>Makes me wonder if the author was a Repug hack, or simply a hacker
>spreading viruses and rumors just for the heck of it.
>
>wojtek
hackers don't spread computer viruses for the heck of it nor do they spread rumors. they create viruses for very specific reasons which 99.9% of the time have nothing to do with creating random havoc. script kiddies are more apt to spread viruses for malicious reasons. perhaps the best name for a person who does this is criminal or vandal. knowledge of hacking has little to do with it. the knowledge that it takes to spread a virus these days would mean that you or I would be hackers if we did such a thing. so, it's better to call them criminals or vandals which is what they are. as for rumors, people spread rumors, but it isn't a feature of being a hacker.
Who Are The Hackers?
Hackers are not bad people.
In fact, 99+% of hackers do a lot of good. They are programmers, engineers and technicians who design software, build products and keep millions of computer networks running. It's the other 1% who have given hacking a bad name.
Just like real life. At school, a class can get a bad reputation because of one or two unruly kids. The Arab community gets upset when they are all labeled terrorists because of the extreme actions a few. This is called stereotyping and in America, stereotyping any group is not cool. The African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native Americans (to name a few) have all been stereotyped and each group spends a lot of time trying to undo the damage caused by stereotyping.
The media stereotyped hackers and now most of the world thinks they are bad. This is because the media makes more money selling bad news than good news. Hackers breaking into military or banking computers make bigger headlines than hackers who try to improve computers and networks. That's just the way it is.
There are really many types of hackers.
Elite (Uber-Hacker)
Elite (also spelled '133t' in hackerese) represents the best of the hacking community. Some operate illegally, but many have grown up and are now using their hacking skills for good things.
White Hats These are hackers who may have operated illegally at one time or another, but since sworn off their past hacking and now have real jobs and contribute to the Internet society.
Ethical Hackers Ethical Hackers are generally White Hats who are hired to test the security of companies.
Crackers People who actually break computers or networks (generally illegally) are called Crackers. They may or not do any damage deliberately, but the law makes no distinction. Every successful break-in, though, causes some damage anyway. If additional intentional damage is done, it only makes things worse for the hacker.
Phreaks (Phreakers) Before the Internet there were only telephone networks. Hacking them is called Phreaking. In the old days, (1960's) I hacked the old phones, too. The FBI knocked me around a bit and I learned my lesson.
Script Kiddies, Wanna-Be's, Point-a Click-a No Think-a "Hackers" Today you can go to the Internet, find a hacker Web site and grab all of the hacking tools you want. Script Kiddies do not write software; they use other people's software and call themselves hackers. That is why so many thousands and perhaps millions of 'hacker attacks' occur every year and they are on the increase.
Hacker Gangs Hackers sometimes organize themselves into groups such as the Legion of Doom, CHAOS Computer Club, Masters of Destruction, Team 'Sploit or some other name. Sometimes these hacker groups fight (hack) each other, and sometimes they hack Web sites for 'fun'.
Warez Dudez Their goal in life is to get software without paying for it, so they copy it illegally and distribute to their friends or anyone who wants the stolen programs.
Hactivists Hactivists hack for social, political or other popular causes and often break the law, but some of them are willing to get caught in the name of their cause.
Black Hats If black hat hackers are very skilled, we don't know who they are. Typically the black hat is up to no good and is a criminal hacker. He is working for his own advantage, according to his own rules and without regard to the effects of his deeds.
Criminal Hackers "Why would criminals hack?" The question should be, "Why would criminals not hack?" If thousands of kids are successfully causing mayhem, why shouldn't organized crime (and smaller criminals, too) use the same tools that have proved to be highly effective? A hacker who breaks the law is a criminal hacker.
CyberTerrorist Hacking Many criminal hackers hack for profit. The cyber terrorist, though, uses hacking techniques and skills of the hackers to terrorize people and companies by illegal and immoral means. This is a major area of concern to the US Government and to big business.
Nation-State Hacking The U.S., England, Israel, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Russia, China and many other countries now have their own hackers organized into cyber-armies.
They hack for their country. Our hackers hack for American interests and to defend government networks and computers. Don't put all hackers into the same category; that is unfair to majority of hackers who are good.
Internet and Computer Ethics will help you choose what actions are ethical and which ones are not.
The Law According to US Federal law, hacking is illegal in two big areas. Some states have their own laws.
1. If you possess passwords to a computer or network that you do not have permission to use, you have broken a US federal law and perhaps many others.
2. If you actually enter a computer system without permission, even if there are no security controls or password blocking mechanisms, you have also committed a felony - a serious crime. This especially applies to Federal Interest computers like the telephone networks.
NOTE: The following information must be included if you reprint this article: ------------------------------------------ Winn Schwartau is an award-winning author ("Cybershock," "Information Warfare," and "Time Based Security"). He is also President of Interpact Inc., a computer and Internet Security firm. The 'Cyber Ethics 101' Series is adapted from his latest book, "Internet & Computer Ethics for Kids (and Parents & Teachers Who Haven't Got a Clue)" [ISBN 0962870056 --available at http://www.nicekids.net ]
Web Site Address: http://www.nicekids.net/& http://www.interpactinc.com/ For a list of available articles: mailto:sales at interpactinc.com
Resources Hackers, Hacking, Hackers' Culture
The Portrayal of the Network in the Popular Media or What the Non-Techie Person-on-the-Street Must Think of Us! By Gary C. Kessler and Steven D. Shepard http://www.hill.com/library/staffpubs/portrayal.html An edited version of this article appeared in the IEEE Communications Magazine, "Special Issue on the GlobalInternet," May 1997.
The Jargon File Author: Eric Raymond Organization: Hosted at Tuxedo.Org http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/jargon/
How to Become a Hacker Author: Eric Raymond Organization: Hosted at Tuxedo.Org http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html
A Brief History of Hackerdom Author: Eric Raymond Organization: Hosted at Tuxedo.Org http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/hacker-history/hacker-history.html
Hacker FAQ Author: Peter Seebach http://www.plethora.net/~seebs/faqs/hacker.html A humorous look at hackers and hacking culture.
Responses to Hacking and Illegal Hacking or Cybercrime High Noon on the Electronic Frontier: Conceptual Issues in Cyberspace Author: Peter Ludlow Organization: State University of New York at Stoney Brook originally published by MIT Press http://semlab2.sbs.sunysb.edu/Users/pludlow/highnoon.html
"How Should We Respond to Exploratory Hacking/Cracking/Phreaking?" Introduction to Section 2 of High Noon on the Electronic Frontier http://semlab2.sbs.sunysb.edu/Users/pludlow/intro2.html
CyberLaw Links
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, text Organization: Hosted at Cornell Law School http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/1030.html
Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 Organization: Hosted at http://cpsr.org/cpsr/privacy/communications/wiretap/electronic_commun_privacy_act.txt
United States Computer Security Act of 1987 http://csrc.ncsl.nist.gov/secplcy/csa_87.txt
Fedlaw's Law links for Computer and Information Technology http://fedlaw.gsa.gov/legal8.htm
U.S. Department of Justice, Computer Crime Section http://www.cybercrime.gov/
Cybercrime: Well-known Hackers
Takedown http://www.takedown.com/
A Web site associated with the book, Takedown by Tsutomu Shimomura, John Markoff, which chronicles Kevin Mittnick's cybercriminal activities. "This site contains technical details of the break-in and pursuit, including actual analysis of the original break-in, voice messages left after the break-in, live transcripts of some of Kevin Mitnick's sessions, conversations
kelley