-world examples and hands-on labs throughout allow you to explore hardware interfaces and practice various attacks.


Book cover of Understanding Cryptography: A Textbook for Students and Practitioners

Dominik Merli Author Of Engineering Secure Devices: A Practical Guide for Embedded System Architects and Developers

From my list on embedded system security enthusiasts.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been playing with computers and electronics since childhood. I even supported the people in my village with their computer issues back then. During my studies in electrical engineering, I learned how to solve technical challenges with structured approaches. At this time, I became fascinated by topics like cryptography and embedded system security. The books on this list helped me understand important concepts and practical real-world obstacles. I hope they are also of value to you!

Dominik's book list on embedded system security enthusiasts

Dominik Merli Why did Dominik love this book?

When I first heard about cryptography at university, it sounded like mathematical magic. After looking into some randomly chosen crypto books, I was discouraged from digging deeper because they were full of math details.

Understanding Cryptography was different. It was aimed at engineering students like me, and it provided me with the most relevant facts necessary for designing secure devices. Since then, it has always been a great reference book for me.

By Christof Paar, Jan Pelzl,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Understanding Cryptography as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Cryptography is now ubiquitous - moving beyond the traditional environments, such as government communications and banking systems, we see cryptographic techniques realized in Web browsers, e-mail programs, cell phones, manufacturing systems, embedded software, smart buildings, cars, and even medical implants. Today's designers need a comprehensive understanding of applied cryptography.

After an introduction to cryptography and data security, the authors explain the main techniques in modern cryptography, with chapters addressing stream ciphers, the Data Encryption Standard (DES) and 3DES, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), block ciphers, the RSA cryptosystem, public-key cryptosystems based on the discrete logarithm problem, elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC), digital…


Book cover of The Internet in Everything: Freedom and Security in a World with No Off Switch

Aram Sinnreich Author Of The Secret Life of Data: Navigating Hype and Uncertainty in the Age of Algorithmic Surveillance

From my list on books about data that will blow your mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I can’t explain my lifelong fascination with the strange dance between culture, power, and technology. Maybe it’s because I grew up as a math whiz with a deep love of music or because I read too much sci-fi under my blanket by flashlight when I should have been getting my beauty sleep. I was lucky to become friends with Jesse Gilbert at the age of 14 - we goaded each other into spending our lives researching, writing about, and playing with tech in a cultural context. We wrote this book together as a way to bring our decades-long dialogue into the public eye and invite a wider range of people to participate in the conversation.

Aram's book list on books about data that will blow your mind

Aram Sinnreich Why did Aram love this book?

Full disclosure: Laura DeNardis is a good friend and former colleague of mine. But I was a fan before I was a friend, and thus far, The Internet In Everything is her crowning achievement, so I feel very comfortable listing it here as an absolute must-read.

When Laura told me she was going to write this book, my first thought was, “I wish I’d thought of that!” and my second thought, a nanosecond later, was, “Thank goodness I didn’t because she’ll do it a million times better.”

DeNardis is the reigning monarch of Internet Governance Studies, meaning she researches all the weird laws, policies, technologies, businesses, agencies, and practices that have built the internet and keep it ticking. You’d think the subject would be boring or impenetrable to us mere mortals, but her genius is in making it not only understandable but downright fascinating.

She understands the internet the way…

By Laura DeNardis,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Internet in Everything as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A compelling argument that the Internet of things threatens human rights and security

"Sobering and important."-Financial Times, "Best Books of 2020: Technology"

The Internet has leapt from human-facing display screens into the material objects all around us. In this so-called Internet of things-connecting everything from cars to cardiac monitors to home appliances-there is no longer a meaningful distinction between physical and virtual worlds. Everything is connected. The social and economic benefits are tremendous, but there is a downside: an outage in cyberspace can result not only in loss of communication but also potentially in loss of life.

Control of this…


Book cover of The Inversion Factor: How to Thrive in the IoT Economy

Tim Vandehey Author Of Swipe: The Science Behind Why We Don't Finish What We Start

From my list on how technology is changing how we live.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a journalist and a tinkerer. I’m fascinated not only by how things work but by how small levers can move mountains. Growing up in the workshop of my grandfather, an old Boston boatwright, I was mesmerized by the idea that a small rudder could maneuver a huge vessel. In college, I fell in love with how a small idea or expression could redirect a course of research or a country. As a self-taught maker of things, I appreciate how technologies empower us. I’ve chosen these books because they’re examples of how small ideas become things, lines of research, or patterns of thinking that shift human progress in unknowable ways.

