CTRL+ALT+CHAOS: How Teenage Hackers Hijack the Internet

by Joe Tidy

'An illuminating and often scary book' The Daily Telegraph

'Joe has a gift for uncovering stories others can't and turning them into something unforgettable. This book doesn't just tell a story. It grabs you, pulls you in, and doesn't let go.' Jack Rhysider, Darknet Diaries podcast

From the BBC's cyber correspondent and foremost voice on cybercrime comes the insider exposé of the global rise of teen Ctrl+Alt+Chaos.

Cyber correspondent Joe Tidy has investigated and interviewed the most infamous teenage hacker gangs of the past decade for the BBC, and previously for Sky News. Now he unveils the dark digital underbelly where teenage boys are reshaping cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, and organised crime under the noses of their parents.

Throughout he chronicles the life of Julius Kivimaki, aka Zeekill, arguably the most hated hacker in history, from 12-year-old nuisance hacker to a Most Wanted cybercriminal culminating in his 2023 capture. In one of the cruellest hacks in history, he blackmailed 30,000 Finnish psychotherapy patients with their stolen notes. Kivimaki's story gives us vital insights into how hackers find their feet and become dangerous criminals.

Tracking the rise and fall of groups such as LulzSec, HTP, UG Nazi, and Lizard Squad, Ctrl+Alt+Chaos features exclusive interviews with the hackers as well as the police officers trying to stop them. Joe Tidy also draws parallels with recent high-profile attacks from other teenage gangs and ask the question - how can we stop the cycle of teenage boys hijacking life online?

Genres: Nonfiction, Computers, Crime, Technology, Audiobook, Hackers, True Crime

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2025

Reviews

[Nikki Lee (Nikkileethrillseeker) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fascinating listen!!! This true crime novel is highly shocking!!! RTC

[Liv Humphries · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep dive into the world of online hacking communities that was both enticing and depressing. This book is a new angle into the masculinity crisis of today and what led us here.

[Lotta Yli-Hukkala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kiinnostavinta oli lukea brittikirjailijan havaintoja Suomen oikeusjärjestelmästä! Muutoin jäi vähän epätasaiseksi anekdoottikokoelmaksi, vaikka Kivimäen tapaus yritti luoda punaista lankaa.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aleksanteri Kivimäki is evil.

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely a book you need to go into with a genuine interest in the subject matter. While it may seem niche on the surface, the topics explored here can impact anyone who spends time online.

I found it fascinating, but also a little unsettling. Learning how vulnerable we truly are to those who wish to meddle, manipulate, and cause harm on the internet is eye-opening — and honestly, a bit scary. Still, that awareness feels important. Knowledge is a form of protection.

Full disclosure: there were parts that felt tedious and less engaging, but not because of the writing itself. Much of that material is necessary groundwork for understanding the topic, even if it isn’t always the most gripping to read. I appreciated having both the physical book and the audiobook to experience in tandem, as it helped me stay focused and engaged through the denser sections.

The author, Joe Tilley, also narrates the audiobook and does a serviceable job. While this is not a memoir, his firsthand experience with hacking and cybersecurity adds a personal weight to the material that comes through clearly in his delivery.

This book may not be for everyone, but I found it gripping and informative. It taught me a great deal about areas I was previously ignorant of, and I’m glad to walk away a little more educated — and a little more aware — of how the digital world around us really works.

I was fortunate to receive a complimentary ALC from Harlequin Audio via NetGalley, which gave me the opportunity to share my voluntary thoughts.

[Ninoshka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting and eye-opening look at the world of cybercrime. I appreciated how accessible the author made such a complex topic. It never felt overly technical, and I liked how he focused on the human side of these attacks rather than just the technology.

That said, I found parts of it a little repetitive, and some sections didn't hold my attention as much as I hoped. The subject matter is fascinating, but the pacing felt uneven at times.

Overall, it's a solid read if you're curious about cybersecurity, ransomeware, and how modern hacking really works. Informative and relevant, just not one that completely wowed me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing (and the Hive) for the arc and gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind blown at the things teenagers are doing online and the fact that they're sometimes as young as 14. Also it's truly saddening that they are destroying their lives because of it, instead of using hacking for good they lean towards using it for their own personal gain or to destroy the lives of others. I agree with the author, children are being left unsupervised and to their own devices when it comes to technology. We need cyber safety and education more than ever at this present time.

