The American Library Association (ALA) has named Fixing American Cybersecurity: Creating a Strategic Public Private Partnership, as “Outstanding Academic Title for 2023.”
The ALA puts together this prestigious and selective list, each year and awards books it feels “reflects the best in scholarly titles, both print and digital, reviewed during the previous year and brings with it the extraordinary recognition of the academic community.”
In naming a work an Outstanding Academic Title, the ALA editors apply several criteria including
- overall excellence in presentation and scholarship
- importance relative to other literature in the field
- originality or uniqueness of treatment
ALA concluded its review of the ISA book by saying it was “highly recommended for all readers”
ISA President, Larry Clinton who edited the book and, along with a dozen ISA board members, co-authored of some of the book’s chapters said “ISA is delighted to receive this recognition. We know from our personal experience that Fixing American Cybersecurity is being referenced and relied on by senior Members of Congress, staff at the White House Office of the National Cyber Director, and DHS staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
“That’s why the ISA board wrote the book. We saw the need for all of us involved in the public private partnership on cybersecurity to take a new look at the problem. We are not making adequate progress in improving our cybersecurity and we need to fix that. The CISOs and other experts who sit on the ISA board, and who are the main authors of the book, are on the front lines of our cyber defense. We wrote the book to help access their knowledge and experience and translate that experience into more effective public policy on cyber issues. We are especially pleased with the ALA’s recommendation that the book is “highly recommended for all readers,” as making cybersecure accessible to an audience beyond the technical experts is a core mission at ISA.”
In its review of Fixing American Cybersecurity the ALA said:
“Cybersecurity is one of the most critical factors influencing people’s lives today. Absent the technical digital infrastructure functioning as designed, all vital parts of the economy are vulnerable. Unfortunately, however, systematic cyberattacks have exposed critical vulnerabilities in the digital infrastructure itself. This book offers an in-depth look at our cyber adversaries and their strategies. The Internet Security Alliance has organized the 13 excellent chapters in two parts (many as coauthor) that explore ways to handle the growing cybersecurity problem.”
“The text makes clear, there are no simple solutions. Several chapters provide extensive discussions about the complexity of building secure devices and implementing effective standards. After reading this book, readers will understand that any successful cybersecurity initiative conducted on a national level needs to consider technical, economic, political, legal, and ethical dimensions, and that the ongoing progress in, for example, artificial intelligence (AI) or computing platforms creates asymmetries in the cybersecurity field that can be exploited.
“Given such complexities, contributing authors (i.e. the ISA Board of Directors) stress overall that public-private partnerships are the only way to move forward. Also, increasing educational efforts combined with market and business incentives should be a part of the strategy. The content of this volume is up-to-date throughout, and will provide an excellent overview for readers at all levels.
