Customer Reviews

The Watchman: The Twisted Life and Crimes of Serial Hacker Kevin Poulsen

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I became interested in Kevin Poulson after reading several articles about his exploits. After learning about this new book from Jonathan Littman, I emailed the author for sources of more information. He (of course) advised that I purchase his two books on The Kevins: 1) "The Fugitive Game: Online With Kevin Mitnick", and 2) "The Watchman: The Twisted Life and Crimes of Serial Hacker Kevin Poulsen". I ordered the two books, along with "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier" by John Markoff and Katie Hafner.

I read Jonathan Littman's two books first, and was very excited with the stories, and his factual presentation. His writing style is an excellent fit for the type of story he is telling. It was obvious that Littman researched the facts and presented them in an unbiased manner. I liked that he presented both the technical information and the human elements of the stories. I also liked that he exposed many myths and controversy regarding the players in the stories, like John Markoff's getting involved in the chase for Mitnick, crossing the ethical boundary between journalism and law enforcement.

I then read "Cyberpunk" by Markoff and Hafner. Boy, what a difference! Where Littman was factual, Markoff was more into storytelling. I cannot say who's right (I wasn't THERE), but Markoff just didn't come across as complete and factual, especially in light of Littman's comments on his questionable involvement in Mitnick's capture. I did, however, love Markoff's telling of the rtm story (Robert Tappan Morris - the sendmail internet worm guy). I'd give this book 3 stars.

I'd like to take a moment to comment on some other reviews that I think are unfair or inaccurate.

Regarding "The Watchman":

"Big Letdown" stated that there was too much technical information. I completely disagree. It's true that I personally enjoyed the technical details, but I also felt it was important insight into a hacker's curiosity response to forbidden systems. "Hmmm...Perhaps Jonathan should have done more research" stated that Littman didn't give Poulsen a chance, and made him out to be a monster. I wonder if we read the same book? I did not get the impression that Poulsen was a monster of any kind, just a kid addicted to the power and thrills of having absolute control over other people's forbidden systems. On the contrary, I think Littman did a professional, accurate, and entertaining presentation of the story and it's facts.

Regarding "The Fugitive Game":

"lots of clumsy writing here" stated that Littman tried to make Mitnick out to be a hero. Again, I have to wonder if we read the same book. Littman did no such thing. In fact, Littman "de-heroed" other characters that John Markoff pumped up in his telling of events. From reading the above-mentioned three books, Littman comes across as MUCH more factual. "Not Very good" stated that the story was boring, and to get other books like the Cuckoo's Egg, and maybe even At Large. The book was far from boring, but I'd have to agree that "The Watchman" was better (I give "The Fugitive Game" 4 stars, "The Watchman" 5 stars.) I guess I'll have to check out "Cuckoo's Egg" and "At Large" - at least the reviewer made alternative recommendations, which I thank him/her for.

Finally, to help the reader of this review judge how relevant my opinion is, I'll tell you where I'm coming from. I consider myself to be very technical. I really got started with computers back in 1978, about the same time these guys were getting going. I went through many of the same "phases" these hackers went through. I did things to computers that weren't supposed to be done - and got caught a couple times (ahh, the old days...) So I think I'm qualified to judge a "real" story. All three books were nostalgic for me, but Littman's were the most accurate, I think. In my opinion, he described what it was REALLY like: the curiosity, the intensity, the excitement of discovery, the thrill of the hunt, and the addiction of absolute control.

I had no idea who Kevin Poulson was when I picked up this book. All I knew was that I wanted to read a book which dealt with computer hackers and this book had been recommended to me by a friend of mine. Suffice to say I was not disappointed.

Littman writes a compelling story about Kevin Poulson, who is perhaps the second best known hacker in North America best Kevin Mitnick. And what makes this book such an interesting read is that it is a modern day, and real life, version of the Fugitive. But unlike the Fugitive, Kevin is hunted to tapping in to phone systems and learning much more about the telephone networks than the average, non-telco employee, should be allowed to.

The book is filled with first hand accounts and funny anecdotes of the escapades that Kevin and some of his company managed to pull off. After reading the book, I was left scratching my head in disbelief. It was almost as if the feats Kevin was able to accomplish were too good to be true. But in the end, that's what makes this book so great.

Tough read--! This book, while informative, is very slow reading and not at all like the Fugitive Game. I should've been clued in when I read the back cover and instead of a real synopsis, I get to read two reviews of "The Watchman" and THREE REVIEWS of "The Fugitive Game!" It's pretty sad when you buy a book and there are more reviews for another book than the one you're purchasing. The dialogue of this book is good enough, but Litman bores us with too much in-depth technical information on phone switches and the internal setups of California telco buildings. I think more insight into Poulsen's personal life would've made this book a much better read.

This book, although very well written, should only be read the people that really care hackers or high computer technology. This book delves into a lot of weird stuff that even I, a UNIX systems guru, had time grasping a hold of. There were a lot of what seemed like made-up terms in this book. I would advise, however, to read this book if you are interested in computer technology, though some of it is not completely true, and a high paced, suspenseful book.

