SOLDIER OF THE CYBERWAR

A pioneer recounts French cyber defense

Cyberspace has become a major arena of conflict. For the first time, here is the story of the creation of French cyber defense told by its principal founder, Vice Admiral Arnaud Coustillière.

In less than ten years, the battlegrounds have multiplied across the Net: computer viruses, terrorist threats, interference in elections, fake news, hospital shutdowns… Cyber aggressors destabilize our democracies with power and creativity. In a handful of years, a small group of men and women put in place an organization and deployed resources to devise responses in this new "Wild West."

In this invaluable firsthand account, Arnaud Coustillière recounts the rapid construction of French cyber defense. We discover from the inside the "cell" created in 2009 in complete secrecy, the exchanges with American and Estonian partners, the recruitment of talent, the first operations in Afghanistan, cooperation with Special Forces, the confrontation with Daesh, and the emergence of Russian interference. This book helps us better understand the major challenges facing our country at a time when high-intensity warfare has returned, amplified by the increasingly hybrid nature of conflicts. The shocks lie ahead of us — it is urgent that we become aware of them.