The shocking untold story of the elite secret society of hackers fighting to protect our privacy, our freedom -- even democracy itself.
"Cult of the Dead Cow is the tale of the oldest, most respected, and most famous American hacking group of all time. Though until now it has remained mostly anonymous, its members invented the concept of hacktivism, released the top tool for testing password security, and created what was for years the best technique for controlling computers from afar, forcing giant companies to work harder to protect customers. They contributed to the development of Tor, the most important privacy tool on the net, and helped build cyberweapons that advanced US security without injuring anyone. With its origins in the earliest days of the Internet, the cDc is full of oddball characters--activists, artists, and musicians--some of whom went on to advise presidents, cabinet members, and CEOs, who now walk …
The shocking untold story of the elite secret society of hackers fighting to protect our privacy, our freedom -- even democracy itself.
"Cult of the Dead Cow is the tale of the oldest, most respected, and most famous American hacking group of all time. Though until now it has remained mostly anonymous, its members invented the concept of hacktivism, released the top tool for testing password security, and created what was for years the best technique for controlling computers from afar, forcing giant companies to work harder to protect customers. They contributed to the development of Tor, the most important privacy tool on the net, and helped build cyberweapons that advanced US security without injuring anyone. With its origins in the earliest days of the Internet, the cDc is full of oddball characters--activists, artists, and musicians--some of whom went on to advise presidents, cabinet members, and CEOs, who now walk the corridors of power in Washington and Silicon Valley. Today, the group and its followers are battling electoral misinformation, making personal data safer, and organizing to keep technology a force for good instead of for surveillance and oppression. Cult of the Dead Cow describes how, at a time when governments, corporations, and criminals hold immense power, a small band of tech iconoclasts is on our side fighting back"--Dust jacket flap.
Much of this book is fascinating, if you're a geek old enough to remember BBSes. As hacker groups go, Cult of the Dead Cow was likely among the most ethical. But the handful of brilliant fools ended up solidly in the establishment — at Facebook and Yahoo, at DOD and the NSA, or at firms contracting for them. It's so common as to seem inevitable: an idea that starts in a garage ends up monetizing by spreading hate or spying on you.
[This review originally was published on another instance and was lost during migration.]
At first I thought this book started too slowly. Talking with some infosec elders showed me that I just didn't understand the impact of those early events.
The cDc are legends for a reason.
You will get the details of how they:
- coined use of 1337 as a descriptor
- regularly held the first modern hacker conference
- briefed Bill Clinton on Internet security
- testified before congress on Internet security under their anonymous handles
- made Back Orifice and a sequel, a malware so pernicious it essentially forced Microsoft to care about security seriously from then on
- coined the term, and mainstreamed the practice, of hacktivism
Then you get to the book's second half. Legacies are forged in code and blood as the stakes continue to rise in the post-9/11 era.
For someone who grew up a couple years later than the people from this book, it's pretty fun to read how things were back then. It's a pretty intriguing story!
