Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a classic book about real life network hacking.

The book reads like a detective story, and all the details are real life happenings of a grad student from Berkeley and some astute West German hackers during the Cold War era (mid 1980's). The technical details are not esoteric, and should not dissuade the non-techies from picking it up.

I picked up the book at the library one afternoon and could not put it down until the next day, when I had finished the last chapters.

IMPRESSIONS: Very captivating, good exposition of technical details for the lay reader, fast read.

Also, great epilogue speculating the future of security and "trust" on the web, meaning of digital security and how it will influence our lives.

Truth is often stranger than fiction, though it isn't always as interesting. THE CUCKOO'S EGG is the exception, giving us a tale just as exciting as any best-selling, fictional thriller and yet is entirely factual. Who would have guessed that such an exhilarating adventure could be totally enclosed in the not-entirely-sexy world of computer networks and security?

THE CUCKOO'S EGG is a fascinating story that began with a minor discrepancy on a small computer network in Berkeley and ended in an international sting operation. Cliff Stoll was the astronomer-turned-programmer who was on the trail of the mysterious hacker, and he tells the story quite well. This is a suspense filled tale of tracking this burglar to his lair, of frustrating red herrings and of maddening bureaucracy that stands in the scientist's way.

There are one or two places that don't flow quite as smoothly as they would have had the author been a professional writer and not an astronomer/computer-engineer. He also tends to be a bit repetitive in his discussions and his repeating of his philosophies. But, as I mentioned, this is from a scientist, not an English major, and his style does have a charm of its own. It helps the story feel more like something that's happening to just an average kind of guy, which is a great aid to heightening tension, and also helps carry the computer-illiterate reader. Despite having to convey some relatively difficult concepts, Stoll does an excellent job at explaining networks, operating systems, programming logic and other computer activities with a minimum of confusion. And while the average reader is gaining insight into the world of computer, the advanced, 21st Century computer operator may find something to feel nostalgic about in this story of late-80's computer networks.

I can easily recommend this book to anyone regardless of his or her prior knowledge of computers. While on the surface this is a story about breaking into electronic equipment, the appealing aspects of the story lie in the mystery itself, not necessarily in the tools of the trade. What this all boils down to is a good old-fashioned game of cops-and-robbers, when computer networks and Internet security were still only in their infancy.

I bought this book at the suggestion of a friend. I did not really expect it to be entertaining since most books on the subject are tough to get through. Instead it is as compelling as any good thriller. It is one of those books that are tough to put down once started, and I found myself staying up late to make it through just "a few more pages".
Try it and you're in for a treat.

Here's a great nerd's-eye view of Cliff Stoll's practically one-man stand to capture a 'Cracker' (aka a Malicious Hacker for the non-geeks). There's enough technical detail to get the point across without losing an audience. Mr Stoll has a great ability to write that doesn't alienate the non-computer savvy folk, yet keep us fellow geeks enthralled.

I bought this book almost 6 years ago, and I still read it today. Then, I knew very little about UNIX, but I still enjoyed the book. Stoll writes in a way that everyone can enjoy the story. Now, I am currently taking a course in UNIX/Linux, and I am reading the book again, this time rediscovering the case with a new perspective. The "Cuckoo's Egg" is an immensely enjoyable book.

Even to non-computer wise peoples The Cuckoo's Egg is a delightful read the explores the reality of computer hackers and the vulnerability of systems to new age hackers. In concise words it tells the story of a 75 cent discrepancy in a 'home-brewed' accounting system that leads to much more.

A well-written and thoroughly engaging account. Although this book will be most interesting to computer geeks, it is written to be accessible to all readers - technical jargon is kept to a minimum, or clearly explained when necessary. Because the events occurred in the eighties, many of the specifics seem rather dated now, but the basic principles are still relevant.

But the essence of this book is not the technical aspect - it's the very human story of an individual determined to solve a mystery at all costs. Stoll wrestles with adversaries (not only the spy himself, but also unhelpful government agents, his bosses, and even awkward computer systems), finds solutions to his problems (sometimes through cleverness and ingenuity, sometimes through tedious, determined effort), celebrates his victories and comes to terms with his failures, and shows how he has grown from the experience and come to new understandings.

Though Stoll downplays his computer expertise ("I'm an astronomer, not a programmer"), he's clearly a hacker in the truest sense of the word - ingenious, determined, iconoclastic, and a bit of a mystic. Frankly, he seems like a helluva guy, possessed of intellect, integrity, and a clever sense of humor. Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of the book is the insight it gives into the hacker mindset.

The book occasionally gets repetitive - usually to reinforce the technical concepts for the benefit of general readers - but overall, it's competently written and easy to read. Stoll isn't here to craft award-winning literature; he's here to tell a story, and he does that quite well.

I've read this book several times, and will certainly read it several more times. If you fancy yourself a hacker, or just like a good real-life adventure story, this book is essential reading.

I couldn't put this book down. I love it when real life surpasses fictional imagination. The story of Mr. Stoll's discovery of a hacker in his university's computer network, and the international chase that ensued was thrilling. His all-nighters, help from his girlfriend (turned ex-girlfriend by the book's end), and triumphant and happy ending makes for fascinating reading.

I think that this book would make a wonderful movie, even if the technology is way outdated by now. Hollywood -- pay attention.

I knew Cliff (by e-mail) from computer security work I was involved in at the time with the Fed...I was 18 at the time. I have read and re-read this book at least 20 times and it never wears thin. Cliff knew how to tell the story in laymen's terms as at the time he began his hunt he was one. This was the first well publicized crack and even got its own PBS special. An excellent read and even moreso when one considers that no one knew just how significant an issue computer security would be in the future touching not just those in academia and government, but every day folks.

I loved reading about the mid-80s computing environment. I've been in infosec (Unix/IDS and networking) for a few years now but the world in which Stoll operated was vastly different than our internet. However there are several concepts that are huge today in information security that Stoll used/documented 15 years ago. Examples:

1. Diversity in computing. Stoll mentions at least twice that diversity in computing is a defense for worms and human attacks. While one can argue that this is not feasible, this idea certainly isn't contentious enough to fire someone over, which is what just happened to security researcher Dan Geer for saying this (don't cross MS).

2. Honeypots. Stoll created fictitious information on his computer to lure the attacker into looking at that info long enough to get a trace. Not exactly a modern honeypot but pretty close.

3. No cooperation between govt branches. Enough said.

4. BAD PASSWORDS. Most of the attacker's arsenal was plunking away at default accounts with lame passwords. Fast forward 15 years and think about how far we've come.

5. Attackers' ridiculous attempts to justify breaking into someone's systems by claiming they're doing the victim a favor by displaying their security problems.

6. Responsible disclosure of bugs and security holes. Stoll ponders how to do this in the late 80s. It took until 2003 for most ppl to agree to give vendors about 1-3 months notice before going public.

My only complaint was that it gets a little repetative near the end with Stoll calling around and trying to get anyone to help him instead of just leeching info. But if that was boring for me it must have been much worse for him.

Overall a solid book that allows us "youngsters" (born mid-70s or later) a glimse of the centralized computing world, I'm just sorry it took me so long to read it.