Clifford Stoll
Encyclopedia
Clifford Stoll is a U.S.
astronomer
and author
. He is best known for his pursuit of hacker Markus Hess
in 1986 and the subsequent 1989 book detailing his investigation. Stoll has authored a total of three books as well as technology articles in the non-specialist press (e.g., in Scientific American
on the Curta mechanical calculator
and the slide rule
).
, a public radio station in Buffalo, New York, where he was born and raised.
In 1986 Stoll investigated hacker Markus Hess while employed as a systems administrator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
. After identifying the intrusion he set up a honeypot
for Hess, eventually tracking him down and passing details to the authorities. It is recognised as one of the first examples of digital forensics
, at the time gaining co-operation from law enforcement was a challenge due to the relatively new nature of the crime. He described the events of his investigation in The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage
and the paper "Stalking the Wily Hacker". Stoll's book was later chronicled in an episode of WGBH's NOVA titled "The KGB, the Computer, and Me" which aired on PBS stations in 1990.
In his 1995 book Silicon Snake Oil, and an accompanying article in Newsweek
Clifford Stoll: The Internet? Bah! Newsweek
, February 27, 1995 Stoll called the prospect of e-commerce "baloney," and raised questions about the influence of the Internet on future society and whether it would be beneficial. Along the way, he made various predictions, e.g. about e-commerce (calling it nonviable due to a lack of personal contact and secure online funds transfers) and the future of printed news publications ("no online database will replace your daily newspaper"). When the article resurfaced on BoingBoing in 2010, Stoll left a self-deprecating comment: "Of my many mistakes, flubs, and howlers, few have been as public as my 1995 howler....Now, whenever I think I know what's happening, I temper my thoughts: Might be wrong, Cliff..."
Curmudgeonly essay on "Why the Internet Will Fail" from 1995 BoingBoing, February 26, 2010
Stoll has sold blown glass Klein bottle
s on the Web, and his web site is currently accepting orders. , he is "mostly" a stay-at-home dad. He taught eighth graders about physics at Tehiyah Day School
, in El Cerrito, California
, and later taught physics to home-schooled teenagers. Stoll was a regular contributor to MSNBC
's The Site
. Stoll is an FCC licensed amateur radio operator
, callsign K7TA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is best known for his pursuit of hacker Markus Hess
Markus Hess
Markus Hess, a German citizen, is best known for his endeavours as a hacker in the late 1980s. Hess was recruited by the KGB to be an international spy with the objective of securing U.S...
in 1986 and the subsequent 1989 book detailing his investigation. Stoll has authored a total of three books as well as technology articles in the non-specialist press (e.g., in Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
on the Curta mechanical calculator
Curta calculator
The Curta is a small, hand-cranked mechanical calculator introduced in 1948. It has an extremely compact design: a small cylinder that fits in the palm of the hand. It can be used to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and — with more difficulty — square roots and other...
and the slide rule
Slide rule
The slide rule, also known colloquially as a slipstick, is a mechanical analog computer. The slide rule is used primarily for multiplication and division, and also for functions such as roots, logarithms and trigonometry, but is not normally used for addition or subtraction.Slide rules come in a...
).
Career
During the 1960s and '70s, Stoll was assistant chief engineer at WBFOWBFO
WBFO, broadcast on 88.7 FM, is the largest NPR member station for Buffalo, New York. It is broadcast from the South campus of the University at Buffalo....
, a public radio station in Buffalo, New York, where he was born and raised.
In 1986 Stoll investigated hacker Markus Hess while employed as a systems administrator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
. After identifying the intrusion he set up a honeypot
Honeypot (computing)
In computer terminology, a honeypot is a trap set to detect, deflect, or in some manner counteract attempts at unauthorized use of information systems...
for Hess, eventually tracking him down and passing details to the authorities. It is recognised as one of the first examples of digital forensics
Digital forensics
Digital forensics is a branch of forensic science encompassing the recovery and investigation of material found in digital devices, often in relation to computer crime...
