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. A sentimental favorite, the cuckoos egg seems to have inspired a whole category of books exploring the quest to capture computer criminals. Before the internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive. I read the cuckoo s egg when i was in high school i think and came away with the impression that stoll wasis a buffoon. Before the internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive us citizen recognized its ominous potential. The story starts out with clifford stoll being recycled to a computer.
Stoll is also the same person who was doing thoughts at the end of the site. In 1986, having recently lost his research grant, astronomer clifford stoll was made a computer system admin with the wave of a hand by the. Like a detective, davies and his colleagues studied adult cuckoo behavior, cuckoo egg markings, and cuckoo chick begging calls to discover exactly how cuckoos trick their hosts. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. His crystal ball was a lot clearer than hes given credit for. It is his firstperson account of the hunt for a computer hacker who broke into a computer at the lawrence berkeley national laboratory lbnl. Clifford stoll, an msnbc commentator, a lecturer, and a berkeley astronomer, is the author of the new york times bestseller the cuckoo s egg, silicon snake oil, and hightech heretic. It was nominated for the hugo award and longlisted the locus award for best novel. Before the internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive u. Actually, that off target 1995 antiinternet column was. Clifford stoll s first book, the cuckoo s egg, is both a gripping spy thriller and an intriguing introduction to the futuristic world of international computer networking. Clifford stoll clifford stoll tells the story of his discovery, tracking, and eventual capture of a. The book was published by daw books in 1985, and there was also a limited hardcover printing by phantasia press in the same year.
The cuckoos egg book by cliff stoll official publisher page. A cuckoo bird will lay its egg in another birds nest letting that bird raise the offspring as her own. Coming from a unix background it was fun to see a system i recognized. Clifford stoll booklist clifford stoll message board. Cliff stoll is a seemingly scatterbrained astronomer. The cuckoos egg has long been acknowledged as mandatory reading for anyone interested in cybersecurity, especially those on the technical side of the field. Clifford stoll published it in 1989, and the first time i read it, i devoured it over a weekend when i should have been writing my grad school thesis. Cuckoos egg ebook by clifford stoll 9780307819420 rakuten.
The cuckoo s egg by cliff stoll the cuckoo s egg page 1 of 254. Listen to the cuckoos egg tracking a spy through the maze of computer espionage by cliff stoll available from rakuten kobo. Actually, that off target 1995 antiinternet column was amazingly ontarget clifford stoll. Report video issue javascript must be enabled in order to access cspan videos. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
If you find computers interesting this book is for you. The story, broken in 1989, quickly gathered headlines across the nation and stoll. Still, even several years after its initial publication and after much imitation, the book remains a good read with an engaging story line and a critical outlook, as clifford stoll. The cuckoos egg by cliff stoll before the internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive u. Tracking a spy through the maze of computer espionage is a 1989 book written by clifford stoll. Cuckoo s egg is a science fiction novel by american writer c. Stoll wasnt even a computing pro he was an astronomer that used the computer to run programs. The technology has changed, but the crime and the chase. Written by cliff stoll, audiobook narrated by will damron. Cuckoo s egg is a novel by science fiction and fantasy author c. Tracking a spy through the maze of computer espionage reissue by stoll, cliff isbn. The technology has changed, but the crime and the chase have remained the same.
Tracking a spy through the maze of computer espionage, stoll details the story involving markus hess, who sold the stolen information from u. Clifford stoll author clifford stoll, an msnbc commentator, a lecturer, and a berkeley astronomer, is the author of the new york times bestseller the cuckoos egg, silicon snake oil, and hightech heretic. Acknowledgments how do you spread the word when a computer has a security hole. It could have been titled the story of ping oops that title has been taken. A sentimental favorite, the cuckoo s egg seems to have inspired a whole category of books exploring the quest to capture computer criminals. The story starts out with clifford stoll being recycled to a computer analystwebmaster. Im a scientist, once i do something, i want to do something else. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading cuckoo s egg. Cliff, as he is affectionately called, is a longhaired exhippie that works at lawrence berkeley lab. In 1986, astronomer turned computer scientist clifford stoll had just started working on a computer system at the lawrence berkeley laboratory. In my own opinion it shows how difficult it is to be heard when you are asking for help in solving a. Read cuckoos egg by clifford stoll available from rakuten kobo. A sentimental favorite, the cuckoo s egg seems to have inspired a whole category of books exploring the quest to.
Tracking a spy through the maze of computer espionage paperback september, 2005 by cliff stoll author. The kgb, the computer, and me clifford stoll, the cuckoos egg. It is still compelling today, just in a different manner. The cuckoo s egg by cliff stoll before the internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive u. Tracking a spy through the maze of computer espionage. The cuckoos egg audiobook by cliff stoll 9781977300478. The cuckoos egg is a story of persistence, love for ones work and is just plain funny. When, to the delight of the baffled fbi, cia, and nsa, cliff stoll nailed his spy, he wound up on the front page of the new york times.
I saw the tv program on this story before reading the book. The cuckoos egg by clifford stoll was fascinating the first time i read it in 1989, and when i saw it on one of the books to read lists on goodreads, i eagerly reexamined it. The cuckoo s egg is well written and is considered a classic. The cuckoo s egg by clifford stoll, bodley head, pp 326, pounds 12. Clifford stoll, an msnbc commentator, a lecturer, and a berkeley astronomer, is the author of the new york times bestseller the cuckoos egg, silicon snake oil, and hightech heretic. The cuckoo s egg has long been acknowledged as mandatory reading for anyone interested in cybersecurity, especially those on the technical side of the field.