It took me a moment to realize why I was stuck in the internet revisionist mindset even though I know many of the early computer crime stories. It's because the

It took me a moment to realize why I was stuck in the internet revisionist mindset even though I know many of the early computer crime stories. It's because the security game has played out generationally - the publically known techniques used to break into systems in 1995 were less sophisticated than those seen now. This a war that has quietly been fought since the first secret messages, on a battlefield that is now shifting with increasing speed and is tilted heavily in favor of offense. The common advice one had to take control of one's information in the 90's just isn't any good now - there are critically failing holes in the infrastructure that make individual defense a Sisyphiean task. But relative to now, gaining unauthorized access to a valuable system in the 80's or 90's would still be challenging, as the bag of tricks would be different, less widely known, and you might need more expensive equipment.