Cliff Stoll

Cliff Stoll is an award-winning author, computer security expert and astronomer whose writing spans several fields. He is best known for his books Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway and The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage. He is currently a professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of California, Berkeley.

Stoll was born in 1955 and was raised in the small city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His parents were both printers, and his brother and sister have followed him into print and media. He attended the University of California, Berkeley after high school and earned his bachelor’s degree in physics in 1977.

After graduation, Stoll worked as a research astronomer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. He moved on to a security job at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in 1983, where he worked to respond to and prevent the theft of government data. It was during this time that Stoll stumbled across an international cyber-espionage ring and his work inspired the creation of his first book “The Cuckoo’s Egg”. The book detailed the events of a two-year investigation and capture of a computer hacker.

In 1989, Stoll published Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway in which he presented his skepticism about the Internet’s potential for new communication techniques and for providing useful services. His criticism of the Internet as a technology and tool was controversial at the time and inspired debate across the media.

Stoll is a noted public speaker and has made presentations on various topics ranging from computer security to the dangers of free trade. He had his own show on techTV titled “Reality Check” and made appearances on programs such as the “The Daily Show” and the “Late Show with David Letterman”.

Stoll has also made several appearances on documentaries such as the “CNN Special Reports: Hackers” and the “Zero Day” series. He was also featured in the movie “Hackerphobia”.

Stoll currently works as a professor of mathematics and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley where he has been since 1997. He has authored several books and articles, and is credited as one of the first individuals to recognize the potential security threats of the Internet and the need for preventative measures.

Cliff Stoll is an influential figure in the world of computer security, and his unique perspective on hacking, privacy and the advances of the Internet as an information platform has had a lasting effect on the understanding and protection of digital data. His impact on the security world is likely to have an impact and be felt for years to come.