Joseph Menn

The Pulitzer board named 7 of the 8 articles in the series a finalist. I co-wrote the stories on Facebook, Twitter and Apple.

To be published in June 2019. Cult of the Dead Cow is the story of the oldest, most respected and most famous American hacking group of all time. Its members invented the concept of hacktivism, released both the top tool for cracking passwords and the reigning technique for controlling computers from afar, and spurred development of Snowden’s anonymity tool of choice. With its origins in the earliest days of the Internet, the cDc is full of oddball characters-activists, artists, and… Show more

To be published in June 2019. Cult of the Dead Cow is the story of the oldest, most respected and most famous American hacking group of all time. Its members invented the concept of hacktivism, released both the top tool for cracking passwords and the reigning technique for controlling computers from afar, and spurred development of Snowden’s anonymity tool of choice. With its origins in the earliest days of the Internet, the cDc is full of oddball characters-activists, artists, and musicians-who are now woven into the top ranks of the American establishment. Show less

I wrote this six-part serial dramatization of the Napster saga. In its first three and a half months of availability, the episodes had been downloaded a total of 1.8 million times.

The real-life hacking thriller that brought the modern face of cybercrime to a mainstream audience and showed how it was morphing into cyberwar. Using the adventures of Barrett Lyon and Andy Crocker, “Fatal System Error” revealed new evidence of collaboration between major governments and organized criminals and was placed on the official reading list of the U.S. Strategic Command. It was named one of the ten best nonfiction works of the year by Hudson Booksellers and one of the top five… Show more

The real-life hacking thriller that brought the modern face of cybercrime to a mainstream audience and showed how it was morphing into cyberwar. Using the adventures of Barrett Lyon and Andy Crocker, “Fatal System Error” revealed new evidence of collaboration between major governments and organized criminals and was placed on the official reading list of the U.S. Strategic Command. It was named one of the ten best nonfiction works of the year by Hudson Booksellers and one of the top five business books by 1-800-CEO-READ. Compared by the New Yorker to the novels of Stieg Larsson, “Fatal System Error” has been translated into Japanese, Chinese and Korean. Show less

Available on Kindle for $8 as of late 2012 and as an audio book as of March 2013.

The definitive inside account of the file-sharing revolution that overthrew the music industry, All the Rave reveals the family betrayal, greed, and mismanagement that hijacked one the most fundamental innovations of the Internet era.

Named one of the three best books of 2003 by Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc., All the Rave had been out of print until the rights reverted to author and… Show more

Available on Kindle for $8 as of late 2012 and as an audio book as of March 2013.

The definitive inside account of the file-sharing revolution that overthrew the music industry, All the Rave reveals the family betrayal, greed, and mismanagement that hijacked one the most fundamental innovations of the Internet era.

Named one of the three best books of 2003 by Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc., All the Rave had been out of print until the rights reverted to author and veteran technology journalist Joseph Menn, who also wrote 2010's Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords who are Bringing Down the Internet.

The audiobook includes an interview with the author conducted by Susie Bright.

"The book, by Joseph Menn, provides a well-documented history of one of the most celebrated collapses of the Internet. But it goes far deeper, giving an inside account of the creation of Napster, the battle for its control and the maneuvering by big Silicon Valley names to try to turn music piracy into gold." (The New York Times)

"That rare business book that nicely avoids either hatchet job or hagiography." (San Francisco Chronicle)

"An admirable piece of reporting, of interest to both friends and foes of the movement Napster helped to create." (The Washington Post)
Show less

An interview with Joe and myself on Fresh Air.