Mafiaboy: A Portrait of The Hacker As a Young Man » Press

Michael Calce on CNN.com

Craig Silverman — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:32:29 +0000

Just over a decade ago, Michael Calce knocked CNN.com offline. Today, the site published an interview with him about the release of his book. Doug Gross of CNN.com spoke with Michael about the attacks he launched in 2000, how hacking has evolved since then, and the best ways for people to protect themselves online. Read it all here. An excerpt:

Michael Calce once briefly shut down this site.
It was February 8, 2000, and the then-15-year-old was egged on by a fellow hacker who believed CNN.com would be impossible to bring down because of its “advanced networks” and “huge traffic numbers.” It took Calce just a few minutes.
“The sense of power I felt was overwhelming,” he wrote later of the attack, which slowed CNN.com’s news operations for nearly two hours. “It was also addictive.”
By then, the Canadian teen better known as “Mafiaboy” had already made national headlines by toppling Yahoo!, eBay and E*TRADE with a brazen series of denial-of-service attacks, which usually involve barraging a website with so many requests that its servers are overrun.
It’s a story he tells, breaking years of silence, in “Mafiaboy: A Portrait of the Hacker as a Young Man,” which chronicles Calce’s rise to becoming arguably the most famous, or infamous, computer hacker ever.

Michael Calce on The Leonard Lopate Show

Craig Silverman — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:41:48 +0000

Michael Calce is in New York this week for the U.S. launch of Mafiaboy. Yesterday he was a guest on The Leonard Lopate Show, which airs on WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820, New York’s two flagship public radio stations. Michael discussed his crimes, the current state of online security, and why he doesn’t like to use credit cards or bank cards.

Give a listen to the interview below.

Michael Calce appears on CNN’s Newsroom with Fredericka Whitfield

Craig Silverman — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:19:47 +0000

In the lead up to the U.S. release of Mafiaboy, Michael Calce appeared on CNN’s Newsroom with Fredericka Whitfield. Watch the full interview below:

CBC Documentary Features Mafaboy Authors

Craig Silverman — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:08:59 +0000

On Thursday, November 20 at 9 pm, CBC TV will broadcast the one-hour documentary, Web Warriors: The Global Battle for Control Of Cyberspace. This fascinating film “offers an unprecedented glimpse into the world’s newest and most vulnerable frontier: cyberspace.” Both Michael Calce and Craig Silverman are featured in the documentary, which was produced by Tell Tale Productions.

The film’s website is here, and the trailer is embedded below. CBC.ca has more information on this page. Also note that Web Warriors will be rebroadcast on Saturday November 22, 2008 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld.

Michael Calce on Canada AM and CTV National News on Oct. 9

Craig Silverman — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:11:06 +0000

After his interview on CBC’s The Hour on October 8 at 11 p.m., Michael Calce will appear on Canada AM and CTV National News on October 9. UPDATE: visit the Press And Reviews page to watch Michael’s interviews.

Preview articles from Canwest, CJAD, Hour, and The Suburban

Craig Silverman — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:39:07 +0000

Even though we haven’t yet spoken to the press, a few outlets have published articles about the book. The Canwest News Service pubished an online article today. Montreal radio station CJAD has a preview, and The Suburban and Hour also have articles online.

Michael Calce on The Hour October 8

Craig Silverman — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:42:17 +0000

CBC’s The Hour will host Michael Calce for his first ever interview on October 8, 2008. Be sure to tune in at 11 p.m. to hear Michael talk publicly for the first time about his story, and the current state of online security.