Cult of the Dead Cow

Cult of the Dead Cow

cDc Paramedia Logo
Formation	1984
Purpose	Hacking/DIY media
Location	United States
Origin	Lubbock, Texas
Founders	Grandmaster Ratte' Franken Gibe Sid Vicious
Products	The original e-zine Back Orifice BO2k NBName SMBRelay Torpark
Key people	Mudge DilDog Sir Dystic The Deth Vegetable FreqOut Oxblood Ruffin Omega White Knight Reid Fleming Krass Katt Lord Digital Obscure Images Tweety Fish Lady Carolin ChukE JavaMan Sunspot Count Zero G.A. Ellsworth Myles Long Mixter Assrabbit
Affiliations	Hacktivismo Ninja Strike Force L0pht Mindvox Legion of Doom Echelon Masters of Deception YIPL/TAP Sacrament of Transition Hong Kong Blondes ACiD Productions Soulz at Zero
Website	Main Site Facebook Fan Page

Cult of the Dead Cow, also known as cDc or cDc Communications, is a computer hacker and DIY media organization founded in 1984 in Lubbock, Texas. The group maintains a weblog on its site, also titled "Cult of the Dead Cow". New media are released first through the blog, which also features thoughts and opinions of the group's members.

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.

The group was formed in June 1984 at the Farm Pac slaughterhouse by Grandmaster Ratte' (aka Swamp Ratte'), Franken Gibe, Sid Vicious, and three BBS SysOps. The slaughterhouse, a hangout of many Lubbock youth, was burned in 1996. (The burned out building was used as a haunted house for several Halloweens after that. In 2001, the grounds surrounding it were converted into the "West Texas Canyon Amphitheater" and re-opened as the Lone Star Amphitheater in 2006)

In the 1980s the Cult of the Dead Cow organized and maintained a loose collective of affiliated BBSs across the US and Canada. It was during this time that the cDc is credited with coining the term "31337" as an alternative spelling of "Eleet" or "Elite", an expression denoting skill or greatness in a person, place, or thing.

In December 1990, cDc member Drunkfux - the pseudonym of Jesse Dryden, the son of Jefferson Airplane drummer Spencer Dryden and great-nephew of Charlie Chaplin - 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.