This has to go down as one of the best books ever on Cyber Security, not because you’ll learn all sorts of hacking secrets or security secrets for that matter. This book is one of the few books that I’ve read where I literally couldn’t put it down, there’s no car chases, no breaking in to secret data centres and no shoot outs. It’s just a really good read, anyone who has ever had anything to do with computer security will enjoy it.
The book is a factual account of one persons hunt for a hacker, all started by finding a 75 cent discrepancy in the system accounting. It is a tale of dogged persistence, despite all the official that’s not my job stuff . It’s kind of like “Terminator “, turns computer sleuth only this guy is more tenacious. When you actually understand all the obstacles that had to be overcome by Cliff Stoll, I think that like me you’ll be absolutely amazed at his story. This guy seemed to find the simplest of solutions for challenging problems and not just the once, he manages this feat several times.
I can remember the press coverage that the story generated in the late 1980’s, this book tells the story behind the press story. And although the story is set in the mid 1980’s and the technology has changed beyond all recognition, this in no way detracts from this book as a good read. I first read this book about 2008 when a friend loaned me a copy, I recently re-read the book – but this time I had to buy the copy, mainly due to the fact that reading it for 40 minutes in the second hand bookshop had gleaned some very stern looks from the shop owner.