We Are Anonymous

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

By: Parmy Olson

Narrated by: Abby Craden

Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Nice job!

This book must have been extremely difficult to read even for the seasoned IT professional. Nice detailed background of the phenomenon known as "Anonymous." It would really be nice if they could hack our government's student loan program and erase all that debt! Haha!

Not bad, not sure what would make it better

Interesting way of telling the story of Anonymous. Worthy of a second listening. One of the better hacking books currently available on Audible.

Best book I've Read/Listened to in a long time!

This book takes you from the beginning of each person's story and gives in depth views of how and what got them to where they are now. I learned so much I didnt know about anonymous and lulzsec this was definitely a great purchase and it had me wanting to keep listening to finish the story. I highly recommend if you want a great book on how and what anonymous really is.

An essential history

Require reading for anyone wanting to deeply understand digital security, or lack there of, and the forces that drive internet culture.

Eye opening and scary look at the internet

While the middle section of the book seemed to drag I throughly enjoyed most of the book. I was left feeling very sympathetic for some of the people who were naively sucked into commiting felonies that at the time they thought were harmless pranks. It was stricking and un-nereving to see how easy these people can disrupt internet commerce or hack into private information.

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.

Informative and just the right amount of tech.

I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning about the origins and actual character of the group that goes by the name Anonymous and only really knows about the group through media about their 'hacktivism.' I knew almost nothing about methods of hacking or cyber attacks but am technically savvy enough to not need an excruciatingly simplistic explanation in order to grasp the necessary concepts. This book strikes the right balance. I understood everything without being either confused or bored. The story focuses mainly on the personal stories of several individuals, focusing a lot of attention on a few who got involved with 'Anonymous' and then formed a similar group and were eventually caught. The method works well because it illustrates the lack of cohesiveness in what the entity called Anonymous really is. The book makes it clear that 'Anonymous' is not an organized group with a singular vision but rather a name that can be claimed by anyone loosely affiliated when he or she wants to- which can work in its favor or against it. It also demonstrates the flip side of the social activism: the essential nastiness and lack of basic human empathy of many individuals in the group. It was also very interesting to see inside the methods used to target individuals or organisms who (sometimes randomly) fall within the cross-hairs of the technically knowledgeable. My first impulse upon finishing the books was to change all of my passwords and carefully think about anything I post anywhere on the internet: a lesson that we could all probably use.

A really interesting book!

Would you consider the audio edition of We Are Anonymous to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version but I loved the audio version.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the story is told is almost like a good fiction book. Kept it very entertaining.

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

I loved them all. Abby did a fantastic job with her different voices. She was excellent and fun to listen to as a narrator.

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

No extreme reactions, just found it very intriguing.

Any additional comments?

Well worth the price!