The BillyGate Affair: How Hackers at Microsoft and Google Revealed Their Massive Malware Operation The BillyGate Affair: How Hackers at Microsoft and Google Revealed Their Massive Malware Operation

The BillyGate Affair: How Hackers at Microsoft and Google Revealed Their Massive Malware Operation

    • 4.0 • 6 Ratings

Publisher Description

The BillyGate Affair describes a most remarkable invasion of the author's computers. The attackers didn't try to hide the fact that they work for two of the world's best-known tech companies.

I'm a journalist, so I informed them that I'm obligated to report their illegal activities. The threat of exposure caused panic, apparently. Their efforts to silence me were extensive, starting with the destruction of my hard drives and other electronic devices.

But the hackers were careless. They left an indelible record of their visit.

During the attacks, it became clear that Microsoft and Google run a hacking operation that also disseminates malicious software. The alliance has several obvious objectives. Microsoft and Google have joined to extend their control of the planet's information infrastructure and their influence over consumer behavior. In connection with that, the book provides a pointed critique of the companies' business practices.

The BillyGate Affair also examines the career of America's richest hacker and the hack job that led to his huge fortune. It includes a brief history of the personal computer software industry and recounts the accomplishments of Gary Kildall, the computer scientist whose inventions were instrumental in launching the digital age.

The narrative is unique in at least one sense. It’s an open invitation to the Microsoft/Google hackers. To quote from the chapter that discusses censorship, I challenge them to stop publication of this work: "Please pursue prior restraint. Go for a temporary restraining order or block access to my book on the Internet. Sue for libel if this narrative diverges from the facts. Perhaps I should be treated like Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning. Please arrest me for espionage if this story damages America's wars on privacy, freedom and terrorism."
People have said the story is too incredible and couldn't be true, but it's not a fabrication. The account is fully backed with a digital record of the invasion, other physical evidence, witness accounts and police reports.

GENRE
Nonfiction
RELEASED
2014
January 4
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
44
Pages
PUBLISHER
BW McKinzie
SELLER
Draft2Digital, LLC
SIZE
131.1
KB

Customer Reviews

Ryan Rester ,

/facepalm

Thirteen pages in and I was still wondering if there would be some sort of punchline or maybe a reveal that this was a work of satire at best.

Nope.

I've actually dismantled bot-nets and malware distribution networks with friends as a sort of weekend hobby. I was really hoping to find a kindred, if not slightly misguided, spirit in the author.

Unfortunately, it would appear he is either woefully unaware of his technological ineptitude and had been "punk'd" by a kid (or kidz as in script kiddies) with a common RAT or, more likely, he is in serious need of a strong dose of Thorazine and perhaps a bit of transcranial electro stimulation therapy. *sigh*

More Books Like This

The Cult of the Amateur The Cult of the Amateur
2007
The Googlization of Everything The Googlization of Everything
2012
The Digital Divide The Digital Divide
2011
Trust Me, I'm Lying Trust Me, I'm Lying
2012
What Tech Calls Thinking What Tech Calls Thinking
2020
Who Owns the Future? Who Owns the Future?
2013

More Books by BW McKinzie

Customers Also Bought

Hampering the Human Hacker and the Threat of Social Engineering Hampering the Human Hacker and the Threat of Social Engineering
2012
The Eagle Claw Hack The Eagle Claw Hack
2014
Microsoft System Center Microsoft System Center
2013
Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Field Experience Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Field Experience
2015
Security and Privacy For Microsoft® Office 2010 Users Security and Privacy For Microsoft® Office 2010 Users
2014
Microsoft System Center Building a Virtualized Network Solution, 2/e Microsoft System Center Building a Virtualized Network Solution, 2/e
2015