Hacking, general description

[частный детектив Кременчуг]

Hacking, general description.
The phenomenon of hacking should be considered from two sides, from two approaches. Firstly, hacking is an obsessive, compulsive programming, a kind of mental disorder, which manifests itself in an obsessive increase in one's own level of knowledge, buying (collecting) an increasingly powerful computer, installing only the latest programs. A person thinks only about the computer and what is connected with it. Some kind of computer mania.
"The sad story of housewife Natalie S. Since her husband became interested in programming, Natalya has to hide a variety of small items and constantly stop her husband, who takes these items for a mouse and tries to guide the world around them. They sit down to dinner, he carries around the table "with the back of a loaf, trying to use it to push the salad towards you." (R. Leibov "Language Draws the Internet")
“One of my friends married a programmer from the USA. So he rarely sees his husband, he, having run away from work and taking some sandwich, runs to his room and sits down at the computer again. He doesn’t care about anything ... "(Laser_____).
But basically this affects people with the experience of working as a programmer for about 10-15 years, so let's move on to the second subspecies.
Secondly, hacking is a certain subculture, a social group.

Hacking this is

1. A thorough study of electronic or software systems for the purpose of their unauthorized or unforeseen use: hacking protection, illegal copying, changes. Often these actions are justified by a “lofty” goal, for example, “to ensure freedom of information dissemination”;

• A passion for researching or writing computer programs, usually outside of systematic engineering;

• A type of illegal activity, which consists of entering into secure computer systems or networks in order to obtain valuable information, stealing money or with hooligan motives. (ABBYY Lingvo 6.0 - electronic English-Russian-English dictionary).

Different authors call different "people" by the term "hacker". For example, hackers are :

• Highly qualified programmers who are completely absorbed in working with computers and who have lost any other interests.

• Programmers of the most varied qualifications, including high, who are distinguished by unconventional behavior and non-standard lifestyles.

• Persons who create and spread computer viruses.

• Convincing and disinterested crackers of computer systems for protecting software products, information systems and file storage.

• Hackers of security systems who are trying to get a profit (gain) (for example, modification of various electronic documents).

• Teenagers (schoolchildren and students) who are passionate about information technology, and perhaps those who belong to the above varieties. (Yu. Babaeva, A. E. Voiskunsky, “The Psychological Consequences of Informatization,” “Psychological Journal,” vol. 19, No. 1, 98)

Hackers and crackers

While reviewing a large number of articles (mainly in electronic journals) about problems of computer hacking, one cannot but pay attention to the fact that not a single article draws the line that, in our opinion, clearly separates all those related in one way or another computer security. And the main idea of the computer world regarding this is either purely negative (hackers are criminals) or modestly positive (hackers are "orderlies in the forest"). However, there are at least two sides to this problem: positive and negative, and there is a clear boundary between them. This border divides all information security professionals into hackers and crackers. Both of them are engaged in solving similar problems - finding weaknesses in computer systems and carrying out attacks on these systems ("hacking" *).
The most important and fundamental discrepancy between hackers and crackers is found in the goal they are pursuing. The main task of the hacker is, while exploring the computing system, to find weaknesses in its security system and inform users and developers of the system with the aim of subsequently eliminating the weaknesses found. Another task of a hacker is to analyze the existing security of a computer system and formulate the necessary requirements and conditions for increasing its security level.
On the other hand, the main task of the cracker is to directly hack the system in order to gain unauthorized access to other people's information - in other words, to steal it, replace it or to declare the fact of hacking. Cracker, for its essence, is no different from an ordinary thief who breaks into other people's apartments and steals other people's things. He breaks into other people's computer systems and steals other people's information. This is the fundamental difference between those who can be called hackers and crackers: the former are computer security researchers, the latter are simply crackers, thieves, and vandals.

Hackers like professionals

"A hacker is a person who is more interested in writing his program,
how to deal with existing ones ... "
Crazy Night Ghost.

A hacker is a specialist. As proof, we give a definition from the Guy L. Steele dictionary:
HACKER names.
1. An individual who receives satisfaction from studying the details of the functioning of computer systems and from expanding their capabilities, unlike most computer users who want to know only the necessary minimum.
2. Enthusiast of programming; an individual who receives satisfaction from the programming process itself, and not from theorizing about it.

This interpretation of the concept of "hacker" is different from that adopted in the media, which, in fact, led to the substitution of concepts.
Hacker ethics (and its presence also speaks of their non-involvement in thieves' actions) includes several principles. The first one is to avoid causing loss; Second: strive for the free exchange of technical information. They feel that patent and copyright restrictions are slowing down technological development. The third goal is the development of human knowledge as such.

Features of the hacker community:

- An ambivalent attitude towards their own anonymity: on the one hand, hackers strive to be aware of their actions, on the other hand, they try to keep their identity secret. (O. V. Smyslova "Methods of field psychological research in the society of hackers", M, 00)
"So, Onel de Guzmán, accused of creating one of the most destructive viruses, cannot determine whether this virus was written by him or not. He would like the whole world to consider him a great hacker - a master who can wipe any computer into powder "But as soon as he admits that he created this virus, he will immediately be brought to justice - this virus has caused damage, the size of 10 billion dollars." ("My Computer", No. 44, 00)
- Lack of a clear definition of this group.
- Lack of clear boundaries for the group.

