Subject: Re: [ISN] Study Says Hacker Sites Fuel Crime

[mea culpa <jericho () DIMENSIONAL COM>]

Reply From: "Jay D. Dyson" <jdyson () techreports jpl nasa gov>


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On Mon, 25 Oct 1999, mea culpa wrote:

> CARLSBAD, Calif. (APBnews.com) [10.19.99] -- Web sites offering
> instructions and software for computer hacking are helping to fuel the
> growth of cybercrime, according to a survey by a high-tech research
> firm.

        While the above statement on its face may be accurate, I could not
disagree more with its connotation.  The problem is not the availability
of data on how to breach a system; the problem is that the system can be
breached in the first place.

> "The Internet has always been a haven for computer criminals," said
> research analyst Adam Harriss.

        And all heroin addicts started out on mother's milk.  Look,
criminals are criminals.  The Internet is no more a haven for them than
darkened alleys.  It's just more sensational to mix crime and technology.
I don't buy the hype.

> "The technologically savvy hackers have been online swapping tips and
> programming for decades, but now the information is being posted and
> sold at low cost in a form that even the techno-illiterate can
> understand.

        Wait a minute...who's selling 'em?  Last I saw, every cracking
tool was freeware or, at the most, shareware.  It was only the snakeoil
security products that were actually getting *sold* for a hefty buck.

> Causing damage to machines and infiltrating systems has become as easy
> as putting together a child's Christmas toy."

        Yes, and clueless members of the media consistently refer to such
scriptkiddies as "hackers."

- -Jay

   (                                                              ______
   ))   .--- "There's always time for a good cup of coffee" ---.   >===<--.
 C|~~| (>--- Jay D. Dyson - jdyson () techreports jpl nasa gov ---<) |   = |-'
  `--'  `-- Encrypt as if your life depends on it.  It does. --'  `-----'

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