The Cult of the Dead Cow (cDc) The Cult of the Dead Cow (cDc) has worked since 1984 to disrupt the digital status quo. For nearly two decades, this collective of freethinkers and malcontents has structured their activities on a set of principles involving personal liberty, security, and availability of access. Opposed by commercial enterprises and government institutions the world over, the Cult of the Dead Cow has focused public attention on problems affecting the communication networks, including insecure systems, intrusive monitoring, and corrosive censorship. In recent years, the cDc has involved itself in online hacktivism, as well as human rights generally. The cDc is probably best known for releasing the remote administration tool Back Orifice, and its open source successor Back Orifice 2000.