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The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage

Clifford Stoll

4.22 · Rating details · 9,002 ratings · 699 reviews

Cliff Stoll was an astronomer turned systems manager at Lawrence Berkeley Lab when a 75-cent accounting error alerted him to the presence of an unauthorized user on his system. The hacker's code name was "Hunter" -- a mystery invader hiding inside a twisting electronic labyrinth, breaking into U.S. computer systems and stealing sensitive military and security information. ...more

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Paperback, 416 pages

Published October 1st 2000 by Gallery Books (first published 1989)

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May 20, 2012 Brian Rosenblat rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. Loved the references to Berkeley, the hacker chase, but most interestingly, it takes you back to an earlier time in computing (in 1989)- which I thought was a fascinating reminder of what things were like. For example, I love the explanation of 'electronic mail.' At this point, I think most people have forgotten what the 'e' in email stands for.

Also, a favorite passage, as he explains what the "Internet" is:

"At first, DARPA's network [the Internet] was simply a

"At first, DARPA's network [the Internet] was simply a testbed to prove computers could be linked together. Since it was seen as an unreliable experiment, universities and laboratories used it, and main stream military people ignored it. After eight years, only a few hundred computers were connected into the Arpanet, but gradually, others were attracted by the network's reliability and simplicity. By 1985 the network directory listed tens of thousands of computers; today, there must be over one hundred thousand."

100,000 computers! Just for comparison, I did a quick search. Analysts predict there to be more mobile devices connected to the Internet then humans alive in 2016 - that's more than 7.6 billion mobile devices - that doesn't include desktop and laptop computers. (source: Cisco VNI Index). Wonder what it will be like in another 20 years?

The story is also fascinating. Shows how one guy in a computer lab in Berkeley was able to track down a ring of international hackers and awaken some of the US top security agencies to the dawn of a new form of espionage. It was amazing how lax computer security was before this - and how it took an incident like this to awaken these agencies to the threat of cyber espionage.

Only reason it gets 4 instead of 5 starts is that while the beginning and end are very interesting, about mid-book it starts to get pretty repetitive. E.g. (view spoiler)

Overall, really liked it. I think you need to be a bit of a computer geek to enjoy this one. But would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to reminisce a bit who enjoys a good spy chase laden with UNIX commands.
...more

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Mar 19, 2008 Nick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I read this book first around sixth grade and again last month. It was wicked good the first time and so-so the second time. I think as I've gotten older and wiser and more discerning, and as technology has progressed, this book hasn't aged well.

Here's the synop: Cliff Stoll is an astrophysicist who knows just a little something about computers (obviously a lot). He's living at UC Berkeley in the early days of the internets. One day he discovers a 75 cent accounting error (this is back before I read this book first around sixth grade and again last month. It was wicked good the first time and so-so the second time. I think as I've gotten older and wiser and more discerning, and as technology has progressed, this book hasn't aged well.

Here's the synop: Cliff Stoll is an astrophysicist who knows just a little something about computers (obviously a lot). He's living at UC Berkeley in the early days of the internets. One day he discovers a 75 cent accounting error (this is back before AOL charged you by the minute), and kablammo! he's discovered a hacker. Now all he needs to do is catch him...

When I read this at 12 going on 13, this book seemed like a bleeding edge thrill-a-minute technological game of cat and cuckoo. And now, at 26 going on 27, it's still kinda neat. Cliff is obviously a brilliant guy, and he does really well in 1) explaining his maneuvers to keep the hacker at bay and 2) downplaying how smart he was. What annoyed me was all the personal stuff in this book and how intrusive it is. I don't care about Cliff the person. I want to read about Cliff the cyber-battler, the Cliffinator sent back from 2008 to 1986 to battle the West German hacker Markus Hess. Or simply Cliff the research paper.

Here's the personal shit I don't like: Cliff's a hippie cliche who hates the government, wears tie-dye, likes the Dead, and lives and works in Berkeley. His girlfriend/fiancee is built like a sumo wrestler (this is subtly alluded to). Her old college roommate is a butch lesbian who hates the government. Their present roommate is a violinist who's always brining home a new crazy man.

