The Cuckoo's Egg

Cliff Stoll in his book The Cuckoo's Egg makes several important observations about the role of computers in society. In the beginning of chapter 56 we read, "The computer has become a common denominator that knows no intellectual, political, or bureaucratic bounds; the Sherwin Williams of necessity that covers the world, spanning all points of view." Computer security should be a top priority for everyone regardless of whether their main concern is to protect national interests, maintain their privacy or avoid monetary loss. Cliff Stoll has been involved with the internet from its' beginning and quite a few things have changed since the book was written, but the main points are still relevant today. Fortunately software updates are more easily obtainable now over the internet preventing network-wide exploits from being easily taken advantage of. Reading the book helped me realize the importance of protecting important data from outside intrusion. Maintaining the integrity of a network depends on every user protecting his or her password, a task that becomes increasingly more difficult as the number of users goes up.

The internet as a system is based on trust. Password crackers, virus writers and spammers only violate that trust. Arguing that a virus that spreads over the internet is only a small prank helping to improve security is just like a thief that breaks into homes in a small rural town in order to impress on the residents a need to buy large locks. Regarding viruses that cripple network resources, "Perhaps you'd thank the person who let the air out of your tires--award him a medal for raising your consciousness about automotive security." Cliff Stoll spent months doing nothing but tracking Markus Hess and after all of that lost work time Markus is only sentenced to a three year prison term for espionage. It might be interesting to hear the story from the side of Markus Hess and the intelligence agencies involved especially what they thought of the phony SDInet files.

It would be nice if such malicious internet users didn't exist. The biggest problem, however, is how we deal with these annoyances and how we implement computer security. It's important to keep the networks open while at the same time not allowing ourselves to become consumed with mutual suspicion and surveillance. Ideally the protection of sensitive data would be ensured while at the same time allowing for the free flow of information, which is what makes the internet so great.