The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage

Additional The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage Information

Cliff Stoll was an astronomer turned systems manager at Lawrence Berkeley Lab when a 75-cent accounting error alerted him to the presence of an unauthorized user on his system. The hacker's code name was "Hunter" -- a mystery invader hiding inside a twisting electronic labyrinth, breaking into U.S. computer systems and stealing sensitive military and security information. Stoll began a one-man hunt of his own, spying on the spy -- and plunged into an incredible international probe that finally gained the attention of top U.S. counterintelligence agents. The Cuckoo's Egg is his wild and suspenseful true story -- a year of deception, broken codes, satellites, missile bases, and the ultimate sting operation -- and how one ingenious American trapped a spy ring paid in cash and cocaine, and reporting to the KGB.

What Customers Say About The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage:

A page turner and a very good book even though it might seem rather dated. It is not "dated" in my opinion although it may seem that way to an internet geek. One thing I learned is the importance of strong passwords. I have started to strengthen all of my passwords.

In a world where the Internet is now a deeply ingrained part of our culture, and all kinds of security traps seek to exploit the innocent on the 'Net, this is a refreshing account of the innocent early days of Internet computing. I don't know what took me so long, but I finally, finally read this book. This is a really, really good, entertaining and enlightening read. And once I did, I couldn't put it down. This is part computer security and communications technology history, part espionage/spy story, part a peek into the seemingly counterintuitive world of governmental bureaucracy. Thank you, Mr. Stoll, for busting the bad guys and also for this amazing account of what happened.

Cliff Stoll is a astrologer at the University of Berkeley but discovered accidentally (by a stupid financial irregularity of 75 cents) an unauthorized user on their computer. With a little luck I could connect to some BBS (Bulletin Board System) using Gopher and we were suddenly in distant America. From then goes on a cat and mouse game, between Cliff and the hacker.The commands (telnet, whois.). in this book were something magical i wanted to know everything about.At that time I was already crazy and keenly interested in computers and networks but the Internet still was something far away (at least for me). WaauwCliff Stoll was my childhood idol and I knew then that I really wanted to do something similar.

Cliff Stoll was a physicist working at Lawrence Berkeley Labs as a sys admin when he accidentally fell into counterterrorism research. That book is a nerd test - if you've heard of it, you're probably a big nerd. I can say that because I'm a big nerd. Stoll is not an excellent writer, but he did a great job of tracking a hacker when that sort of thing just wasn't a big concern for law enforcement, and his documentation of the whole thing as it went along was probably the only thing that got the guy caught and prosecuted. Recommended if you're a big nerd like me; not recommended if you're not.

I ordered the book on a Monday (pm) and was surprised to receive the book only four days later. Great job.