[Rob Sedgwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book mainly covers teenage hacking in the period 2010-2015, which appears to have been something of a golden age for middle class teenagers causing havoc from their bedrooms. The story centres around Julius Kivimäki, whose infamous hack of the Finnish psychotherapy centre Vastaamo took place in 2018, and he received a sentence for 6 years later. Most of the book is the backstory to this offence, plus a final chapter about teenage hackers today.

I appreciate that hackers are easier to interview after they have "retired", which perhaps explains why the book covers mainly distant events.

That said, the reasons for hacking are common among teenagers of all ages. They do it for the buzz, for the lols, and they have the time and aptitude to devote to picking up new skills and finding vulnerabilities. Joe Tidy makes some interesting observations about the lenient sentences hackers receive as juveniles, which virtually makes them immune from prosecution during their most active years. By the time they get to legal adulthood, most have moved on in their lives. A few, like Kivimäki, keep going and risk getting caught.

A good book, but it would be nice to see that final chapter expanded into a sequel.

[Pia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mielenkiintoisinta kirjassa oli Tidyn tapa kuvata Suomea - toisin sanoen välähdykset asioista, jotka ovat meille suomalaisille itsestäänselvyyksiä, mutta muille ihmetyksen aiheita.

Teksti oli kovin epätasaista, mikä kummastutti kun kirjoittaja on kuitenkin toimittaja. Paikoin lukeminen puudutti. Ihmetytti myös, miksei kirjoittaja tuonut esiin Vastaamon toimitusjohtajan taustaa ohjelmistokehittäjänä.

Lukiessani nuorisorikollisista jään usein miettimään heidän perheitään. Uhrit saavat ansaitusti empatiaa ja tukea, rikollisen perhe taas usein vain vihaa ja halveksuntaa. Kirjan lopussa oli mielenkiintoinen nosto vanhempien syyllistämisen elitistisyydestä. Jos teet kahta työtä pitääksesi perheesi leivässä, ei ole kohtuullista odottaa, että pystyisit kattavasti valvomaan, mitä lapsesi netissä tekee. Moni hakkereiden vanhemmista ei tuntunut edes ymmärtävän, mistä kyberrikollisuudessa on kyse.

Puutteistaan huolimatta kirja syvensi omaa ymmärrystäni sekä nuorten tekemästä kyberrikollisuudesta että Vastaamo-katastrofista, siitä kolme tähteä.

[Yates Buckley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is - ok - but does neither of what I was led to expect:
to get into the mind and world of the culprits, nor to dig into the actual activities. There is good journalism but also not enough depth and originality.

The book puts a lot of weight on some bad actions but does not capture the energy of the world these kids live in.

[Brian Clegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone like me with a background in programming is likely to be fascinated (if horrified) by books that present stories of hacking and other destructive work mostly by young males, some of whom have remarkable abilities with code, but use it for unpleasant purposes. I remember reading Clifford Stoll's 1990 book The Cuckoo's Egg about the first ever network worm (the 1988 ARPANet worm, which accidentally did more damage than was intended) - the book is so engraved in my mind I could still remember who the author was decades later.

This is very much in the same vein, but brings the story into the true internet age. Joe Tidy gives us real insights into the often-teen hacking gangs, many with members from the US and UK, who have caused online chaos and real harm. These attacks seem to have mostly started as pranks, but have moved into financial extortion and attempts to destroy others' lives through doxing, swatting (sending false messages to the police resulting in a SWAT team turning up), and even physical violence (usually between rival gangs).

With a mix of interviews and research, Tidy gives us valuable insights into the mindsets behind and causes of this hacking activity - how teens get into it, how some manage to turn their lives around (often going into cybersecurity), while others become career criminals. Although Tidy covers a number of gangs over around a 30 year period, a thread running through the book is the work of a single Finnish hacker Julius Kivimäki.

Kivimäki's most notorious hack involved blackmailing individuals by threatening to make public their records from a mental health clinic. However, he had been active since the age of 14 with numerous malicious online activities. For years, aided by the lax way that underage hackers have been treated by the law, Kivimäki had escaped punishment and believed himself untouchable. His story has a classic TV documentary feel (Tidy is a TV reporter), which is perhaps the weakest part of the book. It's fine to give us Kivimaki's life story and details of his hacking, but Tidy gives us far too many similar stories of victims and could tell us more about how these hacks were technically achieved and the practical actions that were taken to fight back and to prove Kivimaki's involvement.

