Mark Russinovich on Zero Day: A Novel

  • Mark Russinovich
    photo by Dan Lamont

Mark Russinovich on Zero Day: A Novel

Mark Russinovich works at Microsoft in the Windows Azure product team as a Technical Fellow (Microsoft’s senior-most technical position) and is a global authority on cyber security. He is the creator of the Windows SysInternals tools, coauthor of the Microsoft Press Windows Internals book series, a contributing editor for TechNet Magazine, and a senior contributing editor for Windows IT Pro Magazine.

In his first novel, Zero Day (March 2011, Thomas Dunne Books), Mark presents a chilling "what-if" scenario akin to a technological 9/11 -- and in this episode, explains how in a world completely reliant on technology, the looming threat of cyber-terrorism is all too real. Zero Day is first a page-turning potboiler, but as Mark tells it, it serves as an alarm-sounding cautionary tale as well.

Mark talks about this first foray into fiction writing, his motivations for writing a novel, and the five year effort to see the book through from concept to publication. He discusses how he uses his extensive background knowledge to imbue his story with a true sense of authenticity, in the tradition of literary influences like Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton. He goes on to discuss his own real-life work in the field, including how IT professionals are fighting back against malware, and other efforts now underway to make the Internet more secure.

Finally, he explains why he put sex scenes in the book, reveals how he got Bill Gates to provide a blurb, and speculates on who might play the lead characters in Zero Day: The Movie.

March 22, 2011 | 00:41:14

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  • Lee Dumond
    Lee Dumond

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Zero Day: A Novel

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