Photo: heipei / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Clifford Stoll is a personal favorite of mine, because The Cuckoo's Egg is one of the few genuinely thrilling books about computer security. An astronomer who stumbled onto a 75-cent accounting error and pulled the thread all the way to a real spy is exactly the kind of accidental-detective story I love. What strikes me most is that he was a scientist first, not a security pro, and that outsider's curiosity is what cracked it. I've always seen him as a reminder that careful observation beats fancy tools. A real loss that he passed in 2024.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Clifford Stoll
- Name (Japanese)
- クリフォード・ストール
- Reading
- くりふぉーど・すとーる
- Born
- June 4, 1950 – 2024-05-00
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Tiger
- Origin
- Buffalo, New York, United States
- Occupation
- astronomer / computer scientist / writer / programmer / opinion journalist
2. Background
- High school
- Hutchinson Central Technical High School
- University
- University of Arizona
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Cuckoo's Egg | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Clifford Stoll born?
June 4, 1950 – 2024-05-00.
Where is Clifford Stoll from?
Clifford Stoll is from Buffalo, New York, United States.
What does Clifford Stoll do?
Clifford Stoll works as astronomer, computer scientist, writer, programmer, opinion journalist.
What is Clifford Stoll known for?
Notable works include The Cuckoo's Egg.
Astronomer — see all → · Computer scientist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.