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Title: The Watchman: The Twisted Life and Crimes of Serial Hacker Kevin Poulsen by Jonathan Littman, Roger Donald ISBN: 0316528579 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 1997 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.58
Rating: 5
Summary: True Story From A Great Writer
Comment: I became interested in Kevin Poulson after reading several articles about his exploits. After learning about this new book from Jonathan Littman, I emailed the author for sources of more information. He (of course) advised that I purchase his two books on The Kevins: 1) "The Fugitive Game: Online With Kevin Mitnick", and 2) "The Watchman: The Twisted Life and Crimes of Serial Hacker Kevin Poulsen". I ordered the two books, along with "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier" by John Markoff and Katie Hafner.
I read Jonathan Littman's two books first, and was very excited with the stories, and his factual presentation. His writing style is an excellent fit for the type of story he is telling. It was obvious that Littman researched the facts and presented them in an unbiased manner. I liked that he presented both the technical information and the human elements of the stories. I also liked that he exposed many myths and controversy regarding the players in the stories, like John Markoff's getting involved in the chase for Mitnick, crossing the ethical boundary between journalism and law enforcement.
I then read "Cyberpunk" by Markoff and Hafner. Boy, what a difference! Where Littman was factual, Markoff was more into storytelling. I cannot say who's right (I wasn't THERE), but Markoff just didn't come across as complete and factual, especially in light of Littman's comments on his questionable involvement in Mitnick's capture. I did, however, love Markoff's telling of the rtm story (Robert Tappan Morris - the sendmail internet worm guy). I'd give this book 3 stars.
I'd like to take a moment to comment on some other reviews that I think are unfair or inaccurate.
Regarding "The Watchman":
"Big Letdown" stated that there was too much technical information. I completely disagree. It's true that I personally enjoyed the technical details, but I also felt it was important insight into a hacker's curiosity response to forbidden systems. "Hmmm...Perhaps Jonathan should have done more research" stated that Littman didn't give Poulsen a chance, and made him out to be a monster. I wonder if we read the same book? I did not get the impression that Poulsen was a monster of any kind, just a kid addicted to the power and thrills of having absolute control over other people's forbidden systems. On the contrary, I think Littman did a professional, accurate, and entertaining presentation of the story and it's facts.
Regarding "The Fugitive Game":
"lots of clumsy writing here" stated that Littman tried to make Mitnick out to be a hero. Again, I have to wonder if we read the same book. Littman did no such thing. In fact, Littman "de-heroed" other characters that John Markoff pumped up in his telling of events. From reading the above-mentioned three books, Littman comes across as MUCH more factual. "Not Very good" stated that the story was boring, and to get other books like the Cuckoo's Egg, and maybe even At Large. The book was far from boring, but I'd have to agree that "The Watchman" was better (I give "The Fugitive Game" 4 stars, "The Watchman" 5 stars.) I guess I'll have to check out "Cuckoo's Egg" and "At Large" - at least the reviewer made alternative recommendations, which I thank him/her for.
Finally, to help the reader of this review judge how relevant my opinion is, I'll tell you where I'm coming from. I consider myself to be very technical. I really got started with computers back in 1978, about the same time these guys were getting going. I went through many of the same "phases" these hackers went through. I did things to computers that weren't supposed to be done - and got caught a couple times (ahh, the old days...) So I think I'm qualified to judge a "real" story. All three books were nostalgic for me, but Littman's were the most accurate, I think. In my opinion, he described what it was REALLY like: the curiosity, the intensity, the excitement of discovery, the thrill of the hunt, and the addiction of absolute control.
Rating: 5
Summary: Entertaining True Crime Story
Comment: This book was the most entertaining of the many books I've read on the subject of Hacking. Not only does it describe a wide range of hacking techniques, but it also tells a very compelling personal story - the gradual transformation of Kevin Poulsen from an "ethical hacker" who explored the wonders of the telephone system to enhance his knowledge, into a highly successful and unabashedly mercenary cybercriminal. It also introduces perhaps the fascinating character to emerge from the hacking scene - Justin Petersen, the weird and completely amoral "Agent Steal", an elaborately coifed serial seducer whose inferior technical skills were more than compensated by his complete willingess to betray anyone, friend or foe, when it served his purposes. If you are tired of reading books which take pains to portray hackers as simply selfless seekers of wisdom and truth, this story of a "cyberpunk" who clearly was in it for the money - and the power - will provide a refreshing change of pace.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Ultimate Hacker Story!
Comment: Kevin Poulsen typifies the avid computer thrill seeker! He was a very resourceful and ingenious individual who loved to get into computer systems for the challenge. The book goes into explicit detail as to how Poulsen gets into various systems. Many times he uses social enginering and "dumpster diving."
He gets himself into trouble by feeling he does everything for the good of companies and the government. In some cases it is true and he exposes security weaknesses that are then corrected. However, he does not know where to draw the line and starts listening in on FBI wire taps and running escort services.
In some cases the author takes liberty to assume that the reader understands specifics about the phone company and certain technologies and the book in those instances is hard to understand. Otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.
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Title: The Fugitive Game: Online With Kevin Mitnick by Jonathan Littman ISBN: 0316528692 Publisher: Little Brown & Co (Pap) Pub. Date: 1997 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security by Kevin D. Mitnick, William L. Simon ISBN: 0471237124 Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Pub. Date: 04 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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Title: The Masters of Deception : Gang That Ruled Cyberspace, The by Michele Slatalla ISBN: 0060926945 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 1996 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Clifford Stoll ISBN: 0743411463 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 03 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: At Large: The Strange Case of the World's Biggest Internet Invasion by David H. Freedman, Charles C. Mann ISBN: 0684835584 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 1998 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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