At Large: the Strange Case of the World's Biggest Internet Invasion [Hardcover]

Charles C. Mann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1997

For two years a computer break-in artist known only as "Phantom Dialer" seized control of hundreds - perhaps thousands - of computer networks around the world. Frightened network administrators watched helplessly as the intruder methodically slipped into universities, corporations, banks, and military facilities, including top-secret weapons-research sites. Working up to twenty hours a day, Phantom Dialer obsessively broke into one network after another - and no-one knew who he was or what he was after. Was he a spy? Was he laying the groundwork for a single massive theft? As the number of victims mounted, Phantom Dialer became the subject of the first major investigation of the FBI's new computer-crime squad and one of the biggest manhunts in the history of electronic crime. Though it reads like a thriller, AT LARGE is more than just a spellbinding account of one of the stranger episodes of the electronic 1990s. It is also a sharply observed group portrait of the new wired world and an expose of the technical flaws at its very core.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Perhaps the scariest story of insufficient computer security and cybercrime yet is the true tale of Phantom Dialer. He accessed university and military research centers, banks, even the computers that controlled central California's dams. His actions could have put tens of thousands of lives at risk. And what makes it so frightening is that he was not a criminal or computing genius. He was a curious, persistent, and mentally-challenged young man who never truly understood his own actions. So if he could do that, what might a determined terrorist do? Because, as Charles Mann and David Freedman show, advances in the Internet have been making it easier, not harder, for security crackers to go where they're not wanted. The book reads like a techno-thriller--from the discovery of a small cyberbreak-in to the massive manhunt that tracked him down and the troubled birth of the FBI's computer crime squad--complete with all the humor and poignancies of real human events.

From Library Journal

Freedman, editor of Inc. Technology magazine, and Mann (Noah's Choice, LJ 2/15/95) have collaborated to produce a rather aimless account of a widespread series of related and mostly unpublicized computer-hacking incidents perpetrated by a cracker (computer hacker) known as "Phantomd." Basing their book on numerous personal interviews with network system administrators and "hundreds of megabytes of computer logs" (yawn), the authors presumably wish to convey some sort of "ominous warning about the Internet's fatal flaws." While network administrators worried about system security issues may find these accounts fascinating, average online mavens will find them dull and plodding. The epilog succumbs to preachiness on the topic of computer and network security. More riveting accounts of computer crime can be found in two books from Jonathan Littman, The Fugitive Game (LJ 1/96) and The Watchman (LJ 2/15/97).?Joe Accardi, Northeastern Illinois Univ. Lib., Chicago
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 315 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (January 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684824647
• ISBN-13: 978-0684824642
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,202,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, July 16, 2005

By 

Alan Mead (Lockport, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At Large: The Strange Case of the World's Biggest Internet Invasion (Paperback)

This book chronicles the exploits of a young computer enthusiast who managed to break into an alarming number of computers, mainly by sheer perseverance. The book is also the story of the people who hunted this early cybercriminal and how he was ultimately caught.

One of the remarkable aspects of the story is that the chief antagonist (the "hacker") was not particularly skilled. He was what's called a "script kiddie" in the biz. Another remarkable aspect of the book is that after breaking into dozens of computers, and finally getting caught after dozens of people had invested hundreds of hours tracking him, he was basically let off the hook with very little punishment.

I found this to be a fascinating account of an extraordinary series of events. I recommend this book especially for those who are interested in the field of information security as it provides a glimpse of the motivations and methodology of one notorious cracker. For people who are interested in crimes or security, this will be a riveting story.

All that said, this is only one side of the story and I wondered how accurate the reporting was. In particular, I wished that there was more on the motivation and thinking of the main antagonist, the super-cracker-slash-script-kiddie pseudo-named Matt Singer. In the book, he is characterized basically as a bad guy. There has been more written about this story and apparently the script kiddie's real name is Tim Bach. You can find his posts in the freebsd.org mailing list archives from 1995 and other on-line traces. These "real-world" glimpses do not seem, IMHO, to jive completely with the character in this putatively non-fiction book.

In the same vein, Trent Fisher (no pseudonym for him in the book) has a website and doesn't seem too happy in how he was characterized.

And, finally, the events are ancient history. In many ways, information security has taken strides since these events unfolded. Law enforcement and especially forensics are more advanced. And in important ways, modern worms represent the evolution of this breed of attacker.

But it's still a fascinating and, I think, important story.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good start for those interested in Cybercrime, October 30, 2000

By 

Ben Rothke "Author of 'Computer Security: 20 ... (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At Large: The Strange Case of the World's Biggest Internet Invasion (Paperback)

In the spirit of Clifford Stoll's "The Cuckoo Egg," that detailed the hacking episodes of the German Chaos Computer Club in the late 80's, At Large is the true story of a computer hacker. The book, a fast-paced thriller, tells the real-life story of how a young man, with marginal intellectual capabilities, yet extremely tenacious and resolute, was able to penetrate hundreds of academic, financial, government, commercial and military computer networks.

The hacker who became known as "Phantom Dialer," started his two year hacking escapade by reeking havoc on the network at the Portland State University in Oregon in 1991. Once into the Portland State network, his used that site as a stepping stone to networks across the globe.

At around the same time that Phantom Dialer was causing damage, the FBI was starting its computer crime squad. While almost as persistent in catching Phantom Dialer as the Phantom Dialer was anonymous, the dedicated members of the computer crime squad felt that while their efforts were valiant, it was nonetheless just a drop in the water, compared to the thousands of other hackers out there.

After a wire tap where the squad was able to determine who Phantom Dialer was, and where his base location was, the squad decided to raid Phantom Dialer's house, arrest him, and seize his computer equipment.

Once inside the house with a warrant, a rather humorous incident occurred. The squad members went to Phantom Dialer's room and announced "Open up -- FBI!", Phantom Dialer replied "Shut up Steve (his brother), Do you think that I'm going to fall for that trick again?".

Phantom Dialer was arrested and jailed. But due to his mental condition (borderline schizophrenic), prosecutors decided that they would not attempt to indict him since they felt that he could not truly understand the implications of his action. Given that, prosecutors felt that no jury would have convicted him.

At Large is a good starting point for anyone interested in understanding how hackers operate. Written in a clear fashion, using technical jargon only when necessary, At Large makes for some interesting reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good book that reads fast, June 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: At Large: The Strange Case of the World's Biggest Internet Invasion (Paperback)

A good story though not very technical. This book does not go into any indepth details on how InfoMaster got into systems. All in all, it's a good book. Much, much (a thousand times) better than "TAKEDOWN" written by Tsutomu Shimomura & John Markoff.