I found this book interesting on several levels. It's about our telecommunications system, about a few people's ethics abusing the power of that system, and about the state of enforcement against violations of that system. All done in a readable accounting of a small cast of characters' actions over a fifteen year period.

It's a difficult task to make day-to-day events readable, much less involving. Littman has done a credible job here, describing the exploits of a clique with a combination of smarts, talent, and a moral code in which authority plays much farther down the list than does knowledge, capability or skill in manipulation.

What I find amazing in this recount is the ineptitude of the investigative and law enforcement arms of local, state and federal agencies in bringing a case against Poulsen. Littman presents a balanced view of the criminal and the system against which the crimes were commited. Until the maintainers and protectors of these systems admit their vulnerabilities, phone phreaking of this magnitude will increase, not decrease, in an ever digitally-conscious world. That the Attorney General was not able to make a more compelling case--if all of Littman's accounts, or Kevin's recall of them are true--speaks more to what the Government and the Pacific Bell want to keep quiet.

That a person of Poulsen's ethics, curiosity and talent hacked PacBell offices isn't surprising (it's where the data is, to paraphrase Willy Sutton), that he did it repeatedly and for so long--physically and electronically--should make any citizen concerned for their privacy. Privacy not from the Poulsens or Mitnicks of the world, but from the phone companies and the agencies that use them on the fringes of the law.SAS is something every member of congress and civil libertarian should be screaming about for oversight.

I agree with Lottor that "Serial Hacker" is redundant, but notice also that Mark doesn't take issue with the title's assertion that Kevin's life and crimes reveal a sociopath. In the game Dungeons & Dragons, the appeal is that it is a world where you make your own rules. Kevin is without a doubt the dungeonmaster of California's phone system.

This book is the most intimate accounting of a very capable hacker's evolution. Does power corrupt, always? Certainly power and curiosity were compelling drugs for Kevin Poulsen.

I am a pretty good friend of Kevin. I can assure you he is no longer in federal prison and is now once again loose on the streets of LA. I know there are lots of great stories to tell about his experiences and I'm sure Littman will be great at making things sound more exciting and less true than they are. With regard to the title it should be noted that people are born Hackers, thus the term "serial hacker" is quite redundant. Don't miss the little picture of Littman at the bottom of the front cover.

Having finished this book, I thought to myself "that was a terrific novel" and then realized that this was supposed to be a factual book. The author creates his own dialogue, thoughts and events to make the story more appealing, but in the process, loses one important thing -- the truth. Anyone wishing to know the true stories of Kevin Poulsen, Justin Petersen or Ron Austin should not look to this book as a fact source. This book is pure fluff and at best, can be used as a paperweight.

The Watchman by Jonathan Littman is a tough book to review. The author states that he started writing a book about Kevin Poulsen (The Watchman), then delayed that project to write a book about Kevin Mitnick (The Fugitive Game, or TFG). After finishing TFG, the author returned to the Poulsen book. Unfortunately, it seems that the approach that the author took in TFG (recounting direct telephone conversations with Kevin Mitnick) didn't translate well for The Watchman. Whereas TFG covers the part of the time Mitnick was on the run and speaking with the author, The Watchman tries to tell the overall story of Kevin Poulsen's life. The end result is not likely to reflect reality as well as a story where the author was a first-hand participant. It seems several of the main characters in The Watchman, most notable Poulsen himself, disagree with their portrayal in the book. Nevertheless, The Watchman is worth reading since it is the only book on Kevin Poulsen; just beware its likely weaknesses.

I gave the book three stars because I got the sense that the author took too much liberty with Kevin Poulsen's history, or at least he presented the work as fact despite its true nature. Still, it's clear the major outlines of Kevin's life are correct, and remain shocking. I'd like to know if it's true that Donn Parker advised against hiring Kevin due to his previous trouble with the law.

I don't think readers will be able to judge the contents of The Watchman for themselves until others try to tell the story. I don't see that happening. Just this year "Agent Steal" died, and Kevin Poulsen continues writing for Wired. He has no need to revisit the 1990s. Consider reading The Watchman if you want to know more about Kevin Poulsen, but don't accept the content at face value.

Computer security is not only part of my job, but a bit of a hobby of mine, so I love reading books like this. This book was fun to read and I read it in pretty much one night. This is a rare feat for me... I barely ever read books in one night, much less a few nights. So that should tell you how much fun the book was to read.

The reason for 4 stars instead of 5? 1) It only comes in a hard cover instead of a paper back? At least, I couldn't find a paper back anywhere! 2) It's obvious (and Poulsen has commented on this) that the author has made up some things that Kevin said or did. However, this is obviously to keep the book interesting and make for a better read... So, don't take everything that the author says to heart, but the underlying story is still pretty much what happened from what I understand and have found to be true, anyway.

Great read, thrilling, exciting and fun. If you like stories about computers, security and hackers.

i liked this book. i enjoyed the people profiled in the book, kevin poulsen and his friends. one of the things that i enjoyed the most was their great sense of humor as was illustrated by the phone hacks of radio dj rick dees. the group won several sports cars by manipulating the radio show's phone lines.

i found this book to be a nice companion piece to The Fugitive Game also by jon littman.