Does the number of hackers increase the success rate or speed?

The hypothetical situation:
X number of hackers are at location A
these hackers are trying to steal file C off file server B
A has a fixed bandwidth. Every hacker has his/her own laptop with the required software.
while server B has an administrator, and all the common security stuff (firewalls, password protection etc)
My question is: does increasing the number of hackers (X) increase the success rate of stealing file C?
Can a larger number of hackers get the job done faster?
Does a larger number of hackers increase the chances of getting caught?
And last but not least, is it worth the cost and effort of getting are larger number of hackers verses a smaller number of hackers? (Assume the skill level of the hackers are the same):confused::confused:

Generally ... yes, the more resources you throw at a problem, the greater chance of said problem being resolved faster.

Given, 1) limited bandwidth, you have diminished returns when you go above the amount of traffic that can go through and be processed by said target.
2) coordination is needed, so that you don't have 20% of your work force going after the same exploit ... if it doesn't work from 1 hacker/cracker, then 20 of them doing the same thing isn't very productive
3) surface area increases detection, all hacking activity coming from the same source ip address would easily be picked off, as would other commonly seen forms.. case in point, a port scan. Easy to see 1 ip doing a sequential port scan, easy to detect a bunch of computers taking part in a sequential port scan, but randomize the ports, the sources, and which port is scanned when (non-sequencial order) and the risk of detection decreases.

hence DDoS - distributed denial of service attack - distribute the sources of the attack, and its much harder to curtail the attackers. Applied to hacking/cracking, and you have the same keys..

lastly.. Cost / Effort
Depends.. is this going after a mob stronghold where you could potentially make out with 10s of millions and they wouldn't dare report it, but they'd call for every bounty hunter and "fixer" possible to go after you? or is this for "fun". Many "fun" things can be done cheaply, simply because its there, and amongst yourselves you'd have bragging rights, etc..

Risk often increases with Rewards ... ie, very high risk, usually a high potential for reward ... inverse: High Risk, Greater chance of death from illegal activity

imho, since they are on one file (File C), and they all have same skill/expertise, just one hacker is required for this job.

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Originally Posted by The-Spec

http://Dur.Hur.on.nimp.org/ <-- Im pretty sure the answer is in here

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:what:

Did I just ruin a very serious and technical discussion? My bad...

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Originally Posted by The-Spec

Did I just ruin a very serious and technical discussion? My bad...

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What do you know, the sky is still blue, the sun is still yellow, and bears still crap in the woods. :D

The question is a little flawed to begin with. -- It depends on the type of penetration that you are talking about. If they have different skill sets, then yes, more attackers can sway the outcome.

If one attacker is well versed in physical security, and can get physical access to the system, then firewalls, access controls, etc are moot.

If an attacker is well versed in social engineering, and they can convince the victim to send the file, or open access up to the file, then once again, most barriers will fall.

If you have an attacker that can pay/convince/blackmail an insider into grabbing the info for them... I am sure you can see the point.

So if you have a group that is somewhat diverse, and can brainstorm the best way of getting the intended result, you will have better chances. Though, the more people you have, the more likely it is that someone will talk about it...

thanks guys, this question has already created a huge flame war on a Chinese forum.
you guys answered it, so I'm guessing its the question that's flawed
BTW what sub forum should i post in to discuss hacking tactics and internet warfare?

This isn't a hacker site, per se, so we don't permit open discussion of hacking techniques except as they apply to their prevention. It's a security site. :)

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Originally Posted by JPnyc

This isn't a hacker site, per se, so we don't permit open discussion of hacking techniques except as they apply to their prevention. It's a security site. :)

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How can we prevent/defend against techniques that we are not allowed to discuss? :p

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Originally Posted by The_tyrant

thanks guys, this question has already created a huge flame war on a Chinese forum.
you guys answered it, so I'm guessing its the question that's flawed
BTW what sub forum should i post in to discuss hacking tactics and internet warfare?

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lmao, post this link for us :P

but yeah, depends on the situation i suppose, too much variables here.

edit: im with instronics on ths one , we should be able to chat about it as a security measure, obv keep it legit.

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Originally Posted by JPnyc

This isn't a hacker site, per se, so we don't permit open discussion of hacking techniques except as they apply to their prevention. It's a security site. :)

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This is why we can't have nice things.

Can you guys teach me to hack the Gibson?? :D

The number of attackers has no direct effect on the amount of time it takes to penetrate. It's not like moving a heavy object where adding people is going to directly affect the physics of it. It's a poker game. It's a guided game of chance.



The machine is either secure, or it isn't.

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Originally Posted by westin

Can you guys teach me to hack the Gibson?? :D

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You should sneak in through the backdoor, go for the garbage file.

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Originally Posted by D0pp139an93r

You should sneak in through the backdoor, go for the garbage file.

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but but but i need a pretty gui app i can run in windows that i can just point my mouse n click buttons.

i don't want to read up no unix manual gimme gimme gimme.. :D

the days of dumpster diving / social engineering finding holes in the target and doing a precission "Cracking" and then slipping away in the darkness of night are long lost arts. the youth of today just want it all now now now. Who cares if they make a ton of network noise doing loud as heck scans.:mad:

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Originally Posted by HYBR|D

but but but i need a pretty gui app i can run in windows that i can just point my mouse n click buttons.

i don't want to read up no unix manual gimme gimme gimme.. :D

the days of dumpster diving / social engineering finding holes in the target and doing a precission "Cracking" and then slipping away in the darkness of night are long lost arts. the youth of today just want it all now now now. Who cares if they make a ton of network noise doing loud as heck scans.:mad:

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You should code a GUI in Visual Basic, just like CSI.

Sorry Joe but I'm gonna have to agree on a little less strictness too with a very valid reason:

You never hire cops to show you how to break into a house to make a better lock, you hire a dirty rotten son of a bitch to do it right.

Thanks Captain Zap!

Anyway, I personally don't think there is an issue talking, discussing, or talking about, how to break into something, to better understand it. That curiosity is how most of us started, and most of the big companies today were founded by kids in a garage with this mentality. Even Apple (Steve Wozniak has my vote for greatest Hacker ever as he can design both hardware and software, and make it actually work, even down to the paper and pencil level) but either way, as long as there is a reason other than "I are teh Haxxor, I are rooting Hotmail" I don't think it's much of an issue.

Well, I don't have any problems with this particular thread, as it is about the logistics of hacking, rather than how to do it.

I would also comment that intel would play a part...................the more you know about a system, then the fewer people you would need as you would know what wasn't worth trying? On the other hand, if you know pretty much nothing about the system, more people would let you try more possibilities in a shorter space of time.

As has already been mentioned, the more people you have the greater the need for project management so they are all working as a team, and cohesively.

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The number of attackers has no direct effect on the amount of time it takes to penetrate. It's not like moving a heavy object where adding people is going to directly affect the physics of it.

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Yes, I think that pretty soon you would hit "The Law of Diminishing Returns" ....basically you probe the system and look to see what the response is before making your next move.............that would be very difficult to control with too many people working on it.