Despite some reservations about the storytelling, this is an extremely useful dive into the impact of hacks and of the character of the person that the book describes as arguably the most hated hacker in history (even other hackers were appalled by his release of mental health data). Though particularly of interest for those with an IT background, we are all at risk from hackers, giving the book a wide potential audience.

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received an ARC of this book).
For a debut, Tidy has done a great job of making this book accessible to people who aren't as familiar with the internet/hacking culture without it being jarring or annoying to those of us who are. The average person isn't going to know what a skiddie is, and I'm not going to know what the Finnish equivalent of 4chan is. The book is really well balanced in this regard.
I also find that the blend of discussing the overall culture of teen hackers while also interweaving the story of one of the single most prominent ones of the 2010s was an excellent approach. You get to engage with the life and thought process of Kivimäki while also exploring the underworld that he inhabited.
The book did have a bit of an awkward finish, but it's hard to bring it to a tight close when the whole hacking world that we get to see blossom in this book had started to change at the end away from the flashy attacks by teens trying to outdo one another.
Another part that Tidy started to explore but didn't get into in depth was the overlap of the teen male hacker culture and the right. I was thinking how when Tidy describes boys getting into the hacking scene by being drawn in while playing multiplayer games online is really similar to how white supremacists recruit young men from the same place.
There were also some small things that I think could have been touched up a bit - Jabber is referred to as a messaging service, but it'd be more accurate to call it a protocol, for example.
On the whole, though, the pacing is good and it was an extremely enjoyable read. I'd recommend for those who liked Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever and Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency.

[Melina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative but overwhelmingly heavy
CTRL ALT CHAOS is packed with important and deeply researched information, but for me it ultimately became too much. The sheer amount of destruction, devastation, and human suffering described made it difficult to continue, and I ended up bailing at around 60%. It was emotionally exhausting to read how much harm was inflicted on innocent, unsuspecting people.
As someone who has worked in psychiatry for 15+ years, I also struggled with how often some of the teens in these cases blamed their autism for the horrible things they did. That framing felt misguided and, frankly, absurd. A neurodevelopmental diagnosis does not excuse intentional harm, and seeing it used that way was frustrating.
The most heartbreaking element was the hacking and leaking of deeply private psychotherapy notes, followed by ransom demands to keep that information from being exposed. It’s disturbing on every level. And yet, from a medical‑industry standpoint, I understand the unfortunate reality: providers have very little control over this. Insurance companies require digital documentation and digital claim submission, and with more practices using AI and digital scribes, this is simply the direction the field is moving. The vulnerability is built into the system.
Despite how difficult the content was, I genuinely applaud the author for the immense amount of research, writing, and emotional labor that went into this book. He subjected himself to an enormous amount of negativity, trauma, and awful events in order to gather this information and bring awareness to issues most people never see. That level of commitment deserves recognition.
There is real value in the insight he provides, but the emotional toll was overwhelming. For me, the combination of systemic failures, human suffering, and the weight of the material made this a distressing and difficult read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for offering a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I remember the days when elusive hackers were the good guys, when shows like "The Net" (call me weird but I prefer the TV series over the film) made me root for those invisible fingers tapping away at a keyboard, trying to expose the bad guys and corrupt corporations. How did it all go so wrong?
"Ctrl + Alt + Chaos" is an eye-opening and at times infuriating piece of investigative journalism describing the rise of cyber-crime performed by ever more sophisticated teenage hackers. Joe Tidy expertly lays out the story of how creative tech-savy teenagers became more and more unhinged online. Unfortunately this book is an exploration on how hacking is turning ever more cruel, more greedy, more dangerous for its victims. By focusing on the rise and temporary imprisonment of Finish hacker Aleksanteri Kimimaki, the author gives us a brief history of the changes happening in the online world starting in the early aughts and 2010s. The trend toward more chaos and violence is disconcerting, and the lack of adequate judicial investigation or appropriate punishment/rehabilitation of young offenders spells out a butt-load of trouble for everyone.

Tidy's narrative is tight and clear. He's a master of introducing technical terms where needed, and he explains them clearly and succinctly. The narrative is not biased and balances compassion for the victims with accurate description of young perpetrators. At no point did I feel like I was being forced a point of view. Rather this book was very informative and an exercise in acceptance--chances are your personal information have already been stolen, more than once, by more than one group of hackers. We're all forced to find a way in this world where staying offline is no longer an option, and staying safe has become all but impossible.

