Is hacking dead?

I don't really know how to express what I feel today.

I have the impression that hacking/phreaking is dead. I was reading some old phracks, especially issue 40 with 'Retirement of a hacker' by Jester Sluggo when I realized that
this just did not exist anymore. 'Hacker' has become a myth, a simple legend that we look back at. I unfortunately did not know the 'golden years' of the LOD/MOD, BBS and 1200 bauds modems.

I grew up with a Pentium 120, Windows, AOL and a bunch of wannabes. When we say 'hacker', who do we look up to? Any name/group in particular? I don't think so. I know of no 'respectable' group nowadays and even less of 'respectable' hackers. Where is the community that was so present some 20 years ago? We have become divided and, sad to say, isolated. I don't really know what caused all that to happen. Maybe the increased risk of being caught and sent to jail, maybe the technology that made computers so 'user-friendly' or even to overload of information. Who can still write tools using a language such as C or Perl? Not many.

Yes, some of those people are still present. Wherever they are, I guess they should come out and give us some hope. I've become tired of hearing people asking how to 'hack hotmail' or even trying to infect a windows machine with some Trojan. The term 'hacker' needs a new definition, a rebirth.
I really hope something good could emerge from the underground and shine upon the rest of us. Maybe all we need is a serious kick in the butt.

I came along in the days of Materva's hideout and SiliconToad. And I thought they were l337!!
I learned how to run the scripts and stuff like that before learning to program. I thought materva was so "kewl" I didn't know that at the time that he was just a lame script kiddie and I knew less than him at that time. I know this however...true hacking is not dead..its just keeping a low profile.

Hacking isnt dead its just sleeping.

To much pressure from the goverment to keep hacking alive like it was. In the days of MOD/LOD, no one really knew what would happen if you got caught. Plus, it was extreamly hard to get caught. Especially if you knew the phone systems. Now, with IDS, Firewalls, and hacking being Terrorism, things have really changed.

Hacking hasn't died, its changed faces. L0pht is now @stake. Dark Dante is now a cyber crime reporter. Bronc Buster makes big bucks at Cicso. cDc is still crazy, but thats beside the point;) A lot of the old people are still around, but their entire outlook has changed. It used to be cool to see how many servers you could 0wn. Then again, people didn't care about defacing websites until recently either. Now, the same people think it is more cool to see how many sites they can protect. With the wave of scripts and script kiddies, security is more of a challange then defacing a web site, or hacking hotmail.

Do you remember that cornel crispy guy ? sorry if i'm outdated or if people are using the full on name but i did have a chat with him online not long back after his proggie was on t.v.
He's getting on a bit now i know, but just for sayings sake...people like that still do tinker about..well he said he did but wouldnt go into detail.....+ theres many many more....they just dont walk around with a *I am a hacker t-shirt on* :)

though i'l keep making them anyway...hehe...j/k

.

Yeah, I agree with most of these responses. Were not going to see any *REAL* hackers on AO or any other chat/security/hacking site, the penalties for becoming known are too high. However I believe that some probably hangout at comp.lang.* talking low-level **** thats beyond most of us. :)

Krang

Long from dead. It's more important than ever today. It just has to be on the QT. It has to go unnoticed and silent for the most part. After the new laws were passed in the US and some allied Nato countries. It's not prudent to even discuss it hardly anymore. Because good or bad, whitehat or blackhat, 1337 or lamer. You could be labeled a terrorist and get life in prison for yanking someones email chain so to speak.

Thas about the short of it. :D

Hacking is not dead.. it is very well alive.. along with technology hackers develop differently..

I run "InfoDelia Hacking Group" I am trying to get as many people who are hackers or want to be hackers. (yes newbies allowed) into the group.. I have servers (Like nt4) and (Linux) that will be used as war servers.. kind of a war games type thing... We wont hack anything illegal as a group.. but through the warservers we will become experienced hackers.. Hacking is very difficult now.. you need to keep constantly up to date. knowing all the latest software/hardware vulnerabilities. and how to access them without script kiddie tools..

N e ways.. if your interested.. the next IHG signup will be on march 1st 2002..

check it out at my website in the "internet security" forum.

Hacking dead? Yea right it will never be dead

If hacking seems too lack-luster maybe its not dead, just in a comma about to have the plug pulled to see if it will survive on its own. Let me tell you hacking is eternal.

This is a great thread! Hacking is only dead in the eye of people who want it to be dead. Eg. the network security government agencies(?) I agree that the face of hacking has changed dramatically, from masters of deception (where'd they ever go?) to hundreds probally thousands of new groups being formed today, they all make up the 'face' of hacking. I think that as technology has progressed, the "l337" so called hackers job have become easier and easier... thus changing the attitude of the hacker. Back in the old days, you'd have to program, read, research and experiment if you wanted to find an exploit. But now all you need to do is search for an exploit, read about a paragraph on it and bam! You've gotten into the server.
But as technology progresses, so does the technology that 'stops' hackers. So this in turn makes it a bit harder i guess... so that would explain the 'script kiddie' attitude of being l337 for maybe a week, then getting bored and getting on with life.

Well thats my thoughts and ..stuff. I think i'll go back to sleep.
:D

Hacking will never die - as long as there are computers, there will be hackers. A hacker is defined as a person who tries to learn as much as possible about computers (paraphrased) and I, for one, follow this doctrine. Just the fact that AntiOnline exists maintains the existance of hacking. Hope springs eternal, and one day, I believe that it will be up to hackers to do something great - save the world from nuclear winter, that sort of thing ;) Until that day, I remain,

SSJVegeta-Sei