Hacker Cinema
The KGB, the Computer and Me
1990 · Film · documentary · 56 min
Directed by Robin Bates
In 1986, astronomer turned computer scientist Clifford Stoll had just started working on a computer system at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory when he noticed a 75-cent discrepancy between the charges printed by two accounting programs responsible for charging people for machine use. Intrigued, he deduced that the system was being hacked, and he determined to find the culprit. This is the re-enactment of how he tracked down KGB cracker Markus Hess through the Ethernet to Hannover, Germany.
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15 comments on Hacker News
If you like this then you will probably like "The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage", a 1989 book by Clifford Stoll.
Also available as audiobook, and a documentary ("The KGB, The computer and Me"). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe5AE-qYan8
This is an excellent recommendation for an excellent book. As the hackers were German, the hackers' perspective is somewhat well-known in Germany, and it's interesting to learn about both sides.
I just learned that a documentary on this topic with Cliff Stoll exists: The KGB, the Computer and Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gHNVNRQTJg - I haven't watched it yet, though.
Reminder that there's also a film/dramatization/documentary of the events from the cuckoo's egg, with Cliff playing himself.
"The KGB, the Computer, and Me".
It can be found online, and it's worth a watch just because of him.
The man exudes good humor and niceness.
Definitely read his book The Cuckoo's Egg. Terrific story and prose.
Then check out the old Nova documentary about the story: The KGB, The Computer, and Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGv5BqNL164
I recall back in 1990 when PBS aired, “The KGB, the Computer, and Me”. I was a freshman in high school and immediately fell in love with the documentary. I recorded it on VHS and watched it numerous times. I was already into computers, we had an IBM PC jr and I was fascinated by it. This story made me want to learn more and dive into technology even more.
I recently, within last few years finally picked up the book and read it. It is just a great story. I feel like everything Cliff said, in certain aspects, we still deal with today. I highly recommend the book and watching the documentary.
You may know that that was made into a 1990 PBS Nova episode, “The KGB, the Computer, and Me”, starring Cliff Stoll himself.
There's this documentary about him too: "The KGB, the Computer, and Me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGv5BqNL164
Watch the Nova episode, "The KGB, The Computer, and Me".
It's funny, I've read "The Cuckoo's Egg," Clifford Stoll's book, probably twenty times now. I had no idea there was a documentary about it (The KGB, The Computer, and Me - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308449/) until just now so thanks.
"The book was chronicled in an episode of WGBH’s NOVA entitled “The KGB, the Computer, and Me”, which aired on PBS stations on October 3, 1990"
I think it's this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcKxaq1FTac
Oh,me I'm ROFL: an actor is identical to one of X-Files "Lone Gunmen". When he explains the beeper to his wife I needed the oxygen. It's like "Doctor Who vs hackers" :-)
Some of my favourite nerdy documentaries:
BBS: The Documentary https://youtu.be/nO5vjmDFZaI
The KGB, the Computer, and Me https://youtu.be/EcKxaq1FTac
8 Bit Generation: The Commodore Wars https://youtu.be/Jq_t-v0bDZ8
I know the movie as 'The KGB, the computer, and me': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcKxaq1FTac
Same for me. I first read this during high school in the early 90s and read it several times again in the following years.
There's also a movie about the story which is worth watching: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308449/ You can easily find it (and quite a few talks and interviews by/with Clifford Stoll about the subject of the book) on Youtube if you search for "Cuckoo's Egg".
Jeez, some of those movies are dreadful, and there's almost nothing on the list from before 1990.
1954 - Gog (robots that look like robots and not people in metal suits)
1957 - Desk Set (non-stupid treadment of an early computer)
1970 - Colossus : The Forbin Project (how is this not in there)
1971 - How to Frame a Figg (silly, but it's got a computer hacker)
1975 - Three Days of the Condor
1990 - The KGB, the Computer, and Me (PBS doc about "The Cuckoo's Egg")
Thanks! I can always use another good documentary.
In return, I can recommend The KGB, The Computer, and Me, based on the excellent book The Cuckoo's Egg.
I can also recommend all of the documentaries done by Jason Scott (Get Lamp, BBS: The Documentary, Going Cardboard (although he only edited that: He's director on the rest), and DEFCON: The Documentary)