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DefCon 34 - Stalking the Wily Hacker: 40 years later - Cliff Stoll
DEFCONConference
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- Presented by Cliff Stoll
Beginner. No background in the topic needed.
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History and cultureSecurityHistory of computingExploits and vulnerabilitiesNetworking and protocols
Cliff Stoll recounts his famous year-long chase of KGB-sponsored hackers that began with a 75-cent accounting error on a Unix system.
40 years ago today, I tripped over a 75-cent accounting glitch in a Unix system. That tiny clue led to a year-long chase across networks, modem banks, and international borders, ultimately uncovering a crew of German hackers working for the East German Stasi and the Soviet KGB. We had no budget, no roadmap, and no “cyber” anything. We improvised with soldering irons, shell scripts, logbooks, curiosity, and far too much coffee. Let’s revisit the chase – not just to remember, but to ask what changed, what didn’t, and why it still matters.