[George Bidwell]

Alt + Ctrl + Chaos is the story of modern cybercrime. It is also the story of internet radicalisation, of disenfranchised teens, and of a Finnish child with the ability to shift the landscape of governmental process. It is a lot, but it never feels crammed, in fact there are unexplored avenues that seem utterly fascinating and that it’s a shame we never get to follow. No, the issue is not the density of the book but rather the structure, the way the narrative reads like a recount of several years work, a list of events, groups, and individuals. It feels like a refresher rather than an exploration.

However, this is not to diminish the genuinely impressive work on display here. For starters, Joe Tidy is a very sturdy writer, grounding the reader in a world they, presumably, have little if not no contact with but holding back on the swathes of technical information that could easily plague such a niche field and turn readers off. After all, he is a journalist. That is Tidy’s job, and it is evident here. His prose is clean, sharp, definitive, and workmanlike. At times, this befits a narrative of evasion and capture across decades and continents, but often it gives the writing a lack of actual thrills or deep dives into grander ideas.

These ideas are mentioned briefly (manosphere influence, national security concerns, a prevelance of neurodiverse hackers) but it is clear Tidy is interested in the what rather than the why. And he does tremendous work establishing a narrative, drawing lines between groups and ideas, but this just isn’t enough to truly engross.

Check it out if this is an area you hold any interest in.

[Michaela Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Joe Tidy, Elliot and Thompson, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I thought this was a good overview of a very niche part of internet culture. As a librarian who was able to study it a little in library school, I'm also fascinated with cyber security. Add in a sprinkle of online incel culture and I'm sat.
Like incel culture, it seems that these teenage hackers started off as somewhat of a supportive gaming community- quickly spiraling into crimes that greatly impacted peoples lives. Through pretty extensive research and interviews (often from these "retired", no longer teenage hackers)- Tidy paints a really fascinating picture of what culture was really like online at the time for these isolated, lonely teenage boys.
We also follow the thread of a single notorious hacker throughout- Julius Kivimäki. Kivimäki haunts these forums, gangs, and hacker movements- ultimately culminating to an extreme case of extortion, blackmail, and completely immoral and cruel hacking. Tidy also makes sure to mention the lack of consequences these hackers face, whether it's from the lax criminal justice system in Finland or the juvenile age of most of these offenders. Through Tidy's storytelling we see a sense of teenage boy bravado and invincibility, the smug arrogance that allowed these hackers to keep reoffending, and the frustration of everyone who tried to stop them.
I think it would've been a stronger story had we explored what the culture of hacking is like today. Because of the focus on Kivimäki, much of the book takes place from like 2010-2015. I can only assume it's worse now, but we didn't get to see any of that. I also wish we went more into depth about the pipeline that leads to these hacking forums. Had we explored that a little bit more, I think it would've been a good jumping off point or conclusion to the future of teenage hackers.

[RuWithTheBooks]

I don't really tend to read non-fiction, but I picked this up at the library because it sounded interesting (and for a bit of fresh air), and thoroughly enjoyed it.

This book is delves into the cyclical nature of (predominantly) teenage boys hacking, and competing for who can pull off the biggest hacks between one another in online chatrooms. It gives a bit of history about hacking, the various big-time hacks that hacking gangs such as lizard squad has done, and follows a few of the big time hackers from these eras. It exposes how evil kids can be, how much harm they can cause when the consequences aren't consequential enough.

An interesting aspect of all this is that these kids aren't actually doing anything incredibly groundbreaking, they are mainly scammers with a bit of tech at their fingertips. Most of the time they achieve these hacks by socially engineering people, and gain access to things they shouldn't have access to.

I have learnt a good amount of stuff about a topic I have always been interested in learning about, but didn't really know where to start. This isn't really a book about hacking itself though, its more about the phenomenon of teenage hackers themselves. If you're super interested in the hacking aspect itself, this isn't the book you want to pick up.

I don't want to rate it because rating non-fiction seems.... ehhh, but if this book sounds interesting to you, definitely pick it up.

[Dirks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this meticulously researched ride into the dark digital underbelly, where teenage hackers are redefining the rules of cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, and organized crime. This gripping true-crime narrative reads like a cyberpunk thriller, except it's all too real.

