A 15-year-old kid took down Amazon, Yahoo, and eBay. Your WiFi password is 'password123', isn't it?
Discover the intoxicating world of hacking through the eyes of Michael “Mafiaboy” Calce, who, at 15, was involved in one of the most egregious and widely covered cybercrimes in North America. As hacking becomes more sophisticated and widespread, and information becomes synonymous with profit, can anyone remain immune to a breach of security?
Direction
Davis squeezes genuine tension from talking heads and archival footage.
Editing
Rapid-fire cuts mirror the frenetic energy of early-2000s internet culture.
Director
Hubert Davis
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Calce's 2000 attacks caused an estimated $1.7 billion in damages, though he only targeted for 56 hours. Most of that cost came from lost business and panic, not actual destruction.
The 'Mafiaboy' moniker came from his IRC handle, chosen because he thought it sounded cool—he had zero actual mafia connections, just a teenager's flair for dramatic usernames. The media ran with it anyway because 'Dennis from Quebec' doesn't sell papers.
US
