Ctrl+Alt+Chaos
How Teenage Hackers Hijack the Internet
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Elliott & Thompson Limited
Published:5th Jun '25
Should be back in stock very soon
‘An illuminating and often scary book’ The Daily Telegraph
‘Joe 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
From the BBC’s cyber correspondent and foremost voice on cybercrime comes the insider exposé of the global rise of teen hackers: Ctrl+Alt+Chaos.
Cyber correspondent Joe Tidy has investigated and interviewed the most infamous teenage hacker gangs of the past decade for the BBC, and previously for Sky News. Now he unveils the dark digital underbelly where teenage boys are reshaping cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, and organised crime under the noses of their parents.
Throughout he chronicles the life of Julius Kivimaki, aka Zeekill, arguably the most hated hacker in history, from 12-year-old nuisance hacker to a Most Wanted cybercriminal culminating in his 2023 capture. In one of the cruellest hacks in history, he blackmailed 30,000 Finnish psychotherapy patients with their stolen notes. Kivimaki's story gives us vital insights into how hackers find their feet and become dangerous criminals.
Tracking the rise and fall of groups such as LulzSec, HTP, UG Nazi, and Lizard Squad, Ctrl+Alt+Chaos features exclusive interviews with the hackers as well as the police officers trying to stop them. Joe Tidy also draws parallels with recent high-profile attacks from other teenage gangs and ask the question - how can we stop the cycle of teenage boys hijacking life online?
‘Joe 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 disturbing study investigates, and interviews, the depraved young hackers wreaking havoc online … An illuminating and often scary book’ The Daily Telegraph
‘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
‘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
‘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
ISBN: 9781783968763
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
256 pages