Myths about hackers and the debunking of these myths.

1. Hacker - a thief, a thug, a scoundrel, a computer pirate. As we have said, this “interpretation” refers to another category - crackers.
2. A hacker can do anything. Firstly, a hacker is always limited by the capabilities and availability of a computer and programs. Secondly, a hacker is limited by his own knowledge and skills. You can improve in this area all your life.
3. Hacker - unsociable, such a "lone wolf", a computer monk-hermit. It's not like that at all. As shown by interviews with hackers conducted by a student of the faculty of psychology at Moscow State University O. Smyslova, not all hackers are unsociable and have difficulty communicating. A significant part of hackers have sufficiently developed social skills; they readily enter into direct and indirect communication. (Yu. Babaeva, A. E. Voiskunsky, “The Psychological Consequences of Informatization,” Psychological Journal, vol. 19, No. 1, 98)
And network hackers often in parallel with their work on the network communicate with each other using Internet Relay Chat channels, informing other participants about their difficulties or finds. Such an organization of work in many ways resembles a kind of creative laboratory, where any of the participants, working on their own project, can always ask for help or share their discovery.
Hackers readily share their experience - for example, there are "schools of hackers" - a kind of training clubs in which qualified hackers conduct training sessions with beginners, teaching them the basics of hacking **.
Recently, two new extremely dangerous types of hackers have appeared - information brokers and "hackers. Information brokers place an order for hackers to steal information, and then resell it to foreign governments or competing commercial organizations." Hackers are a kind of parasite on parasites. They track the work of "ordinary" hackers, remaining undetected, and then use the results of their "work". Terrorists and other criminal elements use hackers as a tool to neutralize military and police services.
"A hacker is not a programmer. These are two different things. A hacker is the one who barks, and a programmer is the one who builds." (Hate)

Varieties of crackers: vandals, pranksters and crackers

It would be unfair to mix all the crackers into one pile, clearly calling them thieves and vandals. Crackers can be divided into the following three classes, depending on the purpose for which hacking is carried out: vandals, jokers, and professionals.

Vandals - the most famous (largely due to viruses, as well as some journalists) and, I must say, the very few of the crackers. Their main goal is to crack the system with subsequent destruction, destruction. These include, firstly, lovers of commands like: rm -f -d *, del *. *, Format c: / U, etc., and secondly, experts in writing viruses or Trojan horses " It is only natural that the entire computer world hates vandal crackers with fierce hatred. This stage of cracking is usually typical for beginners and quickly passes if the cracker manages to improve (it is rather boring to realize your advantage over defenseless users). Crackers who, even with the passage of time, did not pass this stage, but only more and more improved their habits of destruction, could not be called social psychopaths.

The Jokers - the most harmless part of crackers (of course, depending on how much they prefer jokes over destruction), the main purpose of which is popularity, which is achieved by hacking computer systems and introducing various effects there that show their unsatisfied sense of humor. "Jokers" usually do not cause important damage (unless moral). Today, on the Internet, this is the most common class of crackers, which by hacking Web-servers, leaving there memories of themselves. Creators of viruses with different visual and sound effects (music, jitter on the screen, drawing all kinds of pictures, etc.) can also be referred to as "pranksters". All this, in principle, is either an innocent venture of beginners, or advertising campaigns of professionals.
"Israeli crackers took revenge on Islamic fundamentalists by hacking the website of the Hamas terrorist group - they launched erotic drawings there. Thus, instead of the speeches of their prophet, the followers of Islam saw naked girls ..."

Crackers - professional crackers who enjoy the greatest honor and respect in a cracker environment, whose main task is to hack into a computer system with serious goals, such as theft or substitution of information that is stored there.

Reasons for Hacking

• Disadaptation to social life, lack of social habits and communication skills.

• Destructive desires and inclinations. Behind Z. Freud, in the subconscious of each person, there are two forces, two opposing energies that oppose one and the predominance of one of them - Thanatos - the desire for destruction, death - leads to the desire to destroy, destroy, etc.

• The tendency to anarchy, illegal actions, the underdevelopment of the personal and moral-legal spheres - this is evidenced by their prohibited and even criminal actions (the development and spread of viruses, hacking electronic systems for protecting information sources, theft of money from banks). Often, hackers cultivate anarchist inclinations, oppose the establishment (the top of power), all sorts of secrets and secret activities, declare freedom of access to any information. (Yu. Babaeva, A. E. Voiskunsky, “The Psychological Consequences of Informatization,” Psychological Journal, vol. 19, No. 1, 98)

• "The Phenomenon of Robin Hood" - a hero who returns informationally deprived people information values taken from them. (Yu. Babaeva, A. E. Voiskunsky, “The Psychological Consequences of Informatization,” Psychological Journal, vol. 19, No. 1, 98)

• Mental disorders such as schizoid or paranoid. People with such disorders find in programming the possibility of creating their own fictional world. (V.V. Rubtsov "A student at the computer: what is possible, what is impossible")

• Just rest.

• The development of their skills, improving their own skills and qualifications.

Author - Marina Ustinova

 

[Матушкин Андрей Николаевич]

Thank!