Countdown to Zero Day
Countdown to Zero Day by Kim Zetterby Kim Zetter
Shares rank 26 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
A well-researched, technically accurate history of the Stuxnet cyberweapon that readers find accessible to non-experts and eye-opening about industrial infrastructure security.
A well-researched, technically accurate history of the Stuxnet cyberweapon that readers find accessible to non-experts and eye-opening about industrial infrastructure security.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Well written and thoroughly researched
“Well written and researched, and she doesn't put herself in the story”
Comment from 8 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Stuxnet – A reconstructed source code of the infamous cyber-weapon” “An indepth history of Stuxnet. A bit long but recommended.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Countdown to Zero Dayby Kim ZetterThis page | 8 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Super good book, technical without being unfriendly to casuals or inaccurate for pros.”
“Countdown to Zero Day by Kim Zetter”
“An indepth history of Stuxnet. A bit long but recommended.”
“Well written and researched, and she doesn't put herself in the story”
“entirely changed how I viewed critical industrial infrastructure”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.