Code War

How Nations Hack, Spy, and Shape the Digital Battlefield

Allie Mellen

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN: 9781394285570
• eBook ISBN: 9781394285587
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Cyber Security
• Index: Politics & International Relations

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.

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, NotPetya, and the Sony Pictures hack happened and how their success altered the international landscape.

Code War also demonstrates how individuals, business professionals, and government officials 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 operate, where governments most frequently use them, their limitations, and where they provide the most value.
• A breakdown of threats from countries like Iran, Russia, Israel, North Korea, and many others, who fund cyber threat actors like Fancy Bear, Scattered Spider, the Lazarus Group, and the Equation Group.
• 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 foreign relations who wants to keep up with the evolving weapons of war.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title Page
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Currency of Control
• Chapter 2: The First Information War
• Chapter 3: The Social Contracts of the Cyber Powers
• Part I: The United States of America
• Part II: The People’s Republic of China
• Part III: The Russian Federation
• Part IV: The Future
• Index
• Copyright
• Dedication
• About the Author
• Acknowledgments
• End User License Agreement