Kuckucksei - BookWyrm

perfect paperback

German language

Published by Krüger.

ISBN:: 978-3-8105-1862-0

In the days when the presence of a computer did NOT presume the presence of a network (they used to be freestanding units that could not easily communicate with another system), accounts to use the computer were expensive to maintain and heavily scrutinized by management. When the Accounting staff of Stoll's university employer discovered 75 cents' worth of time used with which no user was associated, they called him and demanded that he locate the "phantom" user. Stoll wasn't even a computing pro - he was an astronomer that used the computer to run programs that pointed telescopes properly. But he was a member of a club that exists today - that person elected to do network administration because he drew the short straw. Stoll tells the ensuing circa 1985 tale of analysis when people worldwide were only just discovering what networks could reveal... and hide. Rather like today.

15 editions

[email protected] reviewed The Cuckoo's Egg by Clifford Stoll

Gripping

5 stars

Ah this was amazing. I didn't have any expectations of this book but it turned out to be a thrilling story of vintage computer crime told in a compelling accessible way.

I loved the way the scale and scope of the story was slowly grown from a tiny accounting error into an intercontinental espionage tale.

Interesting to read about some of the early computer vulnerabilities, early approaches to security, as well as perspectives from government agencies.

This was a great introduction to computer history and cybersecurity, written as a thriller that could easily be fictional - if only it wasn't.

Published in 1989, I'm sad I've been unaware of it all that time. I'm definitely going to read more in this genre. I much preferred the earlier smaller scale of the book, and found it less interesting once the scale blew up.

Ah this was amazing. I didn't have any expectations of this book but it turned out to be a thrilling story of vintage computer crime told in a compelling accessible way.

I loved the way the scale and scope of the story was slowly grown from a tiny accounting error into an intercontinental espionage tale.

Interesting to read about some of the early computer vulnerabilities, early approaches to security, as well as perspectives from government agencies.

This was a great introduction to computer history and cybersecurity, written as a thriller that could easily be fictional - if only it wasn't.

Published in 1989, I'm sad I've been unaware of it all that time. I'm definitely going to read more in this genre. I much preferred the earlier smaller scale of the book, and found it less interesting once the scale blew up.