[HN Gopher] Cliff Stoll, the mad scientist who wrote the book on...
___________________________________________________________________
Cliff Stoll, the mad scientist who wrote the book on how to hunt
hackers (2019)
Author : ColinWright
Score : 57 points
Date : 2024-03-27 20:05 UTC (2 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.wired.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.wired.com)
| ChrisArchitect wrote:
| (2019)
|
| Some more discussion then:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21830277
| jfengel wrote:
| I was wondering why they'd run an article with that title. It
| sounds like an obituary.
|
| Instead, it's just somebody submitting old links.
| jrd259 wrote:
| Indeed, what's up with the "mad scientist" bit?
| delecti wrote:
| Given his presentation style, that isn't a farfetched
| description.
| quesera wrote:
| One of my favorite parts of _Cuckoo 's Egg_ is when Cliff
| asks a lawyer if he should wear a tie to court.
|
| The lawyer responds something along the lines of "At your
| level of abstraction, it doesn't make any difference".
| funkyjazz wrote:
| The Cuckoo's Egg - Really enjoyed reading it when I was growing
| up. Required reading for everyone.
| pvg wrote:
| Cliff Stoll is also an HN user and well-known
| nonorientablesurfacemonger. You can read him in action most
| recently here:
|
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249938
| Ajay-p wrote:
| @CliffStoll is one of my childhood heroes. I ordered a Klein
| bottle and he drew a picture on the invoice and it melted my
| heart. It is now a prized possession framed on a wall next to
| Kevin Mitnick's business card.
| geephroh wrote:
| I was replying to say the same -- I even kept the shipping box
| which he decorated as well.
|
| He embodies so much of the genuine intellectual curiosity,
| creativity, and joy of the early Internet. A really good human!
| sys32768 wrote:
| Definitely read his book The Cuckoo's Egg. Terrific story and
| prose.
|
| Then check out the old Nova documentary about the story: The KGB,
| The Computer, and Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGv5BqNL164
| drpossum wrote:
| I read Silicon Snakeoil when I was much younger in the internet's
| infancy and though it was completely out of touch. I think even
| he has admitted it didn't pan out has he predicted.
|
| Now that the internet is reaching its final form I'm not so sure
| anymore
| quesera wrote:
| Cliff Stoll was an unwelcome demonstration that not _all_ adults
| are as clueless as they appear to disaffected, smarter-than-thou
| teenagers.
|
| Cliff showed that a smart adult with an outsized curiosity and
| more than a bit of persistence, could keep up -- and even marshal
| resources to reassert the dominance of order and adulthood.
|
| This was a good lesson, at the right time, for many people!
|
| Also, _Cuckoo 's Egg_ is an entertaining story. I read it again a
| few years ago, and I enjoyed it more this time than I did when it
| was published. :)
| patcon wrote:
| https://archive.is/iS8NV
| pavel_lishin wrote:
| God, I just saw his name on HN, and was afraid he'd died.
| caycep wrote:
| yeah this week has spooky mojo
| alienbirds wrote:
| I also thought this was an obit, relieved it is not
| mrbluecoat wrote:
| Cliff's book was my first introduction to cybersecurity - a
| fantastic read with principles that hold true today. _Stealing
| the Network: The Complete Series Collector 's Edition_ and Kevin
| Mitnick's books are also great.
| cowmix wrote:
| When I had my little ISP here in Arizona back in the early 90s, I
| gave every new customer a copy of the Cuckoo's Egg.
| beej71 wrote:
| One of my life's highlights was getting to meet him when I went
| to his house to buy a Klein bottle. Such a great and admirable
| human being.
| BurningFrog wrote:
| I had a similar experience!
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2024-03-27 23:00 UTC)