Cult of the Dead Cow

The shocking untold story of the elite secret society of hackers fighting to protect our freedom, “a hugely important piece of the puzzle for anyone who wants to understand the forces shaping the internet age” (The New York Times Book Review)

Cult of the Dead Cow is the tale of the oldest active, most respected, and most famous American hacking group of all time. With its origins in the earliest days of the internet, the cDc is full of oddball characters-activists, artists, and musicians-some of whom went on to advise presidents, cabinet members, and CEOs, and who now walk the corridors of power in Washington and Silicon Valley.

Today, the group and its followers are battling electoral misinformation, making personal data safer, and organizing to keep technology a force for good instead of for surveillance and oppression. Now featuring a new afterword with updates on the collective, Cult of the Dead Cow describes how, at a time when governments, corporations, and criminals hold immense power, a small band of tech iconoclasts is on our side fighting back.

Author Biography

Joseph Menn is an investigative reporter on cybersecurity and disinformation at The Washington Post, where he was a co-finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. He previously wrote for Reuters, Financial Times, and Los Angeles Times. His other books include Fatal System Error and All the Rave. He lives in San Francisco, California.