Cliff's sooo frustrated that no government agency will help him. Why won't they help him?! And what about the future of the internet, and the need for open networks to foster scientific intercourse and shit like that?? Waaaa, waaaa, why don't you cry about it, you big hippie baby?

OK, so I'm being hard on Cliff and his wacky teammates in life. What can I say, though? They're all boring. Cliff and his entire life is boring. Except for the hunt. So Cliff, focus on the hunt.

If you've made it this far through this self-indulgent review, you might wonder why I gave this book 4 stars. I'll tell you why: I loved it the first time, and the second time, last month, was still pretty good. Cliff Stoll - he can keep you up at night past your bedtime. His book's good in bed. ...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Otis Chandler rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Otis by: Brian

Shelves: geek, computer-industry, nonfiction, biography, mystery, crime, computer

Super fun book - the story of a sysadmin chasing a hacker during the early internet, but it reads almost like a thriller - fun and fast.

I think I learned more about the early internet from this book than anything I've ever read before. I had heard of the words Arpanet and Milnet, but really didn't know what they were - simple networks of computers. And apparently, with very poor security! Impressive how easy it was for the hacker to get root access back then.

Internet security has come a long ...more

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Jun 16, 2008 Brian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nerd-stuff, recommended-non-fiction, favorites, awesome-narrative-non-fiction, principal-engineer-reading-list, favorite-book-read-each-year, hackerspotting

(5.0) So much fun! (may need to be a little computer-geeky to really love it)

Crazy cool true story about an astronomer-turned-sysadmin at Berkeley in the 1980s who decides to track down a 75 cent accounting discrepancy in server usage, and turns into a year-long hunt to track down a sneaky computer spy operating for the KGB. Covers several severe holes in Unix security, but emphasizes that the weakest link in security is almost always from human operators.

Very engaging read, tore right through ...more

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May 17, 2012 Eric Lin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: current-nonfiction

Great book. The FBI was incredibly frustrating to read about. Not many people would have been persistent enough to stick with this. I'm impressed with how diligently the author worked to track this guy down.

One small gripe though - the author seemed way too self conscious about his political identity add a result of cooperating with the guys in suits. Was he trying to spin it as an internal struggle between who he was, and who this experience made him become? Not buying it, Cliff.

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Jan 02, 2014 Jonathan Leblang rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Interesting book, especially since I worked at MITRE at the time, and had first-hand knowledge of the method the hacker used to go through the systems. Also met him at a security conference -- he gave a nice presentation.

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Mar 27, 2013 Rob rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2014, nonfiction, computers, author-male

Executive Summary: A truly excellent and fascinating tale of hacking in the early days of the internet.

Full Review
I'm fascinated with computer crime. I have for as long as I can remember being interested in computers. Somehow I had never managed to read this book.

I'm glad I finally got around to it. It might be my new favorite. Cliff Stoll tells an engaging and personal story of his discovery of computer networks, security exploits and computer crime that reads more like a spy novel than a Executive Summary: A truly excellent and fascinating tale of hacking in the early days of the internet.

Full Review
I'm fascinated with computer crime. I have for as long as I can remember being interested in computers. Somehow I had never managed to read this book.

I'm glad I finally got around to it. It might be my new favorite. Cliff Stoll tells an engaging and personal story of his discovery of computer networks, security exploits and computer crime that reads more like a spy novel than a technical manual.

I think Mr. Stoll does a good job of making things easy to understand for the non-technical person. It has just enough detail to follow the story without being overwhelming. Of course being a computer person myself, I may not be the best to judge how technical this book gets.

This book overlaps with some other stories of computer crime I've read and re-sparked my interest in reading some others I have on my backlog, along with rereading one I read back in high school that seems to overlap with this one a bit.

It's hard for me to judge how non-techies will enjoy this book, but anyone who wants to see what things were like in the early days of the internet should find this fascinating.

