Rating: 
Summary: A classic
Review: A well-written and thoroughly engaging account. Although this book will be most interesting to computer geeks, it is written to be accessible to all readers - technical jargon is kept to a minimum, or clearly explained when necessary. Because the events occurred in the eighties, many of the specifics seem rather dated now, but the basic principles are still relevant.But the essence of this book is not the technical aspect - it's the very human story of an individual determined to solve a mystery at all costs. Stoll wrestles with adversaries (not only the spy himself, but also unhelpful government agents, his bosses, and even awkward computer systems), finds solutions to his problems (sometimes through cleverness and ingenuity, sometimes through tedious, determined effort), celebrates his victories and comes to terms with his failures, and shows how he has grown from the experience and come to new understandings. Though Stoll downplays his computer expertise ("I'm an astronomer, not a programmer"), he's clearly a hacker in the truest sense of the word - ingenious, determined, iconoclastic, and a bit of a mystic. Frankly, he seems like a helluva guy, possessed of intellect, integrity, and a clever sense of humor. Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of the book is the insight it gives into the hacker mindset. The book occasionally gets repetitive - usually to reinforce the technical concepts for the benefit of general readers - but overall, it's competently written and easy to read. Stoll isn't here to craft award-winning literature; he's here to tell a story, and he does that quite well. I've read this book several times, and will certainly read it several more times. If you fancy yourself a hacker, or just like a good real-life adventure story, this book is essential reading.
Rating:
Summary: Great suspense
Review: I couldn't put this book down. I love it when real life surpasses fictional imagination. The story of Mr. Stoll's discovery of a hacker in his university's computer network, and the international chase that ensued was thrilling. His all-nighters, help from his girlfriend (turned ex-girlfriend by the book's end), and triumphant and happy ending makes for fascinating reading. I think that this book would make a wonderful movie, even if the technology is way outdated by now. Hollywood -- pay attention.
Rating:
Summary: I read this book the week it was released.
Review: I knew Cliff (by e-mail) from computer security work I was involved in at the time with the Fed...I was 18 at the time. I have read and re-read this book at least 20 times and it never wears thin. Cliff knew how to tell the story in laymen's terms as at the time he began his hunt he was one. This was the first well publicized crack and even got its own PBS special. An excellent read and even moreso when one considers that no one knew just how significant an issue computer security would be in the future touching not just those in academia and government, but every day folks.
Rating: 
Summary: Ton of historical info and several current security concepts
Review: I loved reading about the mid-80s computing environment. I've been in infosec (Unix/IDS and networking) for a few years now but the world in which Stoll operated was vastly different than our internet. However there are several concepts that are huge today in information security that Stoll used/documented 15 years ago. Examples: 1. Diversity in computing. Stoll mentions at least twice that diversity in computing is a defense for worms and human attacks. While one can argue that this is not feasible, this idea certainly isn't contentious enough to fire someone over, which is what just happened to security researcher Dan Geer for saying this (don't cross MS). 2. Honeypots. Stoll created fictitious information on his computer to lure the attacker into looking at that info long enough to get a trace. Not exactly a modern honeypot but pretty close. 3. No cooperation between govt branches. Enough said. 4. BAD PASSWORDS. Most of the attacker's arsenal was plunking away at default accounts with lame passwords. Fast forward 15 years and think about how far we've come. 5. Attackers' ridiculous attempts to justify breaking into someone's systems by claiming they're doing the victim a favor by displaying their security problems. 6. Responsible disclosure of bugs and security holes. Stoll ponders how to do this in the late 80s. It took until 2003 for most ppl to agree to give vendors about 1-3 months notice before going public. My only complaint was that it gets a little repetative near the end with Stoll calling around and trying to get anyone to help him instead of just leeching info. But if that was boring for me it must have been much worse for him. Overall a solid book that allows us "youngsters" (born mid-70s or later) a glimse of the centralized computing world, I'm just sorry it took me so long to read it.
Rating:
Summary: A classic book
Review: This is a great book. Cliff Stoll is a great writer and writes an interesting story.
Rating:
Summary: Great history, especially compared to today (2003)
Review: Stoll writes a good story, well-documented, factual and credible, in contrast to Masters of Deception (Slatalla and Quittner), which I just panned. He keeps it interesting enough to justify staying up past bedtime... What's especially interesting is that Stoll is in at the beginning of the internet age, when it's shocking to think that people would betray an open community atmosphere of trust. Today, of course, we're beset with online ads, Spam, viruses, worms and everything else you can think of, and we dare shop on the web only when we see https:// at the top of the screen... so it's quite a different perspective to realize that only fifteen years ago, people routinely left their doors unlocked, figuratively speaking.
Rating:
Summary: A very engrossing read.
Review: I find this book a good read. I know it impressed the FBI on computer crime. As someone who has also been a univerity physics department computer person I like it. We need more recognition.
Rating: 
Summary: Less than meets the eye
Review: It seems like it was just a few years ago that Cliff Stoll's face and opinions were all over the television. Any time a geeky looking scientist was needed on a panel discussion, or to comment on a news item involving technology, there, was Cliff, with his off Luddite notions and bizarre flights of fancy. But that was then. "Cuckoo's Egg" is an entertaining story about a man's obsession with finding hackers at a time when the idea was still rather novel to most of us. Stoll was, at the time of this book, an unemployed astronomer who found himself in that great dumping ground of underemployed academics, the university computing center. One day he discovered that someone, somewhere, had managed to get unauthorized access to one or more of the machines he looked after. Being a pretty bright guy, and having a job that didn't take up a lot of his metal horsepower, he went on a sort of one-man crusade to track down the intruders. The story is interesting, perhaps more so to those of us who actually work with computers and networks than to the public at large, and it's told well. As an historical artifact it's interesting; As a technological thriller, it's a minor historical curiosity. In a day when we take for granted being able to immediately connect to computers halfway around the world, it's just not that fascinating anymore.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: If you're in the computer industry, you'll love this book!
Rating:
Summary: There are few books that you simply can't put down
Review: and this one is certainly one of those.
This book follows the life of a physicist (Cliff) who can't seem to get any physics done because he's chasing a German hacker working for the KGB for over a year who has been breaking into every freaking military computer (what happened to security?)... Very awesome book, and well written, especially for a physicist! I couldn't put it down for a minute. But I will say that its more for a geekier crowd since it has a lot of technical info as well (but does a great job of explaining it)!
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