Clifford Stoll

“Defined broadly, ‘a hero is someone who rises above his or her fears and limitations to achieve something extraordinary ... a hero embodies what we believe is best in ourselves’ (14)” (Fleming 2). Very few people are able to tackle their fears head on in order to accomplish something that benefits society, but those who do, deserve the title of hero. They do not care what mental or physical strife comes their way, as they always go on to do something great. Heroism is not something that has to be monumental or recognized, it can be the actions that one does in their daily life to help others rather than themselves. A hero is anyone who is willing to lend a hand no matter the situation without recognition or reward because they are content with their service. To be classified as a hero, one does not need to impact on a great magnitude. Even if the impact is on a single person, it can positively multiply its effect on others. There are many heroes that we see in our daily life: firefighters saving people from a fire, a student standing up for another student that is getting bullied, or someone that makes everyone elses’ day better. Sometimes these are only one-time events, but they still have the potential to make a lasting impact in someone else’s life. A hero is anyone who shows perseverance no matter how tough the situation and uses intelligence to help others.

Clifford Stoll with one of his homemade Acme Klein Bottleshttps://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/spring-2016-war-stories/how-berkeley-eccentric-beat-russians-and-then-madeOne person who shows perseverance and intelligence in their everyday life is Clifford Stoll. Born on June 4, 1950 in Buffalo, New York, Clifford Stoll is the son of Clifford Stoll and Bella Stoll. Stoll was an astronomer working at University of California Berkeley before he was transferred down to the computer department. One day, his boss challenged him to figure out why there was a 75-cent accounting difference in the computer usage bill. Over a period of time, Stoll realized that the accounting difference was not from somebody forgetting to pay for their computer use, but rather someone trying to steal American military information.  He worked to find the individual for over 10 months. Finally, on June 23, 1987, he was able to trace it to a German hacker who was robbing information and selling it to the Soviet Union. After this big breakthrough in cybersecurity, Stoll retreated back to his private life, married and with children. Stoll now lives close to UC Berkeley in Oakland, California. Currently, he produces one of a kind Acme Klein Bottles at his house and sells them. Without Stoll’s relentless pursuit of the threat of cyber espionage, the world would have never been alerted about the importance of internet and computer safety. Clifford Stoll is an inspiring hero because of his instinctive perseverance through strenuous times and his constant, selfless use of intelligence to both pursue his goals and positively affect society as a whole.

Clifford Stoll in the computer lab at Berkeleyhttps://thehustle.co/clifford-stoll-why-the-internet-will-failUsing his intelligence, Clifford Stoll always made smart decisions like creating traps for the hacker, which ended up helping the country and its people.  On his second day of the job, Stoll was given a challenging task that would be confusing to any “computer geek:” “Stoll was on his second day on the job when his boss came to him with a seemingly trivial anomaly to solve. ‘It was a 75-cent accounting error in the computer usage accounts,’ says Stoll…  His name was Markus Hess—now known as the Hanover Hacker—and he and his ring of spies had been selling information to the KGB for years” (Cal Alumni). Stoll needed information like: which account was being used and how active the person was on the computer. Stoll did not have a lot of prior knowledge on computers, but, over time he was able to understand the framework and started to write his own programs. If he had not figured about the hacker, the effects on America would have been devastating. We do not know how much more information America would have lost before someone else found out about the importance of internet safety. Using his brilliant mind, Stoll was able to set up traps and he could track the hacker’s every move: “Stoll and his staff also set up an elaborate series of alarmed files that captured the intruder's movements. ‘These printouts proved essential to our understanding of events; we had records of his every keystroke, giving his targets, keywords, chosen passwords, and methodologies,’ Stoll explained in Communications of the ACM” ("Clifford Stoll."). Stoll’s traps were so well hidden that even the hacker could never figure out that he was being watched. Stoll then had evidence to show that the hacker was stealing military information. Stoll later realized that if he had not made that move, he would not have been able to make his case. Then the hacker’s malicious intent of stealing information would have never been proven.

Clifford Stoll during his Ted Talk about learninghttps://www.ted.com/talks/clifford_stoll_on_everythingClifford Stoll is able to claim the title of a hero because he persevered through many tricky situations and used his intelligence to help others. He took a 75 cent accounting difference and uncovered a ring of German hackers who were silently stealing American military information. In order to trap the hacker, Stoll created “traps,” or programs that were able to monitor the hacker’s every move. Without Stoll’s discovery, the world would never have realized the importance of cybersecurity. Despite being shunned by FBI, NSA and CIA multiple times, he persevered in trying to identify the hacker and figure out his activities. In the end, the government agencies approached him for the information about the hacker.  “Stoll was eventually asked by his employers to cease his presumably trivial project, but he still devoted his own time to tracking the hacker… The hacker was eventually traced to West Germany, where he was apprehended as part of a spy ring peddling secrets to the Soviet KGB. ” ("Clifford Stoll"). Even when the solution of a problem is not clear, Stoll demonstrated the importance of not giving up.

Clifford Stoll inspires me because he shows that life will throw problems, but we should not give up. He shows that giving up does not fix the original problem, rather, it remains unsolved. Stoll inspires me in my activities of Boy Scouts and tennis. In Boy Scouts, I lead camping trips for 50-60 scouts and sometimes events do not go as planned. But Stoll has taught me that I cannot give up and I need to keep going, and the solution will eventually come to me. Sometimes in tennis I miss my shots, but Stoll’s message keeps me going. Throughout his life, Stoll always made sure that he was always affecting someone else in a positive way. Brodi Ashton once said, “Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” Heroes like Clifford Stoll are the people that use their traits to help the community rather than keeping it to themselves. Heroes are not necessarily the celebrities that we follow on social media or see on TV. Rather they are the people that try to make a difference and change the world. Even though Clifford Stoll’s name may not be well known, his findings have made a extraordinary impact on the world.

Works Cited

"Clifford Stoll." Authors and Artists for Young Adults, vol. 68, Gale, 2006. Biography In Context,

    https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1603001494/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=b11

    a217d. Accessed 14 Apr. 2018.

Murphy, Katherine. “Hacking History: Clifford Stoll and Operation Showerhead.”

    CyberTraining 365 Blog, CyberTraining 365 Blog, 6 Oct. 2017, blog.cybertraining365.com/2017/08/23/hacking-history-clifford-

    stoll-operation-showerhead-first-honey-pot/.

Snapp, Martin. “How a Berkeley Eccentric Beat the Russians-and Then Made Useless, Wondrous Objects.” Cal Alumni Association,

    Cal Alumni Association, 29 Mar.2016,alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/spring-

    2016-war-stories/how-berkeley-eccentric-beat-russians-and-then-made.

Stoll, Cliff Paul. The Cuckoos Egg: Tracking a Spy through the Maze of Computer Espionage.

    Pocket Books, 2005.