, at the time gaining co-operation from law enforcement was a challenge due to the relatively new nature of the crime. He described the events of his investigation in The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage
The Cuckoo's Egg (book)
The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage is a 1989 book written by Clifford Stoll. It is his first-person account of the hunt for a computer cracker who broke into a computer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory .-Summary:Clifford Stoll managed some...
and the paper "Stalking the Wily Hacker". Stoll's book was later chronicled in an episode of WGBH's NOVA titled "The KGB, the Computer, and Me" which aired on PBS stations in 1990.
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Clifford Stoll: The Internet? Bah! Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, February 27, 1995 Stoll called the prospect of e-commerce "baloney," and raised questions about the influence of the Internet on future society and whether it would be beneficial. Along the way, he made various predictions, e.g. about e-commerce (calling it nonviable due to a lack of personal contact and secure online funds transfers) and the future of printed news publications ("no online database will replace your daily newspaper"). When the article resurfaced on BoingBoing in 2010, Stoll left a self-deprecating comment: "Of my many mistakes, flubs, and howlers, few have been as public as my 1995 howler....Now, whenever I think I know what's happening, I temper my thoughts: Might be wrong, Cliff..."
Curmudgeonly essay on "Why the Internet Will Fail" from 1995 BoingBoing, February 26, 2010
Stoll has sold blown glass Klein bottle
Klein bottle
In mathematics, the Klein bottle is a non-orientable surface, informally, a surface in which notions of left and right cannot be consistently defined. Other related non-orientable objects include the Möbius strip and the real projective plane. Whereas a Möbius strip is a surface with boundary, a...
s on the Web, and his web site is currently accepting orders. , he is "mostly" a stay-at-home dad. He taught eighth graders about physics at Tehiyah Day School
Tehiyah Day School
Tehiyah Day School is an independent Jewish day school with classes from Bridge-Kindergarten through 8th Grade Jewish day school in El Cerrito, California.-History:...
, in El Cerrito, California
El Cerrito, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
, and later taught physics to home-schooled teenagers. Stoll was a regular contributor to MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
's The Site
The Site
The Site, hosted by Soledad O'Brien, was an hour-long TV program devoted to the Internet revolution. It debuted in July 1996 with MSNBC's launch and aired Monday through Saturday, reaching 35 million homes...
. Stoll is an FCC licensed amateur radio operator
Amateur radio operator
An amateur radio operator is an individual who typically uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similar individuals on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio...
, callsign K7TA.
External links
- Stoll's Home page at Berkeley's Open Computing FacilityOpen Computing FacilityThe Open Computing Facility is an ASUC funded group at University of California, Berkeley.The OCF is an all-volunteer, student-run, student-initiated service group dedicated to free computing for the greater academic community of the University of California, Berkeley...
- Booknotes interview with Stoll on Cuckoo's Egg, December 3, 1989
- Stalking the Wily Hacker copy at Electronic Frontier FoundationElectronic Frontier FoundationThe Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
, May 1988 - Picture of Stoll from an interview with by Pro-Linux Magazine, February 9, 2005
- 2004 audio interview with Clifford Stoll by Karen Saupe (RealAudioRealAudioRealAudio is a proprietary audio format developed by RealNetworks and first released in April 1995. It uses a variety of audio codecs, ranging from low-bitrate formats that can be used over dialup modems, to high-fidelity formats for music. It can also be used as a streaming audio format, that is...
) - Cliff Stoll and Jonathan ZittrainJonathan ZittrainJonathan L. Zittrain is a US professor of Internet law at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School, a professor of computer science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a faculty co-director of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society...
on When Countries Collide Online: Internet Spies, Cyberwar, and Government Skullduggery, MediaBerkmanBerkman Center for Internet & SocietyThe Berkman Center for Internet & Society is a research center at Harvard University that focuses on the study of cyberspace. Founded at Harvard Law School, the center traditionally focused on internet-related legal issues. On May 15, 2008, the Center was elevated to an interfaculty initiative of...
, February 8, 2010 (1:21 h), Video (OGG videoOggOgg is a free, open container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The creators of the Ogg format state that it is unrestricted by software patents and is designed to provide for efficient streaming and manipulation of high quality digital multimedia.The Ogg container format can multiplex...
), Podcast (MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
, OGG audio) - Talk by Cliff Stoll April 4, 1996