Masters Of Deception

There was a time when the term “hackers” was used to describe those enthusiast who were intent on digging deeply into the way computers and technology work in order to develop a deeper understanding.  Somewhere along the line that all changed and this book is much about that change and the characters involved in facilitating the current view of the hacker as a social malcontent.

The story is an account of two rival gangs of cyberpunks, The Legion Of Doom and The Masters Of Deception and the feuding that goes on between these two groups of teenagers.  Great insight is given into the motivations of some of hackerdoms earliest celebrities like Acid Phreak and Phiber Optik and their bitter rivalries.

The book is apt to bring back fond memories of the days when the TRS-80 was king and the Internet was still the exclusive playground of a few elite scholars and military personnel.

No matter if you are new to computers and the Internet or an old timer this is a book worth ready as it outlines important parts of the history of hacking.