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Reviews
Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World by Joseph Menn
kyrajl's review against another edition
4.0
"The more powerful machines become, the sharper human ethics have to be...We need more good in the world. If it can't be lawful, then let it be chaotic" (212).
Beginning was wretchedly organized, but the second half is fascinating and unexpected. The revelation of Psychedelic Warlord's identity was great.
Beginning was wretchedly organized, but the second half is fascinating and unexpected. The revelation of Psychedelic Warlord's identity was great.
schwarmgiven's review against another edition
3.0
Basically an extended Wired article about CDC. Fun playful start, over blown contributions in the middle, tragic Gamer Gate Period, and important political legacy--a fairly standard arch & not much new information.
I liked some of the early history--a fun reminder of where we came from.
I continue to not be impressed on the impact hackers claim to have on computer trends--I mean yeah they were saying and doing all these things, but in my opinion, big tech shops mostly ignored them.
The tragedy of having rapist members was odd since their was so much celebration of the prostitutes at the early events--there was this weird double standard on a lot of the issues by the author.
And the Author becomes the story towards the end with all this stuff on politics that is boring and not really interesting at all or relevant to the topic--the book goes off the rails as the author becomes more and more proud of himself and looses sight of this subjects.
I do not know--I guess we need books like this, but more technical & less hyperbolic would likely be a good starting point for the next story teller...
I liked some of the early history--a fun reminder of where we came from.
I continue to not be impressed on the impact hackers claim to have on computer trends--I mean yeah they were saying and doing all these things, but in my opinion, big tech shops mostly ignored them.
The tragedy of having rapist members was odd since their was so much celebration of the prostitutes at the early events--there was this weird double standard on a lot of the issues by the author.
And the Author becomes the story towards the end with all this stuff on politics that is boring and not really interesting at all or relevant to the topic--the book goes off the rails as the author becomes more and more proud of himself and looses sight of this subjects.
I do not know--I guess we need books like this, but more technical & less hyperbolic would likely be a good starting point for the next story teller...
wbfreema's review against another edition
4.0
fairly rote, dry recounting.
PERFECT for fans of the history of hacking (like me!) or beto o'rourke
PERFECT for fans of the history of hacking (like me!) or beto o'rourke
seachelli's review against another edition
2.0
DNF. I’ve been trying to read this book since it was released. There is simply no interesting content in this book. It’s a who’s who of (male) hackers-gone-good, more dry to read than the Old Testament. Two stars given generously because maybe it gets better past the first third of the book, but I don’t have high hopes and likely won’t ever know personally.
benrogerswpg's review against another edition
3.0
At least real dead cows are tasty - in the form of burgers
This book sounded so interesting.
I enjoy hacking books, as I have been getting into hobby hacking lately.
Well, this book was not at all interesting.
It was very slow, heavy in history, and just all-around bland.
At least real dead cows are tasty in the form of burgers, because this was just solely a dead cow.
3.0/5
This book sounded so interesting.
I enjoy hacking books, as I have been getting into hobby hacking lately.
Well, this book was not at all interesting.
It was very slow, heavy in history, and just all-around bland.
At least real dead cows are tasty in the form of burgers, because this was just solely a dead cow.
3.0/5
paulgrostad's review against another edition
5.0
This brings back so many memories from my own teenage years! Great book describing the origins and philosophy of CDC, contemporary hacker culture, CDC contribution to other hacker groups and movements etc. But the most interesting part of the book in my view is the later history of some central CDC members and their role in recent world events. Highly recommend.
gamme's review against another edition
1.0
CDC has reoriented themselves around kowtowing to the establishment national security apparatus, and has uncritically adopted requisite client worldview. This book is their official coming out party. China: bad. Russia: bad. Assange: bad. Snowden: bad. NSA: good. CIA: Good. Politicians who are bland centrist ciphers like Beto O'rourke: good. They've done this not to "make the world safe for democracy," but to line their pockets with the lucre that comes with peddling the snake oil security products that are part and parcel to the industry.
digitalrob's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I learned a lot from this book. The history of the cDc engenders a great deal of respect for the early members as they skirt the line with legality while maintaining pretty fierce ethical and moral standards.
My single biggest struggle with the book is the way it is organized. Menn wants to keep the stories of individuals coherent, so he focuses on one or two member stories at a time, saving one big reveal for the last chapter. This makes a lot of sense to me, but it obscures the timeline, making it difficult to keep the events in chronological order, which in turn makes it difficult to connect various events and people to each other.