Tim's book list on how technology is changing how we live

Tim Vandehey Why did Tim love this book?

I recommend The Inversion Factor because it’s a deep dive into the Internet of Things from some of the people who made the IoT possible: the geniuses at MIT.

The book’s take on commerce alone is fascinating, the idea that in the future, demand will be driven not by companies deciding what to make and sell but by a flow of consumer data coming from connected devices telling companies, “Here’s what you need to make next.”

Plus, the descriptions of the IoT home and services, tempered though they are by realities like the fact that self-driving cars aren’t very good yet at not running people over, are gripping. Great book. 

By Linda Bernardi, Sanjay Sarma, Kenneth Traub

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Inversion Factor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why companies need to move away from a “product first” orientation to pursuing innovation based on customer need.

In the past, companies found success with a product-first orientation; they made a thing that did a thing. The Inversion Factor explains why the companies of today and tomorrow will have to abandon the product-first orientation. Rather than asking “How do the products we make meet customer needs?” companies should ask “How can technology help us reimagine and fill a need?” Zipcar, for example, instead of developing another vehicle for moving people from point A to point B, reimagined how people interacted…


Book cover of Deeper

T.L Oberheu Author Of The Shadow Dies Loudly: 27 Tales

From my list on for aspiring horror authors.

Why am I passionate about this?

I read my first chapter book in Kindergarten, and have been fascinated by literature ever since. From writing a Halloween story in 3rd grade that made my classmates cry and the teacher call my mom, to graduating from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, literature has always been a big factor in my life. As a new writer myself and paired with my long list of books stored on my shelves and in my mind, I simply would like to give my two cents on the stories that caused my inspiration to blossom. 

T.L's book list on for aspiring horror authors

T.L Oberheu Why did T.L love this book?

A fun read, and while this book wasn’t the cause of a flooding of readers in bookstores when it was released, that does not diminish the quality of it. This story takes the Mythos from H.P Lovecraft and adds protagonists that put up a fight against the infamous Deep Ones that every horror aficionado should already know about from Lovecraft’s century-old short story “Dagon”. I recommended this book for the simple reason of writing a protagonist that doesn’t cower in fear doesn’t disqualify the terror if done correctly. As a matter of fact: I would argue it enhances the horror aspects, since showing violence toward a violent enemy early on, rather than a dramatic showdown, can get the hero in much hotter water than they initially planned on.

By James A. Moore, Alan M. Clark and Lisa Snellings (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Deeper as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There are rumors that Golden Cove is haunted. That's why Joe Bierden and his crew are hired to take a group of scientists to the area for a month of research. For Joe, it's easy money. He plans to do a little fishing, some relaxing and simply enjoy the easiest gig of his life. At least that's the plan. Sometimes easy money isn't as easy as you expect. There are things moving in the water, and ghostly apparitions which seem undeniably real. Joe's problems get worse when he and his crew save a drowning girl who disappears only minutes later,…


Book cover of Cyberdiplomacy: Managing Security and Governance Online

Lorena De Vita Author Of Israelpolitik: German-Israeli Relations, 1949-69

From my list on diplomacy and how it works.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a speaker, author, and academic. Originally from Rome, I now live in the Netherlands, where I lecture and do research on international and diplomatic history. My book examines the ethical and pragmatic dilemmas that characterized the making of the German-Israeli relationship after the Holocaust at the outset of the global Cold War. I value good reads and excellent conversations, and I held visiting fellowships in, among others, Berlin, Jerusalem, and Oxford. My work won a Dutch National Research Council grant, a major research grant from the Alfred Landecker Foundation, and the LNVH award for ‘Distinguished Women Scientists.’ These days, I divide my time between Rome, Berlin, and Utrecht. 

Lorena's book list on diplomacy and how it works

Lorena De Vita Why did Lorena love this book?

The cyberspace is one of the new frontiers of global diplomacy, this is clear.

What this book also makes clear is that the core tenets of diplomatic practice–for example, about how to coordinate policies and maintain dialogue with partners and competitors alike–remain valid in times of massive online disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks. 

