Pressganged into overhauling a computerised billing system at Berkeley, Astronomer Cliff Stohl discovered various anomalies which led him to further discover that the University's computers were being hacked by a foreign agent based in Germany. The hacker was using his illicit access to the University's computers as a platform for illegal intrusions into sensitive military computer systems in the USA.

Hacking was seemingly almost unknown at the time and, in essence, nobody in authority really took Stohl seriously when he began to report what was going on.

Recounted in a loose and easygoing style the book is a surprsingly gripping detective story as Stohl almost singelhandedly tracks and battles the determined hacker. We painlessly pick up a basic familiarity with Unix operating systems as we go along.

We learn that computer security was disturbingly lax at the time which was a time of dial-up modems and all manner of now obsolete technologies. These echoes of a bygone era are fascinating in themselves.

The details of Stohl's domestic life are perhaps unnecessary but these do contribute a sense of the man and his social environment which is not unwlecome.

The style of the book, and its tale of early cyber-espionage, are jauntily amateurish - Stohl comes across as a likeable and liberal minded protegé of the Berkeley ethos of the period.

Overall, it's an entertaining yarn which has no pretensions towards literary excellence and provides a relaxing and enjoyable reading experience.

This was a fun read. As an IT professional, especially years down the road, it’s interesting to look back at the roots of many of the issues we deal with today. But mostly it’s just an interesting story of a guy using whatever meager tools he could scrape together to stop someone invading his territory. I can’t say whether a non–IT-type would enjoy it, but I suspect they might. His cheeky tone helps, though I’m sure it would have grown old if the book had been much longer.

There’s a great insight near the end, by the way, about the ways that computer hacking has damaged our individual autonomy—precisely the thing most hackers claim they’re trying to defend, in their righteously defensive moments. Stoll’s insights on this actually stand the test of time—they’re at least as true now as they were when he wrote this book. ( )

Worth reading!

Very good. Even years later this book is thought provoking. In addition, it gives a historical view of computing at beginning of the widespread use of the Internet. ( )

An interesting story but about 150 pages too long for this non-computer guy. I am a proud owner of one of Stoll's Klein bottles. ( )

I found this to be an enjoyable true story of tracking a hacker in the early days if the Internet, setting up alarms, putting in traps, and working with numerous agencies and telcos. It was a bit drawn out at times but I still enjoyed it. Good storytelling from a first person perspective of the hunt. ( )

Maybe a little too concerned with narrating every single step in the process, even the many, many failed attempts that lead nowhere. This comes at the expense of excitement in the middle sections of the book.

But that's a minor complaint, overall this was a really cracking story. I'm really impressed by how well Stoll explained topics in computer science, networking, and security to readers who may very well have never been on a network before, and who may be hearing about hacking for the first time. He did a good job choosing what to simplify, and how, to let readers understand what was going on, while not overwhelming them or talking down to them. Even more impressive given that these intrusion detection techniques were things he invented, so he had no examples to draw from, and not many people around to give him advice.

This book was all the rage in the BBS scene in the 90s, and I didn't read it then. I'm glad I finally got around to it. Maybe the longest time between putting a book on my "to read" pile and then actually reading it: about 30 years. ( )

Obviously dated, but in a delightful and informative way. Some parts were a bit cringe worthy just because the ideas and stereotypes around computer activity have changed significantly in 30 years. Overall, an incredible snapshot of early personal computing and internet life. ( )

Written in 1989, a bit of history from a time when breaking into computers, even military computers wasn't a crime the authorities were concerned about. ( )

I read this back in the 1990s, I believe. I remember enjoying it a lot more than I expected, but I was a computer programmer and there weren't many books like this back then.

The author is a true Berkeleyite, smart and a little crazy. He was an astronomer doing something like making lenses for the well known Lawrence Labs, a high-tech haven. Now, he makes bottles that don't hold anything and are of interest mainly to mathematical nerds, etc. He pretty much lived in his own world, but for a while, he was pulled out into a stint of international intrigue involving all the 3-letter agencies around then - the FBI, CIA, NSA, etc.

Michael Perkins posted a link to an article about the author that was interesting and tells a bit about the book and his life: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/899323627
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I love this book. Published in 1990, this book first introduced me to hacking and cybercrimes and I have been hooked ever since. One of my early jobs when I first left school was to track down the spending against the costs for my employer. They had to match. If the final balance was out by less than $1 it took forever to find those few cents.

Cliff Stoll from California was given a similar job back in the 1980s. 75 cents were missing from the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory accounts, and he was given the task of finding those missing pennies. It took him several years but eventually he was able to bring down one of the first cyberterrorist cells that was stealing military secrets and selling them to the Russians.

