Many of you reading this you know that I’m a proper sucker for anything that combines history, technology, and a good dose of mischief, and “Freaks of the Wireless by Denholm Knowles delivers on all fronts! When I first heard about a book covering the world’s first wireless hack from my friend James Bore, and that it would be published by James’s publishing house Security Blend Books, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Little did I know I was about to embark on a journey that would make me see the parallels between 1903 and our modern cyber world in a completely new light.

What’s It All About Then?

The book tells the brilliant story of the 1903 hack of Guglielmo Marconi’s wireless telegraph demonstration and yes, you read that right, 1903! We’re talking about hacking that happened over 120 years ago. The “villain” of the piece (though I’d argue he was more of a hero) was Nevil Maskelyne, a magician and inventor who decided to prove that Marconi’s supposedly “unhackable” wireless system was anything but secure.

Picture this: Marconi is all set up for his big demonstration at the Royal Institution in London, planning to receive messages wirelessly from Cornwall over 300 miles away. The audience is watching, probably thinking they’re witnessing pure magic, when suddenly the receiver starts printing out “Rats, rats, rats…” followed by a cheeky limerick: “There was a young fellow of Italy, who diddled the public quite prettily.”

If that’s not the most brilliant piece of trolling in history, I don’t know what is.

Why This Book Absolutely Captivated Me

As someone who spends most of my time immersed in cyber security and hacking, reading about Maskelyne’s exploits felt like looking into a mirror that reflects our current challenges back through time. Knowles does something absolutely magical here (pun intended), he doesn’t just tell us what happened, but weaves together the social, political, and technological context of the early 1900s in a way that makes you realise that human nature hasn’t changed one jot.

The book brilliantly demonstrates that the fundamental issues we face in cyber security today such as vendor claims about “unhackable” systems, the tension between security and usability, the ethics of responsible disclosure, and the inevitable cat-and-mouse game between defenders and attackers are as old as technology itself.

Knowles has this wonderful ability to take you on what feels like a detective story, unravelling not just the technical details of how Maskelyne pulled off his hack, but the personalities, rivalries, and egos that drove these early pioneers. It’s like reading about the Victorian equivalent of a Twitter flame war, complete with letters to The Times that make modern social media spats look positively civilised.

The Writing Style – Accessible Yet Detailed

One thing I absolutely loved about this book is how Knowles manages to make complex technical and historical concepts accessible without dumbing them down. As someone who’s #OpenlyNeurodivergent and often struggles with dense academic texts, I found his writing style engaging and easy to follow. He has a knack of explaining technical information without making your eyes glaze over, and he peppers the narrative with enough human drama and humour to keep you turning pages.

The research that’s gone into this book is phenomenal. Knowles has clearly dug deep into archives, patents, newspaper reports, and technical journals from the period. Yet he presents all this information in a way that feels like you’re having a conversation with a mate down the pub rather than sitting through a dry history lecture.

Modern Parallels That’ll Make You Think

What really struck me while reading this was how little has changed in the security industry. Marconi’s marketing claims about his “secure” wireless system echo the kind of vendor promises we see today. The aftermath of Maskelyne’s hack with Fleming crying “scientific hooliganism” in The Times sounds remarkably similar to how some organisations react to vulnerability disclosures in our current era.

Maskelyne himself comes across as one of the first ethical hackers. He didn’t hack the system for malicious purposes or personal gain, but to prove a point about security claims that he knew were false. His methods might have been theatrical (he was a magician, after all!), but his motivations were sound. He wanted to protect the public from being misled about the security of their communications.

The book also touches on themes that are incredibly relevant today: the tension between innovation and security, the role of competition in driving technological advancement, and the importance of questioning vendor claims about the security of their products.

A Personal Connection

Reading about Maskelyne’s background as both a magician and an inventor really resonated with me. There’s something beautifully poetic about a master of illusion being the one to reveal the illusion of wireless security. It reminded me why I love the human side of cyber security so much -because it’s not just about the technology, it’s about understanding people, their motivations, and their behaviours.

The book also made me think about my own journey in cyber security and how I ended up specialising in awareness and culture. Like Maskelyne, I believe in the power of demonstration and education to change minds and improve security practices.

Final Thoughts – This Is a Must-Read!

“Freaks of the Wireless” is absolutely brilliant, a proper page-turner that manages to be educational, entertaining, and thought-provoking all at once. Whether you’re working in cyber security, interested in history, or just love a good story about technological innovation and human ingenuity, this book has something for you.

Knowles has written what I’d call the perfect intersection of history and cyber security, a book that proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s made me look at our current security challenges with fresh eyes and reminded me why I fell in love with this industry in the first place.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5 stars)

If you see this book on the shelf (or in your favourite online bookstore), grab it! You won’t regret it, trust me, it’s worth every penny!