Chapter 1 - The Historical Ninja

Abstract

This chapter examines ancient methods of espionage and applying them to today's cyber security environment. By looking at the ninja from feudal Japan and understanding their function in their society, one can see how there is a need and use for a similar mindset in contemporary life. Governments and global companies are beginning to productively employ nefarious hackers to spy on their rivals, and the methods being used are frighteningly similar to those used by ancient ninja. To understand the historical role of ninja, one has to understand the rise and employment of samurai; one must look at the ethics of the samurai and their dedication to Bushido to truly comprehend why ninja were a necessary component of the political environment of feudal Japan. Without this strict code of the warrior, ninja would not have found a niche to fill during the civil wars—a niche that was considered unethical, yet necessary. However, it is important to understand that the niche could not have been filled with any type of person—it was filled by a group of people dedicated to improving their skills that matched or exceeded those of the samurai or the traditional warrior.