The Cuckoo's Egg Tracking: a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Cliff Stoll
In 1986, Cliff Stoll's boss asked him to investigate a $0.75 accounting error for the use of their lab's computer. He quickly discovered that a hacker had penetrated their computer system and was attempting to do the same to the Milnet computers it was connected to. The situation quickly cascaded into a multi-national search for a malicious hacker-spy involving multiple "three letter" government agencies. At the center of it all was Cliff, an astronomer turned system administrator turned digital sleuth. In The Cuckoo's Egg, Cliff provides a detailed account of his adventure and eventual success.
I really enjoyed The Cuckoo's Egg. Although I was vaguely aware of the story, I only recently learned of the book. I was immediately hooked and struggled to put it down.
The Cuckoo's Egg provides a detailed description of 1980's computing, a subject for which I have an irrational fondness. It's a great reminder of how innocent a time that was and how far technology has come.
Timeless, though, were Cliff's creativity and persistence. I wish more people today put as much effort into solving problems, even apparently small ones. Cliff's story remains an inspiration.
Cliffs political retrospection added an unexpected dimension to the story. His initial mental model of government agents was comic book-esque. During the pursuit, he gradually realized that they were just normal people with similar values. Cliff's willingness to alter his political views was also encouraging.
PDF versions of the book are available online. The book was also summarized in the NOVA episode The KGB, The Computer, and Me albeit without much of the detail that made the story interesting.
If you like computer history, cyber-security, and mystery stories then you will likely enjoy The Cuckoo's Egg.
