Code War: How Nations Hack, Spy, and Shape the Digital Battlefield - Hardcover

Mellen, Allie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1394285574 ISBN 13: 9781394285570

Publisher: Wiley, 2026

Synopsis

An incisive exploration of how cyberattacks are transforming geopolitics

Cyberattacks are the ultimate geopolitical weapon of the 21st century. They are used to damage presidential campaigns, shut down electric grids, sway public sentiment, and cost businesses and governments alike billions of dollars.

Popular culture portrays cyberattacks as unstoppable and mysterious actions taken by shadowy, unpredictable forces.

They aren't. Code War: How Nations Hack, Spy, and Shape the Digital Battlefield shatters this depiction, revealing nation-state cyberattacks for what they are: calculated, measured actions to achieve state objectives.

World-renowned cybersecurity expert Allie Mellen draws on her extensive experience with nation-state cyberattacks and AI threats to break down how and why nations deploy cyberattacks in their own unique ways, driven by their military doctrine, national history, and, most importantly, geopolitical strategy.

Mellen deconstructs the most infamous cyberattacks of our time to reveal how and why attacks like Stuxnet, WannaCry, and NotPetya happened and how their success altered the international landscape. She juxtaposes these attacks against the brutal reality of how nations surveil, manipulate, and control their own citizens' data.

An essential resource for individuals, business professionals, and government officials, Code War demonstrates how you can use this knowledge to understand and respond to the practical realities of nation-state cyberattacks.

Readers will also find:

• An overview of how cyberattacks and defenses operate, where governments most frequently use them, their limitations, and where they provide the most value
• An in-depth breakdown of some of the most important cyberattacks of the modern age, including those targeting the 2016 US Presidential elections, the Olympics, and those against Taiwan, Ukraine, and Tibet
• Deep dives into the histories and attacks perpetrated by governments with the most prolific cyberattacks: China, Russia, and the United States

An eye-opening guide to the world of nation-state cyberattacks, Code War is a must-read for business and government leaders responsible for protecting against these attacks. It’s also a fascinating look into the world of cyberattacks for anyone interested in international relations who wants to keep up with the evolving weapons of war.

About this title

About the Author

ALLIE MELLEN is a leading industry analyst who advises the Global 2000 on cybersecurity policy and practice, with a focus on detecting and responding to nation-state attacks. She has held various engineering and research roles at MIT and multiple early-stage technology startups. Previously, she worked with government agencies on election and information security, conducted hardware security research, and partnered with product and infrastructure security teams as a hands-on security practitioner.

From the Back Cover

A deeply insightful exploration of how cyberattacks are transforming geopolitics and what individuals, businesses, and governments can do about it

Code War: How Nations Hack, Spy, and Shape the Digital Battlefield is a deep investigation of the modern reality of nation-state cyberattacks and state surveillance. Author and world-renowned cybersecurity expert Allie Mellen draws on her extensive experience with nation-state cyberattacks and AI threats to break down how and why nations deploy cyberattacks and cyberdefenses in their own unique ways, driven by their military doctrine, national history, and, most importantly, geopolitical strategy.

Mellen deconstructs the most infamous cyberattacks of our time to reveal how and why attacks like Stuxnet, WannaCry, and NotPetya happened and how their success altered the international landscape. She juxtaposes these attacks against the brutal reality of how nations surveil, manipulate, and control their own citizens’ data.

An essential resource for individuals, business professionals, and government officials, Code War demonstrates how they can use this knowledge to understand and respond to the practical realities of nation-state cyberattacks.

From the Inside Flap

In Code War: How Nations Hack, Spy, and Shape the Digital Battlefield, Principal Analyst Allie Mellen delivers an essential guide to why nation-states employ cyberattacks against each other, how cyberattacks deployed by countries relate to those countries’ military motivations, doctrines, and histories, and how private citizens, individuals, businesses, and governments should respond to the threats posed by a constantly shifting cybersecurity ecosystem.

Mellen walks you through the practical, real-world effects of cyberattacks originating from nation-state actors, including militaries and intelligence agencies. She explains what motivates their use so that readers can predict them, prepare for them, and create strategies to mitigate their impact―or prevent them entirely.

The author breaks down how the United States, China, and Russia have built their cyberdefenses, including their strategies to protect and, on the other side of the coin, surveil their citizens. It gives a look into partnerships like the Five Eyes, which have radically changed some of the most important digital alliances in the world. The book provides in-depth breakdowns of some of the most important cyberattacks of the modern age, including those targeting the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections, the Olympics, and those against Taiwan and Tibet.

Code War examines major cyber groups responsible for past nation-state cyberattacks, the challenges faced by governments, government officials, and non-government professionals, and how those challenges can be effectively addressed. Finally, the book offers original insights into how technologies like Generative AI will change the future geopolitical and cyber strategies of these nations.

Perfect for any individual interested in geopolitics and how technology is fundamentally changing warfare, this book looks behind the curtain at the threats governments and the private sector face―and how to respond effectively. Code War is a gripping read for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of information and technology as weapons for nation-state combatants.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1394285574
• ISBN 13: 9781394285570
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416