Syngress Publishing Announces the Release of “The Mezonic Agenda: Hacking the Presidency”
Rockland, MA September 17, 2004 – Syngress Publishing, Inc., today announced the publication of “The Mezonic Agenda: Hacking the Presidency” (ISBN: 1-931836-83-3).
Chris Williams, Co-Founder and President, Syngress Publishing, said, “This is the most eagerly anticipated book we’ve published. We have been overwhelmed by the media attention the authors and the book have already received. The question of whether the electronic voting and tabulation software, which is being used in the upcoming 2004 general election, could be hacked is enormously important to the country and the world. In the hotly contested 2004 presidential election, interest in how the vote is actually counted will be of great interest, especially after the bizarre events of the 2000 election.”
Co-author Dr. Herbert H. Thompson is highly regarded in the security community and has spoken extensively on this very real threat. Dr. Thompson is one of the leading authorities on software security testing and has co-authored several industry-standard books on the subject.
The novel follows security expert Dr. Chad Davis, who in six days will testify before Congress about an electronic voting system. A string of murders and a cryptic CD leads Davis on a race to uncover the plot to manipulate the US presidential election. Readers are invited to hack along with the hero of the novel using the accompanying CD and participate in a simulated election. Readers who crack the code can elect themselves President of the United States in a mock election and are also eligible to win an online contest!
Co-author Spyros Nomikos said, “We are very excited about how the novel has turned out. We wanted to give the reader more than just a good cyber-thriller and I think we’ve succeeded. The last few sections contain a great non-fiction primer on voting and software security that will give the reader the knowledge to walk into their voting precincts and know how the machines they’re voting on work.”
Here are some of the early accolades for “The Mezonic Agenda: Hacking the Presidency”:
“Entertainment is the best way to communicate complex ideas. The Mezonic Agenda: Hacking the Presidency is an enjoyable electronic crime novel that simplifies complex technologies and reveals the dangers of electronic voting; a page-turner that shows how people in power might manipulate electronic voting and undermine democracy – and how they might be stopped.” —Richard Thieme, Author, “Islands in the Clickstream”
“This novel is scarily realistic and I know Herbert Thompson well enough that I am sure whoever he is voting for will win the next election!”
—James A. Whittaker, Chief Scientist and Founder of Security Innovation
“Cyber threat hits home in a very realistic manner. This really could happen.”
—Greg Miles, President, Security Horizon, Inc.
BOOK DETAILS
ISBN: 1-931836-83-3
PRICE: $34.95 U.S.
PAGE COUNT: 368 PP, with CD-ROM
About the Authors
Herbert H. Thompson, Ph.D., is Director of Security Technology at Security Innovation Inc. (www.securityinnovation.com). He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the Florida Institute of Technology and is co-author of How to Break Software Security: Effective Techniques for Security Testing (Addison-Wesley, 2003) along with many articles on software security. He has won numerous best presentation awards for his lectures and is often asked to give conference keynotes. At Security Innovation, he leads research efforts on software security and trains security testers at some of the world’s largest software companies. Herbert is also principal investigator on several grants from the U.S. Department of Defense.
Spyros Nomikos holds a BS and MS in Chemical Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology. He has worked for numerous fuel cell companies developing future hydrogen systems. His expertise is in systems design, safety analysis, and new product development. He is published and presented in various conferences on subjects such as hyperthermophillic bacteria, fuel cells and hydrogen.
Background Information
Syngress Publishing (www.syngress.com), headquartered in Rockland, Massachusetts, is an independent publisher of print and electronic reference materials for Information Technology professionals seeking skill enhancement and career advancement. Distributed throughout Europe, Asia, the U.S. and Canada, Syngress titles have been translated into twenty languages. The company’s pioneering customer support program, solutions@syngress.com, extends the value of every Syngress title with regular information updates and customer-driven author forums. For more information on Syngress products, contact Amy Pedersen at 781-681-5151 or email amy@syngress.com. Syngress books are distributed in the United States and Canada by O’Reilly Media, Inc.