Cult of the Dead Cow
CULT OF THE DEAD COW is a high-profile computer hacker organization founded in 1984 in Lubbock, Texas. The CULT OF THE DEAD COW (cDc) is most famous for its release of Back Orifice in 1998, Back Orifice 2000 in 1999, and being named "Sassiest Underground Computer Group" by Sassy Magazine.
During the 1980s, the cDc was well known throughout the BBS scene for their underground ezine, which they continue to produce to this day. Their motivation for it all: "We're into t-files for the groupies and money."
In December 1990, cDc member Drunkfux gave birth to the modern hacker con. HoHoCon, usually held in Houston, Texas, was the first hacker conference which invited the participation of both journalists and law enforcement. In all, dFx hosted five annual HoHoCons.
In 1996, the cDc announced the birth of its Ninja Strike Force, a group dedicated to achieving the goals of the cDc.
On January 7, 1999, the cDc joined with an international coalition of hackers to denounce a call to cyberwar against the governments of China and Iraq. Later that year the cDc created Hacktivismo, an independent group dedicated to the creation of anti-censorship technology in furtherance of human rights on the Internet.
To further the cult's stated goal of "Global Domination Through Media Saturation," over the years cDc members have granted interviews to major newspapers, print magazines, online news sites, and international television news programs. In February 2000, the cDc was the subject of an 11-minute documentary short entitled "Disinformation."
The cDc had ties to the L0pht by way of common membership.