While this is an old story, and computers and technology have now far surpassed what Cliff Stoll had to deal with, I still enjoy reading this for the history of the early hackers. ( )

Excellent old timey story about hackers before there was even an internet. All the same lessons still apply. ( )

Reading again after 30 years. This true story reads like the best spy thriller fiction. A recent headline (March 2021) warned that some of the important “holes” in the security systems of computers worldwide have still not been plugged. ( )

It's a fun little foray into tracking spies. The Cuckoo's Egg is enough to satisfy your inner Tom Clancy, without delving into dumb action schlock. It's not a book that's going to stick with you, but it's an enjoyable read. ( )

Accessible to the layman and engaging as hell, Stoll's journey in tracing a hacker - maybe some script kiddie? - all the way into Europe and beyond is a wonderful read. The ex-hippie shtick wears a bit thin in some places, but his personal transformation is made clearer by the epilogue. And in some ways he is just as much a novice to computer security as an average person reading this. A trip through unix and VAX systems, GNU-emacs holes and root/admin passwords, this is a great introduction to what "hacking" - and classification by aggregation - have always been about. ( )

A fascinating account of his persistence in tracking down a $0.75 accounting error despite indifference from all his superiors and associates. Then when it turned out to be a hacker also hacking into government computer, he encountered that same indifference at all levels. ( )

A fun read and a great history lesson for computer nerds like me. ( )

It's been years since I read this. A friend posted a chocolate chip cookie recipe, which, naturally, brought this book straight to mind. Why you might ask? It has a truly excellent chocolate chip cookie recipe in it, which I've had the pleasure to make.

Without giving the plot away, this is an excellent romp through some early hacking and counter hacking ideas and techniques. A must read if you ever use a computer. ( )

As well as a gripping techno-thriller, it's also a sweet romance, and includes a great chocolate-chip cookie recipe. Stoll never sets out to be a hero, he's just a problem-solving grad student, who becomes really dedicated to solving one particular problem.

I wonder how dated it seems now? ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2690761.html

The 1980s were more innocent times than ours. This is the first-person account of how Stoll, an astrophysics graduate turned sysadmin at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, spotted unauthorised access to the departmental VAX one day in 1986 and set off on a detective trail that eventually led to Cold War hacking and espionage. One has to admire his forensic attention to detail, in the face of apathy from the USA's own intelligence and security services and the constant threat of being told to get on with his day job by his bosses; but it's also extraordinary to reflect on how things have changed, in that there would be no difficulty now in getting a government agency to pay attention to hacking on this scale; there would be no legal difficulty in bringing a prosecution; the technical tools to track down hackers are much better developed; and the big international threat to cybersecurity is not in Russia but further east. Still, it's a great book. ( )

Probably the book that got me first interested in computers. ( )

Entertaining overall story, i just got bit tired of the Stoll's silly whining about different sort of things at the end of the book. ( )

I was ready to give THE CUCKOO'S EGG a mere four stars, because this is just not really the kind of book I normally read. But then I decided that wouldn't be fair, or an accurate reflection of how I ended up reading it. Which was nearly nonstop from beginning to end. The book is almost 400 pages long and I read it in less than two days. A jacket blurb says it "reads like a le Carre novel," and it does, no lie. It's that gripping and compelling a read. Except this is a spy thriller that involves no real physical danger to its hero-author, Cliff Stoll. But whodathunk that a narrative that plays out mostly behind a desk, plunking computer keys, could be this exciting? Well, it is; it keeps you turning and turning the pages, 'cause you just can't wait to find out what happens next.

Cliff Stoll seems an unlikely hero for an international spy thriller. The guy's an astronomer by training, but also a largely self-taught computer geek, a Berkley hippie sort who doesn't own a car and bikes everywhere. He enjoys cooking, sewing, and Quilting! But the thing is, the guy is cool, very cool. And he's funny too. In the course of the book you learn a little about his relationship with his partner, Martha, which is pretty laid back, unofficial and, well, cool. You also learn quite a lot about the early days of computers and the pre-internet age, when PC's were still something of a novelty and giant mainframe computers ruled. Well, they probably still do. And he also introduces you to the dangers of non-secure computers, how hackers can infiltrate and steal stuff, pretty important stuff in fact. You see how Cliff gradually eases himself from the hippy fringe into the heart of the military industrial complex, accidentally, as it were, just doing his job. Other players are folks from the FBI, CIA, NSA, and lots of DoD contractors too - the whole Beltway bunch and others scattered all over the USA.

And, most important of all, Cliff Stoll is a great storyteller, a natural writer. Or, if he's not, he's got me fooled. I know I've 'discovered' this book almost twenty-five years late, but man, is it ever a terrific read! Five-PLUS stars. Highly recommended. Yeah, VERY highly! ( )

Although quite old now, this is a great read. Both technically detailed, and well written in the best traditions of crime mystery (a rare combination).

The copy of the book I read is traveling the world(!) Track it here: http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6557574/

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Although quite old now, this is a great read. Both technically detailed, and well written in the best traditions of crime mystery (a rare combination).

The copy of the book I read is traveling the world(!) Track it here: http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6557574/

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Interesting first-person view of tracking a hacker back to the source back in the early Unix days. Pretty interesting from a historical perspective, although there is a lot of waiting around for something interesting to happen (as the 3-letter agencies sit around doing nothing useful for months). ( )