"I have donated my book "Underground" to Project Gutenberg's
collection in memory of my great aunt, Lucie Palmer. Lucie was anexplorer, a naturalist, a keen undersea diver and above all a giftedpainter. In the last years of her life, she lost her vision due tomacular degeneration. She could no longer do her beloved underseapaintings. But, while she could not travel in person, she continued totravel in her mind through books for the vision impaired. I hope youenjoy your journey to another world as much as she did. — From Suelette Dreyfus, Author, Underground"
Underground —
Hacking, madness and obsession on the electronic frontier.
By Suelette Dreyfus with Research by Julian Assange.
`Gripping, eminently readable.. Dreyfus has uncovered one of thiscountry's best kept secrets and in doing so has created a highlyintense and enjoyable read' — Rolling Stone
www.underground-book.net
This edition has been specifically adapted for speech synthesis. Werecommend using a different distribution with intact type-settingfor visual use.
First Published 1997 by Mandarin; a part of Reed Books Australia; 35
Cotham Road, Kew 3101.
a subsidiary of Random House books Australia.
a division of Random House International Pty Limited.
Copyright (c) 1997, 2001 Suelette Dreyfus & Julian Assange.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyrightabove, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in orintroduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form orby any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording orotherwise), without the prior written permission of both thecopyright owner and the publisher.
Typeset in New Baskerville by J&M Typesetting.
Printed and bound in Australia by Australian Print Group.
National Library of Australia.
cataloguing-in-publication data:
Dreyfus, Suelette.
Underground: tales of hacking, madness & obsession on the electronic frontier.
Bibliography:
ISBN number 1 86330 595 5
1. Computer hackers—Australia—Biography.2. Computer crimes—Australia.3. Computer security—Australia.I. Assange, Julian. II. Title.
364.1680922
Send all comments to "feedback@underground-book.net".
Preface to the electronic edition.
Why would an author give away an unlimited number of copies of herbook for free? That's a good question. When `Underground''sresearcher, Julian Assange, first suggested releasing an electronicversion of the book on the Net for free, I had to stop and think aboutjust that question.
I'd spent nearly three years researching, writing and editing the nearly500 pages of `Underground'. Julian had worked thousands ofhours doing painstaking research; discovering and cultivating sources,digging with great resourcefulness into obscure databases and legalpapers, not to mention providing valuable editorial advice.
So why would I give away this carefully ripened fruit for free?
Because part of the joy of creating a piece of art is in knowing thatmany people can - and are - enjoying it. Particularly people who can'totherwise afford to pay $11 USD for a book. People such as cash strappedhackers. This book is about them, their lives and obsessions. It rubscl