In 1986 an astronomer was given the task of tracking an apparent 75 cent accounting error in computer records at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.

That assignment led Clifford Stoll on a 10-month chase to discover the identity of a hacker or hackers who breached security of private and government systems around the world.

The most amazing aspect of the case is that Stoll encountered so much reluctance on the part of government agencies, including the FBI, CIA and NSA, to assist the investigation and bring the culprits to justice. That government did finally act was largely as a result of Stoll’s persistence and his documentation of the hacking activity.

The end result was the identification of the hacker in Germany and the discovery he was selling pilfered information to the Soviet KGB. German authorities charged five people with espionage. Ironically, the hacker got off on an appeal.

Much of the computer detail in Stoll’s book is now outdated. Still, he makes clear two aspects remain constant:

Networks are fragile and can only remain secure when people trust each other.

Hacking is a crime.

As Stoll points out, when talented people devote time to breaking into computers and devising viruses instead of developing means to improve the free flow of information they are violating trust.