What's remarkable is how Tidy manages to shed light on a world that's deliberately shrouded in shadows. The dark net is, by its very nature, a secretive and elusive realm, yet Tidy's research is so thorough and well-sourced that it feels like he's been embedded with the hackers themselves. He's like a digital anthropologist, observing and documenting the rituals and behaviors of this hidden tribe.

He doesn't just focus on a single hacking group or individual; instead, he tracks the rise and fall of global hacking collectives, revealing a complex web of alliances, rivalries, and betrayals. It's a sprawling narrative that's both propulsive and urgent, driven by insatiable curiosity and the determination to push boundaries.

If you're looking for a book that will take you on a wild ride into the heart of the dark net, look no further. "Ctrl + Alt + Chaos" is a must-read for anyone interested in cybersecurity, true crime, or the darker corners of the internet. Just be prepared to rethink everything you thought you knew about the digital world.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for providing an ALC.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the true crime accounts of some of the infamous hacks from the 2010s to present day with the focus on Julius Kivimäki.

The purpose the author shares these stories is to help answer the question - "how can we stop teenage boys becoming cyber criminals?".

He attempts to answer this at the end:
1. Police need to be swifter and more aggressive
2. Sentences need to be harsher with a stronger approach to handle juveniles post arrest
3. Education
4. Put more emphasis on the parents

None of these seem to address a major commonality highlighted by the author himself - most of these hackers are neurodiverse.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well... I found this book to be frightening. I thought the author nailed it when he called these particular hackers nihilists (not all hackers but some of the ones he wrote about). Nihilists see no moral reason why they shouldn't destroy. Some might call them sociopaths, but I would not. Nihilists have a different philosophy that leads them in a certain direction and it makes sense to them. I wouldn't want to be run over by them though and when nihilists are also hackers that makes them frightening.

I might read this book again, but not any time soon.

[AnuP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jopa tietoturvan parissa ammatikseen toimivalle tämä oli loistava kooste ja yhteenveto häkkeripiireistä ja niiden toiminnasta. Valitettavasti osa tästä porukasta näyttää jatkavan toimintaansa, vankilatuomiot ovat vain pieni hidaste matkalla. Olin itse yllättynyt jenkeissä tapahtuneen maalituksen laajuudesta ja jopa kestosta, säälimätöntä touhua. Lue tämä vaikket olisikaan nörtti tai tietokonevelho, tämä on kirjoitettu niin, että asiaan vihkiytymätönkin ymmärtää.

[Daniel Rodríguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a security professional I found this book fascinating, Jod did a great job describing different teenagers'criminal groups. I wasn't aware of some of those groups or attacks.

As a parent, this is an eye opener about the threats that are lurking our children.

Some of the attacks explained in this book were not technically super elaborated, but with significant consequences for the victims and even for those who are committing the crimes.

kudos to Joe, what a fantastic piece of work

[Lucy_van_pelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 tähteä.

Suomi mainittu, käytännössä joka ikisellä sivulla. Kertoo pahamaineisimmista hakkereista ja heidän kamalista teoistaan. Ja ikävä kyllä se kaikkein kuuluisin on suomalainen. Todella yksityskohtainen kirja, ja olen tosi kiinnostunut aiheesta niin taas imaisin tämän kiduksiini. Plussaa siitä, että kaikki suomifaktat on oikein ja lähes mitään kliseitä sen suhteen ei esiinny.

[Laurence · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointing. The material is well researched and a useful description of unstoppable bad behaviour. I was irritated by the writing style - breathless journalistic - over a relatively thin storyline. I'm not sure what I was expecting, or how the history of teenage hacking could be told more effectively.

[Jodie Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read from Joe Tidy - covering the rise, and evolution of teenage hackers and how they commit crimes (often out of boredom and for clout). A fascinating look into how teenage boys specifically can become radicalised on the internet in different ways.

[Sami Eerola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on the new wave of nihilistic teenage hackers. The book is a little bit too moralistic and alarmist for my taste, but the case studies are interesting and well researched. This book got me thinking about a general wave of nihilism that has far-right undertones.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are someone who is looking to just get a solid overview (that doesn't over do it) and you do not come with a technical background, then this is your book.

Overall, it was a great read! After just coming off of another dense and technical book, this was a great refresher.

[Fiona K · Rating 5 out of 5]

The DarkNet Diaries podcast got me here. A fascinating holistic view of teen hackers and criminality

[Mikko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mielenkiintoinen, jokseenkin paikoitellen vähän turhan dramatisoitu

[Lauren Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating if you love cyber crime