The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders and Deceivers

Preface

Hackers play one-up among themselves. Clearly one of the prizes would be bragging rights from hacking into my security company’s Web site or my personal system.

Another would be that they had made up a story of a hack and planted it on me and my co-author Bill Simon so convincingly that we were taken in, believed it as true, and included it in this book.

That has presented a fascinating challenge, a game of wits that the two of us have played time after time as we did the interviews for the book. For most reporters and authors, establishing authenticity is a fairly routine matter: Is this really the person he or she claims to be? Is this person or was this person really working for the organization he or she claims? Did this person have the position he or she says? Does this person have documentation to back up the story, and can I verify that the documents are valid? Are there reputable people who will support the story or parts of it?

With hackers, checking the bona fides is tricky. Most of the people whose stories appear in this book, other than a few who have already been to prison, would face felony charges if their true identities could be determined. So, asking for real names, or expecting to be offered as proof, is an iffy proposition.

These people have only come forward with their stories because they trust me. They know I’ve done time myself, and they are willing to rely on my not betraying them in a way that could put them in that position. Yet, despite the ...