Ctrl + Alt + Chaos - by Joe Tidy (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An immersive, pulse-pounding exposé on the global rise of teenage hackers, offering an insider's portrait of the dark net and the key players who are disrupting corporations, government institutions and our everyday lives--for fans of Bad Blood and Uncanny Valley

In this gripping true crime narrative, cybersecurity correspondent Joe Tidy reveals that there is one area of the criminal underworld that is being underestimated at our peril--the dark digital underbelly where teenage boys are reshaping cybersecurity, cryptocurrency and organized crime under the noses of their parents.

In Ctrl+Alt+Chaos, Tidy explores:

• the story of Julius Kivimaki, aka Zeekill, arguably the most hated hacker in history.
• a cyberattack in which 30,000 psychotherapy patients were blackmailed with their stolen notes.
• how hackers as young as 12 are taking down major international corporations and government assets
• the technology being used the track down these hackers and bring them to justice
• the efforts being made to re-direct young hackers' talents towards law-abiding, life-affirming endeavors

Propulsive, urgent and scrupulously reported, Ctrl + Alt + Chaos tracks the rise and fall of global hacking groups to ask the question: How can we stop the cycle of teenage boys hijacking life online?

Review Quotes

"With a mix of interviews and research, Tidy gives us valuable insights into the mindsets behind and causes of this hacking activity - how teens get into it, how some manage to turn their lives around (often going into cybersecurity), while others become career criminals."--Popular Science

"A disturbing study investigates, and interviews, the depraved young hackers wreaking havoc online ... An illuminating and often scary book."--The Daily Telegraph

"Joe Tidy has a gift for uncovering stories others can't and turning them into something unforgettable. This book doesn't just tell a story. It grabs you, pulls you in, and doesn't let go."--Jack Rhysider, Darknet Diaries podcast

"A wake-up call to governments, law enforcement, educators and parents about how teenage boys are being radicalised online to engage in cybercrime."--Jamie MacColl, RUSI

"Harassment, theft, death... Ctrl + Alt + Chaos captures the rise of nihilism and the devastating effects of a generation of young men and boys socially adrift. It's a testament to what happens when a significant subset of the population lacks purpose and community. These 'invisible' criminals believe in nothing and embrace chaos as sport. This book is a wake-up call to an ill-equipped justice system and a general population all too dismissive of predators they cannot see. We should consider ourselves warned."--Anna Akbari, author of There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America's Biggest Catfish

"In Ctrl + Alt + Chaos, Joe Tidy exposes dark Web hideaways where callous teens wreak havoc for profit--and sport. It's a wake-up call by one of journalism's top cybercrime sleuths."--Jim Popkin, author of Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy--and the Sister She Betrayed

"Joe Tidy has a gift for uncovering stories others can't and turning them into something unforgettable. This book doesn't just tell a story. It grabs you, pulls you in, and doesn't let go."--Jack Rhysider, host of the Darknet Diaries podcast

"It is a dark story and an illustrative one. Tidy reveals, through blessedly uncomplicated prose, how hacking developed from being a relatively noble pursuit in the 1980s into something conducted by 21st-century sociopaths who want to 'inflict hurt and harm for their amusement, pleasure and power.' Read it--and update your computer's security settings."--Prospect

"Joe Tidy's gripping true-crime account of the world of young hackers, particularly a group known as 'The Lizard Squad, ' reminds us of what menace can lurk behind those teenage eyes glued to video game screens and consoles. Ctrl+Alt+Chaos ranks among the best books about this crazy new breed of criminal -- the cyberattacker. Tidy does a superb job of presenting this story as a thriller, understable to any reader regardless of their high-tech sophistication. As a victim myself of the notorious North Korean cyberattack against Sony, I read with fascination how these hackers armed with Xboxes and PlayStation consoles were able to bring corporations and even governments to their knees. Tidy underlines our vulnerability to these cynical, seemingly random attacks by those looking to make their devilish mark, and the long-term costs to society still searching for adequate ways to defend itself. Joe Tidy's mesmerizing book Ctrl+Alt+Chaos is a must read for all who want to understand the worldwide dangers of cybercrime."--Thomas Maier, author of The Invisible Spy: Churchill's Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America's First Secret Agent of World War II