About the Bundle#

This bundle includes the following books:

• Microsoft Defender for Identity in Depth: An exhaustive guide to ITDR, breach prevention, and cyberattack response by Pierre Thoor
• Ghidra Software Reverse-Engineering for Beginners: Master the art of debugging, from understanding code to mitigating threats , Second Edition by David Álvarez Pérez, Ravikant Tiwari
• AWS Certified Security - Specialty (SCS-C02) Exam Guide - Second Edition by Adam Book, Stuart Scott
• Practical Cybersecurity Architecture : A guide to creating and implementing robust designs for cybersecurity architects by Ed Moyle, Diana Kelley
• Effective Threat Investigation for SOC Analysts: The ultimate guide to examining various threats and attacker techniques using security logs by Mostafa Yahia
• Enhancing Your Cloud Security with a CNAPP Solution: Unlock the full potential of Microsoft Defender for Cloud to fortify your cloud security by Yuri Diogenes
• The OSINT Handbook: A practical guide to gathering and analyzing online information by Dale Meredith
• Zero Trust Overview and Playbook Introduction: Guidance for business, security, and technology leaders and practitioners by Mark Simos, Nikhil Kumar
• Adversarial AI Attacks, Mitigations, and Defense Strategies: A cybersecurity professional’s guide to AI attacks, threat modeling, and securing AI with MLSecOps by John Sotiropoulos
• Incident Response for Windows: Adapt effective strategies for managing sophisticated cyberattacks targeting Windows systems by Tykushin, Ostrovskaya
• Hack the Cybersecurity Interview: A complete interview preparation guide for jumpstarting your cybersecurity career by Kenneth Underhill, Christophe Foulon, Tia Hopkins
• Pentesting Active Directory and Windows-based Infrastructure: A comprehensive practical guide to penetration testing Microsoft infrastructure by Denis Isakov
• Python for Security and Networking: Leverage Python modules and tools in securing your network and applications , Third Edition by José Manuel Ortega
• CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor Study Guide: Aligned with the CISA Review Manual 2019 to help you audit, monitor, and assess information systems by Hemang Doshi
• Mastering Microsoft 365 Defender: Implement Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Identity, Cloud Apps, and Office 365 and respond to threats by Ru Campbell, Hedberg
• Cryptography Algorithms: A guide to algorithms in blockchain, quantum cryptography, zero-knowledge protocols, and homomorphic encryption by Massimo Bertaccini
• Automating Security Detection Engineering: A hands-on guide to implementing Detection as Code by Dennis Chow
• PowerShell Automation and Scripting for Cybersecurity: Hacking and defense for red and blue teamers by Miriam C. Wiesner
• The Ultimate Kali Linux Book: Perform advanced penetration testing using Nmap, Metasploit, Aircrack-ng, and Empire , Second Edition by Glen D. Singh
• Security Monitoring with Wazuh: A hands-on guide to effective enterprise security using real-life use cases in Wazuh by Rajneesh Gupta
• Resilient Cybersecurity: Reconstruct your defense strategy in an evolving cyber world by Mark Dunkerley

My approach#

I had a good conversation with ChatGPT gpt-4o about this bundle and how I could think about what’s important to read given my role and responsibilities. Here’s the most salient excerpt from its assessment:

What You Can Skip#

While all books in the bundle have value, these are more tactical or hands-on and may be less relevant for a technology executive:

• Pentesting guides (e.g., The Ultimate Kali Linux Book, Ghidra Software Reverse-Engineering for Beginners, Pentesting Active Directory and Windows-based Infrastructure) – These are great for security engineers but not necessary for an executive role.
• Adversarial AI Attacks, Mitigations, and Defense Strategies – More useful if your organization is building AI products.
• Python for Security and Networking / PowerShell Automation and Scripting – Hands-on automation books that are more suited to security engineers than executives.

Final Thoughts#

If you’re short on time, I’d prioritize:

1. Practical Cybersecurity Architecture – for building secure technology products.
2. Zero Trust Overview and Playbook Introduction – for future-proofing enterprise security.
3. Resilient Cybersecurity – for cyber resilience and risk management.
4. Enhancing Your Cloud Security with a CNAPP Solution – for cloud-native security best practices.

These will help you think strategically about security at an executive level and make informed decisions about security investments, risk management, and compliance.