The M&M's

 

HACKERS

 

The definition of hacker cannot be generalized. Count Zero, member of the Cult of the Dead Cow says a hacker is ”exploring territory, some people are going to cut down all the trees and screw up the environment, and other people are going to catalogue all of the wildlife and create very useful scientific resources” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hackers/interviews/reidcount.html

 

Visitors

 

Our goal is to inform and educate people about hackers.

 

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Group Members

Jessica Manuel	goot06@yahoo.com
Clinton Mathias	seejaycj89@yahoo.com
Melissa Maynard	msm2807@email.vccs.edu
Sierra McKeon	Samckeon@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is a hacker?

The term "hacker" originally applied to a computer programmer.

 

A. According to Eric Stephen Raymond, the term hacker originated to describe the original computer programmers. These people were responsible for building the internet, making Unix and Usenet what they are today and maintaining the worldwide web. Hacker has been given a bad name because of crackers who call themselves hackers. (http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html). This statement is supported by others. Casey Wolven of Michigan State University says that there is a hacker “code of ethics” to not damage computers and to hack “for the advancement of human knowledge for its own sake”. (http://www.msu.edu/%7Ewolvenca/overview.html)

B. Difference between a hacker and a cracker. “Hackers solve problems and build things,… crackers break them.” -E.S.R.; Our textbook says that a hacker originally meant a “computer enthusiast”, but now refers to someone who illegally accesses a computer or network. (p.362) It gives the definition of a cracker as a person who does this with malicious intent. Stealing or destroying data are among some of the reasons a cracker breaks into a network.

 

What is a cracker?

 

A "cracker" is someone who illegally accesses a computer or network with the intention to do malicious harm.

 

Historical moments in hacker history

(all from sourcehttp://www.sptimes.com/Hackers/history.hacking.html)

 

MIT’s artificial intelligence lab was the birthplace of the hacker in the 1960’s.

1970’s first hackers (now a word with a negative connotation) were people who tapped into the phone lines to make free long distance calls.

FBI arrests members of the 414’s in the early 1980’s. This was one of the first major arrests for hacking.

Groups of hackers formed in the 80’s including “the legion of doom” and the “chaos computer club”.

Legislature like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act were enacted in the late 80’s to give power to the federal authorities and groups like the Computer Emergency Response Team were created to investigate computer attacks.

 

Why people Hack.

Power- the ability to control other computers, thus controlling information, performance, etc.

Examples: AT&T lost its long distance service on a Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the 1980’s due to a computer hack. (http://www.sptimes.com/Hackers/history.hacking.html)

Make statements- example of Black Orifice (a program that allows the complete takeover of a remote computer) to prove computer vulnerability and a call for stronger security

Theft- Example: In the 1980’s, The First National Bank of Chicago was a victim of a $70million theft from a computer hack. (http://www.sptimes.com/Hackers/history.hacking.html)

Government documents including military intelligence have been stolen through computer hacking.

 

 

 

How easy is for people to hack into computers?

 

A good example of how easy it is to hack is in the following video. In this video, a group of hackers are traveling around in a van hacking into unsuspecting wireless internet users to see what they are buying and looking at on the net. After they get all the their information from their wifi, they knock on their door and tell them what has just taken place.

 

 

 

Also, some computers lack proper security measures- hackers sometimes warn these organizations about the threats but are still able to access the computers in the future.. Availability of hacker programs, Black Orifice is downloadable free from a website

 

 

How does someone learn how to hack?

 

Learning how to hack is very easy. There are many websites out there devoted to teaching the non-computer savvy public how to hack. One of these such websites would be http://hackthissite.org/ . This website “is a free, safe and legal training ground for hackers to test and expand their hacking skills. More than just another hacker wargames site, we are a living, breathing community with many active projects in development, with a vast selection of hacking articles and a huge forum where users can discuss hacking, network security, and just about everything. Tune in to the hacker underground and get involved with the project.”

 

Hacker threats

Deleting files

Installing a virus

Selling information

Denial of service attack- causes the comp. to stop working

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Group Discussion Page

 

 

 

Wiki Bibliography Page

 

 

Hacker Information

 

Draft 1

Draft 2