''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 Birmingham City University (abbrev. BCU) is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic in 1971 an ...

, 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the 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 forensics, digital forensic science pertaining to evidence found in computers and digital storage media. The goal of computer forensics is to examine digital me ...

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

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

passed the

Computer Misuse Act The Computer Misuse Act 1990 (c. 18) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced partly in response to the decision in ''R v Gold & Schifreen'' (1988) 1 AC 1063. Critics of the bill complained that it was introduced hastily, w ...

. 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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