With that complaint out of the way, I can safely say I loved this book. I’m frustrated with my younger self because I was ankle deep in technology through the 80s and 90s but thought I was up to my chest and living on the cutting edge. I never viewed myself as a hacker, but I should have at least known something about this world while I was living through it. I should hire the “shame nun” from Game of Thrones to follow me around for a few days. -sigh-
Somewhere about chapter six, I became a bit overwhelmed with the names, and I really wanted a chart or a family tree to keep it all straight. I felt like too much of the history was getting jumbled in my head, so I started taking notes. (No small feat because I listen to books while walking in the mornings.)
The cDc and its subsidiaries are singly responsible for forcing capitalism to take computer security seriously, and with the EFF, arguably the most important players in protecting encryption. When the cDc presented Microsoft with vulnerabilities, they were ignored and then actively derided by the company, so with no other options, they released tools to allow any scriptkiddie to take advantage of the exploit. The first time they were forced to do this in the mid-nineties, it gave the cDc (l0pht) the leverage needed to create an ethical reporting system template: vulnerabilities would first be reported to a vendor with a timeline for repair. Negotiations on the timeline could then take place, but if ignored, the vulnerabilities would be exploited to force the hand of the vendor. While not made clear in the book, this appears to be the beginning of the various bug bounty programs most technology companies run now.
It’s difficult to encapsulate the influence of the cDc covered in this book, and I can’t really do better than the first couple of paragraphs of the epilogue:
My single biggest struggle with the book is the way it is organized. Menn wants to keep the stories of individuals coherent, so he focuses on one or two member stories at a time, saving one big reveal for the last chapter. This makes a lot of sense to me, but it obscures the timeline, making it difficult to keep the events in chronological order, which in turn makes it difficult to connect various events and people to each other.
With that complaint out of the way, I can safely say I loved this book. I’m frustrated with my younger self because I was ankle deep in technology through the 80s and 90s but thought I was up to my chest and living on the cutting edge. I never viewed myself as a hacker, but I should have at least known something about this world while I was living through it. I should hire the “shame nun” from Game of Thrones to follow me around for a few days. -sigh-
Somewhere about chapter six, I became a bit overwhelmed with the names, and I really wanted a chart or a family tree to keep it all straight. I felt like too much of the history was getting jumbled in my head, so I started taking notes. (No small feat because I listen to books while walking in the mornings.)
The cDc and its subsidiaries are singly responsible for forcing capitalism to take computer security seriously, and with the EFF, arguably the most important players in protecting encryption. When the cDc presented Microsoft with vulnerabilities, they were ignored and then actively derided by the company, so with no other options, they released tools to allow any scriptkiddie to take advantage of the exploit. The first time they were forced to do this in the mid-nineties, it gave the cDc (l0pht) the leverage needed to create an ethical reporting system template: vulnerabilities would first be reported to a vendor with a timeline for repair. Negotiations on the timeline could then take place, but if ignored, the vulnerabilities would be exploited to force the hand of the vendor. While not made clear in the book, this appears to be the beginning of the various bug bounty programs most technology companies run now.
It’s difficult to encapsulate the influence of the cDc covered in this book, and I can’t really do better than the first couple of paragraphs of the epilogue:
“IN ITS EARLIEST days, the chief moral issues for the teens in the Cult of the Dead Cow were how badly to abuse long-distance calling cards and how offensive their online posts should be. But as they matured, the hackers quickly became critical thinkers in an era when that skill was in short supply. In an evolution that mirrored and then led the development of internet security, cDc went on to forge rough consensus on the complex but vital issue of vulnerability disclosure, to show that enabling strong security could be a viable business, and to merge the hacking spirit with activism on behalf of human rights. It also kept a remarkably big tent, roomy enough to include support for acts of civil disobedience as well as work for the military, as long as both were principled. They all helped push a realistic understanding of security challenges and ethical considerations into mainstream conversations in Silicon Valley and Washington. As the big picture in security grows darker, those conversations are the best hope we have.
One lesson from the Cult of the Dead Cow’s remarkable story is that those who develop a personal ethical code and stick to it in unfamiliar places can accomplish amazing things. Another is that small groups with shared values can do even more, especially when they are otherwise diverse in their occupations, backgrounds, and perspectives. In the early days of a major change, cross sections of pioneers can have an outsize impact on its trajectory. After that, great work can be done within governments and big companies. Other tasks critical for human progress need to be done elsewhere, including small and mission-driven companies, universities, and nonprofits. It gets harder to keep the band together over time, but cDc’s impact lives on in those whom members hired, taught, and inspired. That said, a movement cannot control its children. The Citizen Lab and Tor are one thing, while Lulz Security and Gamma Group are another. Trolling and fake news also owe something to cDc, and neither is anything to be proud of."
Anyone interested in the history of technology and/or technology security should read this book. Also, hackers. This is a book for anyone considering themselves a hacker because it contains great lessons: the good, the bad, and the ugly.