How the classic anime ‘Ghost in the Shell’ predicted the future of cybersecurity 30 years ago

In this book, Clifford Stoll recounts his unexpected adventure as a computer systems manager at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A 75-cent accounting error leads him to discover an unauthorized user on the system, later identified as a hacker named 'Hunter' who was stealing sensitive military information. Stoll's one-man investigation involves a high-stakes game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases, eventually gaining the attention of the CIA. The book details the early days of cybersecurity, the challenges of persuading government agencies to cooperate, and the race against time to safeguard sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

Published in 1984, 'Neuromancer' is a seminal work in the cyberpunk genre. The novel revolves around Case, a skilled hacker who was once the best in his field but was crippled by his former employer after he tried to steal from them. Case is recruited by a mysterious employer named Armitage for a high-stakes mission that involves hacking into the highly secure systems of the Tessier-Ashpool family. Joined by a diverse group of allies, including the cyborg Molly and the performance artist Peter Riviera, Case must navigate the complexities of cyberspace and the real world to merge two powerful artificial intelligences, Wintermute and Neuromancer. The book explores themes of technology, identity, and the blurring of lines between the physical and virtual worlds.