The most remarkable thing was how little the various law enforcement agencies seemed to care. It was really the wild-wild west of computer crime. To the FBI, unless they physically stole something, destroyed something or cost your millions of dollars, it wasn't worth pursuing.

How do you quantify computer time? Especially back then when computers weren't affordable and resources were limited. What about the time Cliff Stoll spend tracking the hacker? Time he should have spent doing his job. Everyone wanted him to keep at, and to keep them in the loop, but no one was willing to do anything about it, or cough up funds to support him.

It would take a few more years and some bigger crimes to finally wake them up and change how computer crime ranked in importance. Then again, most people are inundated with malware, spyware, viruses, scams and phishing emails on an almost daily basis. So in some ways it feels like nothing has really changed. You're not going to call the FBI because someone tried to steal your password.

Computer crime is big business these days, and if you want to see how it was in the early days, this is a must read. ...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Philipp rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, history-of-cs

Update August 2016: Here's an amazing video of the author showing off his self-built warehouse of Klein bottles including self-built trash warehouse robot

I've seen this book pop up a few times on lists like "recommended reads for programmers" and always wondered why - I didn't know it was such a extremely fascinating read! I tried to read it in one evening but had to stop at 4am.

It's the story of how one US astronomer turned computer programmer ("astroinformatician"?) found a 75 cents bill for ...more

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Sep 13, 2018 Han rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Excellent book about hackers and computer security told in a way that you do NOT have to be a geek to understand. Amazing that so much has changed since the early 80's in terms of technology, yet the tactics for both hackers and security are fundamentally unchanged.

This book is told as a humorous narrative of Cliff's life helping track down a computer hacker. Being an astronomer working at Berkley, and being a self-described "left wing nut", he ends up brushing shoulders with the FBI, CIA, NSA, ...more

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Sep 22, 2009 Jonathan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Here is the story of how I came to read The Cuckoo’s Egg: I purchased it at a library book sale because it looked interesting, tossed it in a box because I didn’t have time to read it, and promptly forgot about it.

Then I got married, and we got real bookshelves instead of boxes, and I put the book on the shelf because it was hardbound and hardbound books show that you are a serious, thoughtful person.

Then my Uncle Steve came over from Florida and started telling me about a book he had read, a Here is the story of how I came to read The Cuckoo’s Egg: I purchased it at a library book sale because it looked interesting, tossed it in a box because I didn’t have time to read it, and promptly forgot about it.

Then I got married, and we got real bookshelves instead of boxes, and I put the book on the shelf because it was hardbound and hardbound books show that you are a serious, thoughtful person.

Then my Uncle Steve came over from Florida and started telling me about a book he had read, a true story of a guy tracking down a hacker in the 80s. “Wait a sec,” I said, “is it this book?” And I pulled down my dusty copy of The Cuckoo’s Egg. It was, in fact, that book, and I decided that it didn’t deserve space on the shelf if I hadn’t actually read it.

The Cuckoo’s Egg is written by an astronomer who had been put in charge of some computers. He’d been trying to track down a 75-cent accounting error–this was back when you had to pay for every cycle of computer time–and, almost entirely by accident, found a hacker in his system, using it as a stepping-stone to attack other computer systems around the country.

That all happens in the first twenty-five pages. Rather than closing the hole the hacker was using to get in, however, Stoll decided he wanted to catch the guy, and that’s where the real story begins, because tracking a communications link backwards is not very easy. None of the three-letter government agencies take him seriously, his relationship with his girlfriend is rather strained, and the three weeks his boss gave him to investigate the problem stretch into months. It’s tedious work (and, in parts, tedious reading) analyzing every move the hacker makes and trying to piece together enough information to catch him.

This book isn’t for everyone. It’s a spy story, but it’s been pieced together from Stoll’s logbook and the man is a scientist–you’ll find no melodrama or embellished details here, just the facts. The author doesn’t assume a technical audience but if you’ve ever used Unix (or its successor on PCs, Linux), you will understand a lot more of what’s going on inside the systems. There’s just enough real-human stuff to break up the technical monotony–Cliff has an active social life, sews his own Pope costume, and at one point microwaves his shoes–but in the end this book is great reading mostly for those interested in computers and security.