By Shaun Riordan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cyberdiplomacy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The world has been sleep-walking into cyber chaos. The spread of misinformation via social media and the theft of data and intellectual property, along with regular cyberattacks, threaten the fabric of modern societies. All the while, the Internet of Things increases the vulnerability of computer systems, including those controlling critical infrastructure. What can be done to tackle these problems? Does diplomacy offer ways of managing security and containing conflict online?

In this provocative book, Shaun Riordan shows how traditional diplomatic skills and mindsets can be combined with new technologies to bring order and enhance international cooperation. He explains what cyberdiplomacy…


Book cover of Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World

Michael Wolk

From my list on feed your internet paranoia.

Why am I passionate about this?

Researching DevilsGame, about an Internet meltdown caused by an unknown evil, I exposed myself to some harrowing truths. I learned how astonishingly frail our internet ecosystem is and how imperiled it is by bad actors who have burrowed deeply and often invisibly into its infrastructure. So, beyond writing a fictional thriller, I was moved to ring a warning bell! And I hope by formatting DevilsGame as “hyperlinked fiction,” mixing real news sites with fictional sites created for the novel, readers will experience the story in a way that parallels and parodies the way we experience real, live crises these days: navigating from fact to fiction, often without observing the boundaries.

Michael's book list on feed your internet paranoia

Michael Wolk Why did Michael love this book?

I found the gist of this powerful book to best summed up by former National Cybersecurity Center director Rod Beckstrom's maxim: (1) anything connected to the Internet can be hacked; (2) everything is being connected to the Internet; (3) as a result, everything is becoming vulnerable.

I was shocked by the harrowing detail with which the author demonstrates our vulnerabilities: Our medical and financial information is potentially held hostage by our internet connectivity, as evidenced by innumerable ransomware attacks worldwide, and the internet dependence of our utilities, our factories, our ports, and our military imperils our physical existence. 

I also took away powerful insights offered by Schneider, who blames "surveillance capitalism" for an internet that has gotten out of control and provides practical pathways for re-establishing our control.

By Bruce Schneier,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Click Here to Kill Everybody as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

We have created the ultimate hive-mind robot: an Internet of interconnected devices that senses, thinks and acts. Bruce Schneier calls it the "World-Sized Web". It includes everything from driverless cars to smart thermostats, from billboards that respond to specific people to drones equipped with their own behavioural algorithms. While the World-Sized Web carries enormous potential, Schneier argues that we are unprepared for the vulnerabilities it brings. Cutting-edge digital attackers can now crash your car, pacemaker and home security system and everyone else's.

Click Here to Kill Everybody explores the risks and security implications of the World-Sized Web and lays out…


Book cover of Spying for the People: Mao's Secret Agents, 1949-1967

Michael Dutton Author Of Policing Chinese Politics: A History

From my list on understanding Chinese communist policing.

Why am I passionate about this?

Paul de Mann once wrote that any book with a cover page was always, in part, autobiographical. The same could also be said of this book list. It captures the way my work sits between China Studies, social theory, culture, and area studies. The two China area studies texts (Schoenhals and Wakeman) reflect my interest in Chinese policing, the texts by Pashukanis and Foucault represent something of a personal transition from Marxism to postmodern concerns, while the Schmitt book signals my ongoing focus and fascination with the concept of the political.

Michael's book list on understanding Chinese communist policing

Michael Dutton Why did Michael love this book?

There is something of a maverick lurking in the shadows of this enormously erudite and linguistically brilliant scholar who is widely respected within the China studies field. In writing this particular book, Schoenhals scoured endless Chinese book and junk markets, picking out diaries, files, and details that few before him had thought important enough to gather and examine carefully.

As a result, Schoenhals work breaks new ground without really trying, or without making a theoretical fuss about it. As the father of ‘garbology’ in Chinese studies, he has attracted some criticism, but, as the old saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, and few would doubt that in Schoenhals’s book, the proof is offered in remarkable empirical detail. 

By Michael Schoenhals,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Spying for the People as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Since the end of the Cold War, the operations of secret police informers have come under the media spotlight and it is now common knowledge that vast internal networks of spies in the Soviet Union and East Germany were directed by the Communist Party. By contrast, very little historical information has been available on the covert operations of the security services in Mao Zedong's China. However, as Michael Schoenhals reveals in this intriguing and sometimes sinister account, public security was a top priority for the founders of the People's Republic and agents were recruited from all levels of society to…


Book cover of Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems
Book cover of Threat Modeling: Designing for Security
Book cover of The Hardware Hacking Handbook: Breaking Embedded Security with Hardware Attacks

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