Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book.
Review: This book suceeds on many levels. Its a well written suspenseful spy novel that evolves very smoothly and engages the reader very early on. It is also an excellent description of computer / telecommunications technology that most anyone can understand, since he goes to the trouble to stop and explain, in laymens terms, UNIX utilities, daemon outputs, satellite technology, and microwave-oven protocol (check out the sneaker-melting fiasco on p 269). Stoll proves to be hell-bent on capturing the rogue user despite the lack of support from superiors and government agencies, and the toll it takes on his personal life. His frustrated accounts of his treatment at the hands of federal agencies as he petitions assistance from the FBI, the CIA, the NSA (among others) in capturing this potentially dangerous mole are testaments to the power of beaucracy in this country. However, he still manages to humanize the employees of these otherwise caricatured federal agencies by describing them as real people who want to help, rather than just surly trench-coated spies. I especially enjoyed reading about Stoll's low-tech solutions to slowing the hacker as he rifled through delicate documents by jangling keys over the connector to resemble static (simply cutting the line would have tipped the hacker off). This is a very enjoyable book, and I'd also recommend the reader try to find a videocassette copy of the NOVA TV special on PBS. Although it loses a lot of the book's details in the attempt to condense into one hour, it allows the viewer to see and hear the author, one of the quirkiest, most entertaining techno-goobers you'll come across.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Read that Never Gets Old
Review: I first picked this book up from the library in my high school in '97 and couldn't stop reading. I probably finished it in about a day and a half. As soon as I was done reading I knew I wanted to know more about the world that Stoll artfully describes throughout the book. He manages to explain the details behind international computer networks without making the uninformed reader shy away. Since reading this book, I quickly got into UNIX and Linux and am now a very knowledgeable system administrator of both UNIX and Windows based networks. I have to give a good amount of credit to this book for getting me interested in what I now love to do.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read for tech and non-tech alike
Review: I bought this book almost 6 years ago, and I still read it today. Then, I knew very little about UNIX, but I still enjoyed the book. Stoll writes in a way that everyone can enjoy the story. Now, I am currently taking a course in UNIX/Linux, and I am reading the book again, this time rediscovering the case with a new perspective. The "Cuckoo's Egg" is an immensely enjoyable book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Espionage Tale
Review: Cliff Stoll, an astronomer working at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab in California discovers a 75 cent accounting error. Thus begins his search for the hacker responsible. Without much help from the CIA, FBI, OSI, or NSA, Stoll traces the hacker across country and finally to Hannover, Germany. Using holes in computer systems and guessing passwords, the hacker successfully gets into military computer systems at White Sands Missle Range, the Pentagon, and bases in the U.S., Germany, and Japan. Stoll sets up a fake SDI network to trap the hacker, and a year later, Markus Hess is arrested as the hacker. Stoll offers an irreverent look at various government agencies through the eyes of a "60s longhair." As well as a fascinating read, the book offers a great look into secure and insecure government computer systems. He strongly recommends the use of passwords not found in the dictionary.
Rating:
Summary: "Cuckoo's Egg: crime story for bookworms & cybertechs alike"
Review: OK, I admit it. This is one of those books that I simply could not put down until finished from cover to cover. I first read this book in '93, when I was taking a UNIX Admin class (sorry to say I did not evolve into a guru or wizard ;-D); found it absolutely fascinating and have been recommending it to folks ever since. Cliff Stoll gives a factual yet immensely enjoyable account of his investigation into the evil doings of some net hackers. For anyone who has ever wondered about the workings of our networks, this is a must-read. And even non-techies won't be disappointed with this book because of Stoll's personable style. I'm buying a new copy today because the last time I loaned out my old paperback, I didn't get it back. Lost in cyberspace, maybe? Anyway, I can't wait to read Silicon Snake Oil next.
Rating:
Summary: Stoll hatches a good story
Review: Here's a great nerd's-eye view of Cliff Stoll's practically one-man stand to capture a 'Cracker' (aka a Malicious Hacker for the non-geeks). There's enough technical detail to get the point across without losing an audience. Mr Stoll has a great ability to write that doesn't alienate the non-computer savvy folk, yet keep us fellow geeks enthralled.
Rating:
Summary: Still the best book about computer hacking
Review: I've read numerous books on computer hacking, and this one, while a bit dated (most of the events occurred in the late 80s), is still the best, period. No other account does such a good job of combining an entertaining, suspenseful narrative with solid technical detail. Stoll hooks you from page one and never lets go. I read this book in two days flat, and I even skipped a few hours of work to finish reading it. It's that good. This should be a model for other authors writing about hacking and computer crime.
Rating: 
Summary: A tell tale title, The Cuckoo's Egg!!
Review: I read this after I had finished reading Takedown by Shimomura. I found that even though the core objective was the same, i.e. tracking cyber criminals, Stoll delves much deeper into the technical aspects of hacking. A lot of net-working concepts would not be understandable by lay people. I guess non-IT guys would find it pretty boring. Once again the Unix OS has been discussed in fine detail in some chapters. Overall a very good read for the those who breath and sleep computer networks. Thanks Gauri dear, for this neat Book.
Rating:
Summary: Hacker's Classic
Review: This is a classic book about real life network hacking. The book reads like a detective story, and all the details are real life happenings of a grad student from Berkeley and some astute West German hackers during the Cold War era (mid 1980's). The technical details are not esoteric, and should not dissuade the non-techies from picking it up. I picked up the book at the library one afternoon and could not put it down until the next day, when I had finished the last chapters. IMPRESSIONS: Very captivating, good exposition of technical details for the lay reader, fast read. Also, great epilogue speculating the future of security and "trust" on the web, meaning of digital security and how it will influence our lives.
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing!
Review: Even to non-computer wise peoples The Cuckoo's Egg is a delightful read the explores the reality of computer hackers and the vulnerability of systems to new age hackers. In concise words it tells the story of a 75 cent discrepancy in a 'home-brewed' accounting system that leads to much more.
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