I also recommend it if you want to know what the Internet was like in its Wild West days, before the personal computer and the World Wide Web brought it to the masses. Scientists, military networks, and archaic file transfer protocols are all present and accounted for. It’s a fascinating how old everything seems even though the book’s events happened only a little more than twenty years ago.

In closing, here’s a number sequence puzzle that a three-letter-agency spook gave Cliff in the book that–at the time of the book’s publishing–Cliff hadn’t figured out yet. Can you? Hint: It requires very little math.

1, 11, 21, 1211, 111221, …. ...more

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Aug 31, 2008 Nick Black rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-multiple-times

The first "infosec true crime" book I ever read, and thus possibly a major influence on my life's work to this point (although surely not so much as WarGames). It's not as good as Sterling's The Hacker Crackdown, but better than most anything else along these lines. Cliff Stoll, astronomer-turned-network-monitor, is still around (last I checked, writing the abominable Silicon Valley Snake Oil), but let's be honest: he was never a computer scientist at heart, ignored decade's-old methods in ...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Robert rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Cliff is an excellent storyteller and has done a great job sharing this true story. Perhaps too good of a job. Although it's consistently well-written, it is frustratingly slow at times. I don't hold that against him because it happens to be appropriate for conveying a hint of what he felt as he went through this. Like him, I kept feeling like there was a breakthrough or resolution just around the corner, only to find myself strung along to a longer road ahead.

As someone who's been through more ...more

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Dec 23, 2006 Mike rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Computer geeks

Good old school hacker tale. If you are a techno geek and familiar with the likes of emacs, dot matrix printers and old school bbs boards, this is for you.

Its also a really interesting breakdown of intrusion techniques, much of which holds true today.

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Sep 24, 2019 Sakthi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: computing

Clifford narrates something as boring as tracking an intruder by patiently recording his every keystroke and simultaneously going through a frustrating ordeal of convincing all the three-lettered agencies to take action, scintillatingly and keeps our attention unwavering for 400 pages. There are some aww-inducing sentences like "And the :-) is a crude smiley face. You look at it sideways, and it smiles at you.", reminding you how old this book is. Beyond the hide and seek that unravels between ...more

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Mar 02, 2017 Bill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Bill by: Kevin B.

Shelves: perk, own, friend-rec

Engaging chase story in the world of 80s computer networks. He's definitely not a real writer but Stoll does a good job presenting himself as a likable everyman. Lots of Bay Area references. Would've been five stars but the conclusion was a bit anti-climactic after months of methodical build.

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Jul 07, 2012 Wilson Lanue rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, favorites

For some years after its 1989 debut, The Cuckoo's Egg was the book to read about computer hacking (or, more specifically, counter-hacking). But this superb read is much more than the memoir of an astronomer who followed a 75-cent accounting "error" to a Soviet spy and sudden fame as the world's top computer security expert.

It's the story of a sincere Berkeley liberal who came to see conservative establishment types as fellow human beings, to the confusion of those closest to him. Candid, ...more

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May 06, 2015 Michael rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction-history

Cliff Stoll is an astronomer at Berkley who has been assigned to the IT department. His first assignment is to reconcile a 75 cent variance in their billing records. Astoundingly, this leads into a year long search for hackers trying to steal military secrets. And it's all true.

It happened during the mid-1980's, so the technology is a bit dated at this point, but it doesn't really distract from this fascinating story. fifty pages into the book, I assumed that the 75 cent mystery would be solved ...more

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Oct 17, 2009 Mister E rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is one of the books that really defined my life.

While in the astrophysics program at Berkalurk, young Clifford Stoll is asked to look into an extra couple cents being charged for their computer use. What follows is the discovery of an East German (Cold War era mind you) hacker using Berkeley's computer network to enter private miliary networks.

