Customer Reviews

Out of the Inner Circle: The True Story of a Computer Intruder Capable of Cracking the Nation's Most Secure Computer Systems (Tempus)

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as bill landreth's father--from 'trs-80' to his 'franklin ace', i may assure anyone that he was the core of the 'inner-circle', no second place. i paid his 4-digit phone bills, was present as the FBI scoured a mansion for evidence--his group easily hacked the CIA, Nasa, NSA, Norad and any operative Big mainframes--they did no damage, and simply sought knowledge. confined for 90 days, he was released swiftly after scrutiny that revealed an IQ of 183, and no criminal intent. his book may now be'dated', but look a those acquiring it--a good 'security' primer still.

While this book was an interesting read when it first came out in 1985 it has dated considerably. It was written around the time when the media was getting interested in hacking and there were a few high-profile cases. Lots of people were coming forward and admitting they were "ex-hackers" and were trying to cash in on the public interest. My copy of this book even has the typical photo of the author with a black box over his eyes!

The Phrack Inc. newsletter had this to say about the author, Bill Landreth: "The book was definitely more fiction than fact as it tried to make everyone believe that not only did The Cracker form the Inner Circle, but that it was the first group ever created. However, for starters, The Cracker was a second-rate member of Inner Circle II. The publicity from the book may have served to bring him some dollars, but it ultimately focused more negative attention on the community adding to an already intense situation."