From Bedroom Coder to Security Spokesperson
Before Graham Cluley was explaining cyber threats on TV and radio, he was stuffing floppy disks into envelopes.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Cluley carved out a niche as a creator of quirky interactive fiction—text-based adventure games where every move was typed, not clicked. Titles like Jacaranda Jim and Humbug were distributed as shareware: players discovered them through adverts in computer magazines, then received the games on 3½ and 5¼-inch disks by post.
These were no throwaway experiments. Critics at PC Review hailed both as "shareware masterpieces", applauding their charm and design at a time when independently made games rarely received mainstream praise.
The Pivot to Protecting PCs
But as personal computers spread, so did malicious software. Cluley shifted from entertaining users to defending them.
He joined British anti-virus firm S&S International—later known as Dr Solomon's Software—and wrote the first Windows version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit. It was a technical and strategic moment: Windows was becoming the dominant platform, and tools that could protect it were crucial in the early fight against viruses.
From there, his role expanded. At Sophos, starting in 1999, he bridged the gap between engineers, businesses, and the public—first as Senior Technology Consultant, then as Head of Corporate Communications and spokesperson, and as editor of the Naked Security site.
A Dual Legacy
Cluley’s story links two eras of computing: the home-grown, floppy-disk era of shareware games and the always-connected world of global cyber threats. His path shows how the same skills—clarity, creativity, a feel for how people use computers—can shape both how we play and how we stay safe.