At first I thought this book started too slowly. Talking with some infosec elders showed me that I just didn't understand the impact of those early events.

The cDc are legends for a reason.

You will get the details of how they: - coined use of 1337 as a descriptor - regularly held the first modern hacker conference - briefed Bill Clinton on Internet security - testified before congress on Internet security under their anonymous handles - made Back Orifice and a sequel, a malware so pernicious it essentially forced Microsoft to care about security seriously from then on - coined the term, and mainstreamed the practice, of hacktivism

Then you get to the book's second half. Legacies are forged in code and blood as the stakes continue to rise in the post-9/11 era.

Well worth the time to read.