We Are Anonymous

Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency

By: Parmy Olson

Narrated by: Abby Craden

We Are Anonymous is a thrilling, exclusive expose of the hacker collectives Anonymous and LulzSec.

In late 2010, thousands of hacktivists joined a mass digital assault by Anonymous on the websites of VISA, MasterCard, and PayPal to protest their treatment of WikiLeaks. Splinter groups then infiltrated the networks of totalitarian governments in Libya and Tunisia, and an elite team of six people calling themselves LulzSec attacked the FBI, CIA, and Sony. They were flippant and taunting, grabbed headlines, and amassed more than a quarter of a million Twitter followers. The computer security world - and world at large - realized quickly that Anonymous and its splinter groups are something to treat with dead seriousness.

Through the stories of three key members, We Are Anonymous offers a gripping, adrenaline-fueled narrative in the style of The Accidental Billionaires, drawing upon hundreds of conversations with the members themselves, including exclusive interviews. By coming to know them - their childhoods, families, and personal demons - we come to know the human side of their virtual exploits, and why they're so passionate about disrupting the Internet's frontiers.

©2012 Parmy Olson (P)2012 Hacette Audio

Informative and very well narrated

If you want to know more about this social concept and important movement, this book will give you relevant and detailed information about the network and ops organic organization. All though sometimes you can get a bit lost in the sea of nicknames and IRC chatrooms in the overall it serves the purpose. Great narrator, even though some of the voices are very different to the real voices of the characters, probably their on line personas would sound more like her impersonation, which makes it very interesting and entertaining.

Very interesting and a little scary

Any additional comments?

This book is very thoughtful and well researched. It is really quite facinating. I felt like I got to know the Anons, their world(s) and a variety of dangers that I never even knew existed. I thought the characterization of the key "players" in LOLs raids were particularly strong and allowed me to connect with the people behind the screen names. In the end, I even felt sympathy for the characters and the "crimes" they had committed.

Maybe just read it...

Completely agree with most of the reviews. Amazing book, terrible accents. It was difficult to get through because of the accents but unfortunately I had to listen because I was driving while listening. If you can get past the accents, it's amazing. If you hate bad accents, maybe just read it.

Much more than Anonymous for Dummies.

What made the experience of listening to We Are Anonymous the most enjoyable?

A lively and informative book brought to life by Ms.Abby Craden! Olson gives a thorough history, and actual look inside, of these hacktivist groups. All the while doing so, she paints very real characters. Characters with real flaws who, at times, are mischievous, creepy, or all out megalomaniac! A very entertaining listen. My ONLY qualm with the book was her focus on the original Anon/LulzSec members, versus giving a broader viewpoint of other group members and those countries and law-enforcement involved. A must-read for those interested in pop-culture, current events, and information security!

Which character – as performed by Abby Craden – was your favorite?

Sabu

Informative and interesting

Enjoyable book that does not take itself to seriously, but still gets it mostly right. Good for anyone who wants to get a better handle on a new social aspect of the world.

Great book , great narration

Great book covering anonymous ! Narrator did a great job ! I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in anonymous/ hacking stories .

Insight to this little known, misunderstood world

What did you love best about We Are Anonymous?

The human element behind this group. Most of these people almost looked at this as a game. Not realizing quite the mess they were in. Also, interesting seeing how easily some were turned. Gives you insight into how little you can truly trust other people, especially on the internet.

Also it's interesting learning about the fact that much of this was caused by social engineering as much as it was by skilled hackers. Meaning that people often were easily fooled and tricked into doing things by these people. Also, it gives you a bit of insight into what you should and should not do with passwords pertaining to the internet.

What about Abby Craden’s performance did you like?

I loved it. Some others didn't enjoy her style but I really liked her dark almost ominous voice. I truly felt it was fitting for the content. The accents may have been a little off but whatever.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Hard to say without giving away spoilers. But when people started getting arrested and when one person was so easily turned. Kind of takes away your faith in the resolve of others to keep your secrets when pressed. Also when one person is discovered it comes as a bit of a surprise. Makes you wonder if you can truly have Anonymity on the Internet. It seems when pressed anyone can find your secrets alarmingly easily.

Any additional comments?

Written for people that have little to no knowledge of hacking so it's completely accessible to any layman who has a basic understanding of the internet. Helps you to understand things to do and not do on the internet to protect yourself. Gives some insight into the motivations of this group of people and it's successes and failures. Where they went wrong etc. Overall I felt engaged and was happy to gain insight into this secret world. Listened to this one whenever I could.

Sobering

Would you listen to We Are Anonymous again? Why?

No. Dwells on our vulnerabilities without offering answers or solutions. Depressing.
Characters are shallow.

Would you recommend We Are Anonymous to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes. Informative.

Which scene was your favorite?

n/a

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Pretty Indepth for Individuals Who Valued Privacy

What made the experience of listening to We Are Anonymous the most enjoyable?

Abby Craden does a pretty good job narrating, apart from the painfully obvious mispronunciations of a couple words. But it doesn't detract from the story and her voice suits the book well, often conveying senses of foreboding, dread, and hope as the author clearly intended in her story. The accents are a bit hokey, but it's a small issue.

If you could give We Are Anonymous a new subtitle, what would it be?

How the World of Anonymous was Uncovered

Any additional comments?

I hope that the author updates her book with the recent developments into the LulzSec and Anonymous stories.

Interesting story, wrong choice for narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I think it is a good look into Anonymous and cyber attacks.

How could the performance have been better?

Used a different narrator. I caught myself cringing at some Abby Craden's accents.