Mafiaboy: A Portrait of The Hacker As a Young Man

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.

Mafiaboy U.S. edition now available for purchase online

Craig Silverman — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:25:48 +0000

Copies of Mafiaboy are already in stock at Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble, among other retailers. Copies are also making their way into stores over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more info about press appearances and related events!

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:

U.S. Release Coming Spring 2011

Craig Silverman — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 20:12:56 +0000

The U.S. edition of Mafiaboy will be published in spring 2011 by Lyons Press, a division of Globe Pequot Press. We’ll share additional details about the release as they become available — but this is some long-awaited and great news. It also follows on the heels of another recent rights sale for the book. In May, the rights for Vietnam were sold to Vietnamese publisher SaobacMedia Co. Ltd. That edition will appear some time over the next 12 months.

Mafiaboy Wins Arthur Ellis Award

Craig Silverman — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:52:49 +0000

We’re a bit late in passing on the good news, but last month Mafiaboy won the Arthur Ellis Award for best non-fiction crime book of the year. Michael attended the ceremony in Ottawa and accepted the award. The other shortlisted books were outstanding, so we didn’t expect to hear our names called. You can read this CBC.ca article about the awards. Many thanks to the Crime Writers of Canada for this honor.

Mafiaboy Nominated for Non-Fiction Crime Book of the Year

Craig Silverman — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:50:54 +0000

We’re pleased to announce that Mafiaboy is nominated for Canadian non-fiction crime book of the year. The Crime Writers of Canada announced the nominees for its annual Arthur Ellis Awards on April 23, and Mafiaboy is one of five nominees in the non-fiction category. You can read the full list of nominees here. Congrats to our fellow nominees in all categories.

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.

Mafiaboy in French

Craig Silverman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:53:59 +0000

The French edition of Mafiaboy, published by Les Éditions des Intouchables, is now available in Quebec bookstores and online at Archambault and Renaud-Bray.

Montreal Book Launch Oct. 21

Craig Silverman — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:23:29 +0000

The Montreal book launch for Mafiaboy will take place at the Paragraphe Bookstore (2220 McGill College) on October 21 at 6:30 p.m. Come by to meet the authors and get a signed copy.