''The Hacker's Handbook'' is a non-fiction book in four editions, each reprinted numerous times between 1985 and 1990, and explaining how phone and computer systems of the period could be 'hacked'. It contains candid and personal comments from the book's British author, Hugo Cornwall, a pseudonym of Peter Sommer who is now Professor of Digital Forensics at

Birmingham City University , mottoeng = "Do what you are doing; attend to your business" , established = 1992—gained university status1971—City of Birmingham Polytechnic1843—Birmingham College of Art , type = Public , affiliation = ...

. and frequently appears in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

courts as an expert on digital evidence and

computer forensics Computer forensics (also known as computer forensic science) is a branch of digital forensic science pertaining to evidence found in computers and digital storage media. The goal of computer forensics is to examine digital media in a forensica ...

for both prosecution and defence as well as being a media pundit and author on information security topics. He advised the UK Parliament on the

Investigatory Powers Act, 2016 The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (c. 25) (nicknamed the Snoopers' Charter) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which received royal assent on 29 November 2016. Its different parts came into force on various dates from 30 December ...

. One popular aspect of the book is the apparently salacious printouts of actual hacking attempts (although confidential details, such as passwords, are blacked out). The first edition, the version most easily available for download, was published in 1985. The last of four editions , edited by

Steve Gold Stephen Gold (15 January 1956 – 12 January 2015) was a skilled hacker (computer security), hacker and journalist who in the mid-1980s was charged with, convicted and later acquitted of, 'uttering a forgery' in what became known to the popular pre ...

appeared in 1989 with reprints running into 1990. In 1990, the

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom, supreme Legislature, legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of We ...

passed the Computer Misuse Act. Publication of additional editions might have been construed to be incitement to commit an offence under that Act. The book is now largely of historic interest. Cornwall / Sommer wrote two other books: DataTheft in 1987 and Industrial Espionage Handbook in 1992.

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