Cliff Stoll Revisits 'The Cuckoo's Egg' 40 Years Later at DefCon 34
Stalking the Wily Hacker: 40 years later – Cliff Stoll [video]
In this DefCon 34 talk, Cliff Stoll, the astronomer who inadvertently became one of the first cybercrime investigators, reflects on his 1986 hunt for a hacker that led to the arrest of a spy ring. With his signature wit and storytelling, Stoll revisits the lessons learned from the 'Cuckoo's Egg' case, offering a unique perspective on how hacking, espionage, and security have evolved over four decades.
The only thing that's changed in forty years is the price of the equipment.
- netfortius
I saw him live in a presentation he gave in Chicago, early 90s. He and his book are the cause of my switching from a very young PhD in thermodynamics career to going back to school for CS, then working in the latter field until retirement, years back. I also read his Silicon Snake Oil book, as soon as it came out, which he - himself - publicly claimed to have been in error, in parts, sometimes, but about which I now think - looking at X, TruthSocial, TikTok, etc. - that may, in fact, has been premonitory...
- EvanAnderson
I watch a lot of videos at 1.5x. Older Cliff Stoll videos don't work at 1.5x. Cliff at 1.0x is already like other people at 1.5x.
I am so stoked to see Cliff at 1.0x in 2026 is still like other people at 1.5x. I am so glad to see Cliff still out there talking. "The Cuckoo's Egg"[0] was formative for me when I was a kid getting into computers. I am so happy that Cliff is out there making formative experiences for new hackers today.
Great talk, Cliff. (The "adjusted for inflation" quip about the budget made my day, too.)
- pi-rat
Such a fun and enthusiastic guy. I’ve one of his klein bottles from like 20 years ago, think he still sells them.