This is one of the most realistic novels on hacking you could find. Forget the deck's of Gibson and the 3D, motorcycle racing or Stephenson, this is ...more

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Jun 22, 2018 3 no 7 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Cuckoo's Egg" by Clifford Stoll was fascinating the first time I read it in 1989, and when I saw it on one of the “books to read” lists on Goodreads, I eagerly reexamined it. It is still compelling today, just in a different manner. The technology has changed, but the crime and the chase have remained the same. The incredibly cat and mouse chase through what was then just the beginnings of the internet still kept me on the edge of my seat, remembering dial-up, dot matrix printers, and long ...more

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Feb 07, 2019 Aloibaf rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: informatics

This one is a must read for all Unix and Linux fans! It's not just very interesting to read the vivid descriptions of hacker-hunting through Unix commands, but one also learns about the inner working of early computer networks and communication technology. What I liked best about the book, is that Cliff is such a sympathetic person, which is described to the reader by little tales of him and his girlfriend ('sweetheart') sewing together, planting tomatoes or by him burning his shoes accidentally ...more

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Apr 12, 2018 Charlotte rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I really enjoyed this book.
The wild thing is that it's a true story, and that it's still relevant and really interesting 30+ years after it occurred. A definite mark of quality, in my eyes.
Some things have changed a lot; six-letter, all lower-case passwords aren't considered safe anymore, and most people are familiar with the internet. However, it calms my occasional anxiety of the future that nerds basically are unchanged since at least the 80's.
This is a definite recommendation for anyone ...more

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Aug 24, 2015 Joe Soltzberg rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Overall it was a great book. It had every element I wanted. It was non-fiction about computers and hacking that was written like fiction. Perfect! The book is an excellent read for anyone interested in a good detective story or has any interests in computers. My only complaint would be that the book gets a bit repetitive and monotonous in the middle. But this is to be expected, as that's likely how any real investigation goes. Would definitely recommend. I can't believe I hadn't heard of this ...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Marieke rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read this in 1998... My dad had given me a copy so I could understand better what he did for work. It was weird to read...I kept thinking of the gifts he had brought me from his business trips to San Francisco and New Mexico when i was a kid. Anyway, it's a good book. Not the most literary writing, but that doesn't really matter. It's a real-life thriller about one of the first major hacking cases of the Information Age. It's intense. I won't tell you whodunnit. You have to read it yourself.

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Oct 11, 2009 Kaethe Douglas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

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?

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Jul 04, 2016 Anand rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Amazing read. Its so unbelievable that the security issues and hacking, have not changed much in the past 30 years. And so is the govt policies related to computer security and encryptions.

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Dec 09, 2015 Stephanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

How did I miss this? A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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Mar 09, 2010 Elyse (retired from reviewing/semi hiatus) Walters rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I adore the author. He has a great website --worth checking out. Love his passion!

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Feb 06, 2018 Martti rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a computer history book about the Internet before web and before anyone really called it internet. A book about security when people didn't really think about it at all. I mean I thought today is bad, but back in those days things were ridiculous.

Weird to see Unix before Linux took over the world, when people were dialing through telephone lines and copper wires, when fiber optics was a wild new thing coming in the next years to transatlantic cables perhaps, when rlogin and telnet was ...more

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Mar 07, 2015 Rebecca Huston rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, non-fiction, science, america, california, 2015-around-the-us-in-52-books

This is a compelling, enjoyable read about what is hacking, and how a systems engineer caught and shut down an espionage ring. Told by the engineer himself, Cliff Stoll's story is full of technical details, but also a great deal of wit, and not a little sarcasm. A seventy-five cent discrepancy alerted him that someone was poking about where he shouldn't be, and task of tracking down who it was led him to the Air Force, the Army, the NSA and the FBI, among other entities. For anyone who remembers ...more

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May 19, 2019 Jacques Bezuidenhout rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Whoa. Blast from the past.
What an interesting recollection of how things were in 1989.

Given the time-frame this happened, and the book was written, I think it was done extremely well.
Even listening to the Audio (which is very bad tape recordings), I thoroughly enjoyed the narration.

Very short, and captivating.
If you can get past the quality of the audio recording, you might enjoy this.

Some things to keep in mind is the state of the political stances and where computers have evolved to at that ...more

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