This is a thread I initiated on another board. Thought I'd throw it out to the wolves for dismantling, dismembering and cogitation. It's a commentary on a conference I attended earlier this year and how it relates to hackers.
Hacking, in one form or another, has been the driving factor in the country's
technological advancements.
Since the days of the Pharaohs (sp?) man has been in the constant mode of
beating the existing system and then creating a new system that overcomes
the weakness.
I always considered hacking to be a combination art-form and science.
If it weren't for hacking, we would have never cracked the Japanese code in WWII,
or the German's.
In Part - it's hacking that made America great.
The battle between the malicious hackers and the government must continue
to enable our systems to evolve.
The Government needs hackers now more than ever.
Hackers are pivotal to help create a secure, off-the-shelf system that
Joe Average would feel comfortable transacting all his/her financial
transactions.
As always
haknwak
Reply
I totally agree with what you say, linked to this is what differentiates
humans from primates or any other creature.
We are never happy with anything, we always want to make it do more, make
it better/stronger/faster/(more efficient/smaller Japs ;p).
This is linked to hacking and is part of our desire to see how good things
are, how we can get past them and during this process usually improve them
or invent something else that resolves the problem.
Hacking is part art, part science and part pure hard work.
I would argue that America is great at all...but that's a complete different
discussion ;p (joke)
Hacking made technology in some parts what it is today.
Actually what makes technology move so fast is Pornography, if it wasn't
for Porn we wouldn't be online now Pr0n is the only thing on the Internet
that has every successfully and consistently made money.
This is what pushes technology forwards and has made the Internet what it
is today.
Let's all say a prayer to PORN!
Anyway some may say that we wouldn't need AV products, Firewalls, IDS if
there weren't hackers at all.
We could have used the R+D and money for better things, which in itself is
true, but human nature dictates that we aren't all good, and the majority
that are good aren't good ALL the time.
This means hackers have always been and will always be.
Hackers push the boundaries of security and the majority of highly skilled
work for the good of the system in some way or another.
H4x0rs 0wnz j00 4ll.
Hack the Planet.
Your faithful 'Greyhat'
My Response
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... to help create a secure, off-the-shelf system that Joe Average
would feel comfortable transacting all his/her financial transactions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This, by the way, is from the mouths of government and industry itself.
I had the priviledge to attend a workshop/press conference headed up by
the Federal Trade Commission this spring.
See http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/security/agenda.htm for details on
the workshop. You may not know the names, but the companies/agencies
will be very well known to most of us here.
I archived the contents in case the FTC removes the link after six months
or so.
For Transcripts see
http://haknwak.shacknet.nu:911/Cyber...uritytrans.pdf
http://haknwak.shacknet.nu:911/Cyber...uritytrans.pdf
For the Agenda see
http://haknwak.shacknet.nu:911/Cyber...genda-Consumer Information Security Workshop.htm
For Biographies of all speakers see
http://haknwak.shacknet.nu:911/Cyber...iographies.pdf
For brief description and purpose of workshop see
http://haknwak.shacknet.nu:911/Cyber...tyWorkshop.htm
The keynote speaker was Richard Clarke - He's the 'Tom Ridge' of Cyber
Security. The Special Adviser for Cyberspace Security within the National
Security Council.
For article on his appointment see
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/polit...rs_clarke.html
The guy is at a peer level with Ridge, has the same reporting (or lack of
reporting) requirements as Ridge and gets his money directly from the
Prez. Pretty much a blank check and unbridled authority to make policy.
Anyway, the underlying agenda was -
How are we (the government, financial, legal, computer, data security
industries)
going to help (force)
"Joe Average" from "Middle of the Road, USA" gain confidence in
electronic devices.
The idea (plan) is only a single phase of the overall plan to
eliminate currency as we know it.
The concept was mentioned multiple times from multiple sources that
there will be an off-the-shelf device (Probably available at Radio Schlock
etc) through which all financial transactions occurred.
This does not include Point Of Sale purchases, but all banking, credit, bill
paying and the greater majority of mid-size to large purchases are made.
Purchases like refrigerators, stoves, cars, will be done almost exclusively
online.
They are talking a time-frame of between four and 10 years.
aside: Just think about how many jobs will be lost when retailers cut
back their floor sales staff and showroom stores
Anyway, it was a think tank of all these top-level people talking about
security and, consumer confidence, and the latest techonlogy on 'beating
the hacker'.
'Beating the hacker' translates directly to my contention that Industry and
Governemnt needs knowledge gained from the constant attempts made
by hackers to find vulnerabilites. It is from this activity that they will
develop that magic 'secure device'.
The downside is that illegal hacking will be agressively hunted down like
rats and that much stricter laws will be put in place, both stateside and
internationally, in the powers granted to 'official agencies' to hunt us down
and prosecute activity that was not previously illegal..
If you read around the news you'll see a real loose pocketbook by all
governments in this arena. Tools, previously illegal, are and will be put in
place which make our Internet and our currently, legally private, data an
open window to them.
Where I'm leading with all this rambling, is that it's great to be out there
in the 'army' hacking, but to be effective we need to be active in some
way, in watching the 'good guys' so that we are not infringed upon.
They try and equate us to terrorists which triggers the uncontrollable
response to go get the bad guys and labels us all as such.
At least we need to be well versed on their activities and involved in some
organization which is protecting privacy and/or anonymity.
The whole privacy vs. anonymity issue will be a future installment.
[ July 27, 2002, 06:35 AM: Message edited by: haknwak ]
