A real-life tale of cops vs. hackers, by two technology writers
with a flair for turning a complicated crime and investigation into
a fast-moving, edge-of-your-seat story. Freedman (Brainmakers,
1994) and Mann (coauthor, Noah's Choice, 1995) tell the tale of a
reclusive teenage hacker, alternatively dubbed Phantomd and
Infomaster, who hopscotches around the Internet, breaking into
systems and generally wreaking havoc online; his "absurd,
dangerous, monomaniacal course" of trespassing on computer networks
causes even his hacker cronies to fear him. With incisive
descriptions and prose that's never overburdened by jargon, the
authors chronicle the progression of Phantomd's online intrusions
from university computers to Intel to top-secret government
databases, and the federal investigation that finally nabs him.
Unfortunately, the story loses steam at the end, when the FBI
inexplicably decides not to have him prosecuted. Still, the book
works because of the authors' skill at portraying their characters
and building suspense and momentum from online events that are
difficult to visualize. The best character, by far, is Phantomd
himself, a disabled and massively antisocial youth who is capable
of spending days at a time at his computer. As the hacker gets
deeper and deeper into trouble, his brother tries futilely to save
him, and the book takes on the dimensions of an information-age
tragedy. Phantomd's last line, in particular, is heartbreaking, a
testament to how the writers deftly recruit the reader's sympathy
for the story's antagonist. Finally, the book becomes a portent:
The authors make a strong case for the vulnerability of the
Internet, describing its "electronic Maginot lines" and their
inadequacy in the face of patient young invaders with powerful
tools. With this extraordinary story and its hard-learned lessons,
the authors should make more than a few of their readers wary of
staking their privacy on the online world. (Kirkus Reviews)
Hailed as "a chilling portrait" by The Boston Globe and "a crafty thriller" by Newsweek, this astonishing story of an obsessive hacker promises to change the way you look at the Internet forever.
At Large chronicles the massive manhunt that united hard-nosed FBI agents, computer nerds, and uptight security bureaucrats against an elusive computer outlaw who broke into highly secured computer systems at banks, universities, federal agencies, and top-secret military weapons-research sites. Here is "a real-life tale of cops vs. hackers, by two technology writers with a flair for turning a complicated crime and investigation into a fast-moving edge-of-your-seat story" (Kirkus Reviews, starred). At Large blows the lid off the frightening vulnerability of the global online network, which leaves not only systems, but also individuals, exposed.
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