The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage (Paperback)
In this white-knuckled true story that is “as exciting as any action novel” (The New York Times Book Review), an astronomer-turned-cyber-detective begins a personal quest to expose a hidden network of spies that threatens national security and leads all the way to the KGB.
When Cliff Stoll followed the trail of a 75-cent accounting error at his workplace, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, it led him to the presence of an unauthorized user on the system. Suddenly, Stoll found himself crossing paths with a hacker named “Hunter” who had managed to break into sensitive United States networks and steal vital information.
Stoll made the dangerous decision to begin a one-man hunt of his own: spying on the spy. It was a high-stakes game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases, one that eventually gained the attention of the CIA. What started as simply observing soon became a game of cat and mouse that ultimately reached all the way to the KGB.
When Cliff Stoll followed the trail of a 75-cent accounting error at his workplace, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, it led him to the presence of an unauthorized user on the system. Suddenly, Stoll found himself crossing paths with a hacker named “Hunter” who had managed to break into sensitive United States networks and steal vital information.
Stoll made the dangerous decision to begin a one-man hunt of his own: spying on the spy. It was a high-stakes game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases, one that eventually gained the attention of the CIA. What started as simply observing soon became a game of cat and mouse that ultimately reached all the way to the KGB.
An astronomer by training and a computer expert by accident, Cliff Stoll became a leading authority on computer security and the internet. He has given talks for the FBI, CIA, and NSA, and has appeared before the US Senate. He lives in Oakland, California.
"Fascinating...a nonfiction account that reads like a le Carré novel."
-- The Seattle Times
"Stoll's is the ever-appealing story of the little man bucking the system...great fun to read...lively and thoroughly absorbing."
-- The Philadelphia Inquirer
"The Cuckoo's Egg is 'reader friendly,' even for those who have only the vaguest familiarity with computers...a true spy thriller....The hunt is gripping."
-- Chicago Tribune
"As exciting as any action novel....A gripping spy thriller."
-- The New York Times Book Review
-- The Seattle Times
"Stoll's is the ever-appealing story of the little man bucking the system...great fun to read...lively and thoroughly absorbing."
-- The Philadelphia Inquirer
"The Cuckoo's Egg is 'reader friendly,' even for those who have only the vaguest familiarity with computers...a true spy thriller....The hunt is gripping."
-- Chicago Tribune
"As exciting as any action novel....A gripping spy thriller."
-- The New York Times Book Review