Poster: cyka_delik Date: 2003/5/2 21:33:57
dunno but i'm glad tehy made some progress on the hackers.
Cyberterrorism in the 21st Century
by Yttrium Oxide 11/06/02
I am a hacker. From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, I am a hacker. I am a hacker whilst I eat my dinner, I am a hacker whilst I watch TV and I am a hacker whilst I sit on the train. It is not something I 'just do' when I feel like it, it is a part of me and it is who I am.
So what am I? What is it that I do? What, to get to the point, is a hacker?
The term 'hacker' is given many meanings and I think the most accurate is somewhere in the middle of the extremes. The portrait that computer enthuiasts try to paint is that a hacker is simply a programmer who has a deep understanding of the inner workings of a computer system and writes code in such a way as to make use of every facet of the computer - often and especially when the hardware designer says it can't be done. The portrait the media tries to paint is that of a reclusive sociopath who will break in to your system, install virii and worms and then vanish without a trace laughing about the damage he's caused. People who subscribe to the first definition would call the second a "cracker", personally I just call them assholes. I am a hacker. I am a skilled programmer and love making computers do things they aren't supposed to, but there's more to it than that. Networking is what interests me the most - the way computers talk to each other and communicate; the way humans interact with this virtual universe. And yes, I break into systems, illegally.
I've hacked systems both in Australia and abroad, I've seen confidential information weeks, months or even years before it is publicly announced (and in many cases will never be announced).
But I am not a terrorist. I believe in freedom of information, but I'd never give information to those who would use it for evil. I believe phone companies charge too much so I use my skills to call anonymously and cost-free, but I'd never harass anyone. I believe that knowledge is power and I give it out freely. These are not the actions of a terrorist. What I do is illegal, but a more important question is not that of legality, but of morality.
If I were a hacker as the media has often portrayed, I would hack in to systems and destroy data. Nothing could be more loathsome to me. Knowledge is power, data is knowledge, data destroyed is knowledge lost. The truth is that there are malicious hackers out there but that by no means is an indication of the norm.
To gain access to a closed system is a rush for me, I'd be lying if I pretended entirely altruistic motives. But why would I destroy what I find? Does an explorer find an ancient Aztec city only to start smashing things and painting grafitti on the walls?
Am I reclusive? Perhaps a bit. Am I intense and obsessive? Yes, I can be. Am I a criminal? The law would certainly say so. Am I evil? No. I am a good person, with morals, ethics and a strong sense of what is right. I wake up in the morning and I drink my coffee. I buy a newspaper. I go to work. I watch TV. I do all the things that anyone else does. And I hack.
Since the 11th of September 2001, terrorism has been quite a buzzword all around the world. And quite rightly so. The tragic and deplorable events that occurred in New York City will not soon be forgotten. And that is why I am sitting here writing this now. I am not a terrorist. What I do does not hurt anyone. I help people, I share information, on occasion I expose the evils of others and I do not profit from it. You, the reader, probably don't know me and probably never will and I'm okay with that. I'm not looking for fame and I certainly don't want glory. I just want you to know people like me exist, understand just a little better who we are and know that you don't need to fear us.
