The Act of Storing Information on a Computer Is Not As Simple As Keeping Something in A

HACKING

The act of storing information on a computer is not as simple as keeping something in a box.1 Particularly, they are more convenient and flexible when connected through a network. However, the potential risk of theft through hacking is more obvious. The most prominent definition of hacking is the act of unauthorized accessing or using of a computer or computer network.

“Hackers are sometimes portrayed as mysterious and strange.”2 In fact, however, even early in the development of information technology the term “hacker” has been used. In early computing the terms hackers are programmers who are accomplished in programming interfaces. Now they are usually defined as someone who accesses other computer systems or networks without the permission of the owner. In the 1960s, students had access to a computer terminal in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the first time. A lot of students who were enthusiastic in computer programming originally took on the role of hackers. In approximately the mid-1960s, some initial hacker communities begin developed in commerce. Some hackers were employed by computer companies or established computer companies. Two of the developers on the Bell Labs team , Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson created the UNIX Operating System ran on the PDP-11/20 machine in the C programming language. In the period beginning the 1970s, hackers of the new generation gradually went to the opposite direction. John Draper is the first famous hacker of "phone phreak". He maked free long distance telephone calls by using the whistle. Unfortunately, he was arrested in 1976 for illegal use of the telephone company's system. On November 2, 1988, a 23-year-old graduate student at Cornell University, Robert Morris, released the first “worm virus” to internet. This was a tremendously damaging event in the realm of information technology that affected approximately 10% computer systems worldwide and users lost approximately $100 million.3 The Citibank case marks the hacker community's first foray into big-money banking. In 1995, Russian hacker Vladimir Levin unlawfully transferred an estimated $3.7 million into accounts belonging to him and his accomplices in several countries. In these cases of the history about development of hackers, we see that they have played a play very important role in the development of the modern electronic society.

Obviously, not all hackers access to computers with the same intent. Now there are three categories white hats, black hats and grey hats. These categories are based on the ethical stance of each type. The interesting classification was probably derived from early American western movies, where hero inevitably wore white hats and destroyer wore black hats .4

The white hat hacker, also called ethical hacker is experts who specialize in the security of computers and computer network. These hackers have enthusiasm that ordinary people do not have in programming. It is emphasize that white hats attempt to break-in computer system or network with intent to help the owners of the system or network to illuminate security flaws not to cause harm. For instance, Mark Russinovich an expert on Windows architecture and programming. In 1996, he discovered that the difference between Windows NT Server and Workstation.5 NTS(NT Server) is “bundled with additional components -- not only IIS, but also DNS, DHCP, WINS, and other services.”6 In 2006, he help to discover the extent of the security flaws inherant to the Sony Rootkit.5 Fyodor is the pseudonym of a self-proclaimed hacker. He authored the open source Nmap Security Scanner. His scientific productions refer to network security.7 Most of the white hat hackers contribute greatly to the development of not only security of computers but also whole networks across the internet.

However, the black hat, also named the cracker are criminal hacker who access others privacy and security. There main goal of a black hat hackers is money , information theft , system destruction and other malicious acts. An example of a black hat hack, in 2000, Onel de Guzman , the 23-year-old , is hacker from Filipino. He unleashed “Love Bug virus”, which wiped out files and paralyzed Internet access from Pakistan to the Pentagon.7 Another of example come from Markus Hess. He was a particularly effective hacker who was an international spy. Hess hacked into United States Military sites and collected information for Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti.9 In the age of widespread computer use, crackers malicious destruction of computer systems is an ever worsening problem in computing.

A white hat or a black hat basically has a similar method to access computer systems in activity of initial hacking. However, they are differentiated depending on final ethical standard in what they do once they are in. It is very important to discover security holes of systems to hackers, they explore the availability and value of the hole for testing. But, what do they do in the next step? A white hat who respects the letter of the law illuminates flaws. Whereas, a black hat with criminal motivations, destroys systems.

Finally, the grey hat is the hacker who has no ethical stance. The term “grey hat” literal describe someone on the borderline between black and white. A grey hat is someone who breaks-into a computer system or network to heighten awareness of security flaws and do no damage. It is their main goal that release vulnerable holes to the public in order to notifiy owner of system. However, others do not believe that a grey hat should exist. “If you are gray, you are black," Lindstrom said. "It's not that I don't understand what they are trying to do, but it comes down to what you are actually doing.”10 Last August, Russian programmer-cum-hacker Dmitry Sklyarov was arrested after he gave a presention at the annual DefCon hacker convention on how to break the Adobe Systems' e-book format. Now the Justice Department is pursuing the case against his employer, Moscow-based ElcomSoft.11

As people become more and more dependent on computers and networks, hackers have a wide influence on the whole computer society. As an example, hackers attempt to find house of unlocked doors or windows, when they walking on a street. Then they enter inside to give notice to owner of the house about insecure doors or windows white hats or theft and destroy property black hats. After all information is unlike as the materialization property that has accurate owner.

Many hackers argue that hacking is ethical behavior. This view holds that information should belong to everyone rather than be restricted to use and modify. Richard Stallman is a software freedom activist. In the 1980s, he founded the free software movement and the Free Software Foundation. He advocated that information is free and it is human virtue to share information to help each other. On the one hand, if all information is free, then there is no need to refer to disturbing questions of privacy. Without privacy, consequently, there is no view of unauthorized access to computer systems or network. Security is unnecessary to any systems. On the other hand, if the information is not free, the information that people finally search would be untrustworthy. For example, credit histories, medical records, employment records, and defense information all are investigated or modified by someone who should be granted access to it.12 It will be a terrible thing. "Those who profess to favor freedom, yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."13 In any case, it is impossible to reap crops without plowing up the ground. The behavior that unauthorized access to computer systems or to any other data is neither advisable nor justified.

The common issue that some hold the view that the individuals who break into computer systems or network should be encouraged or even rewarded for discovering more security flaws. The case of the worm virus is a good example of its flaws. While the worm was designed, we would more pay attention to security of computer systems and instability of network. Someone who agrees with this view explain that hacker’s thoughts are unique and special, but finally drive the same goals for perfectly developing computer and network. Including the prosecuting attorneys for the government who argued that the “special way” itself was wrong no matter what the outcome. There is a sample example against this view. The owner would be worried about someone always attempting to break into the homes in neighborhood, however this vigilantes would always make him nervous or even crazy. Secondly, does every hacking cause prefect consequences to intent of expectant? Nobody can answer “absolutely”. Who is responsibility for loss? If it assumes that hacking is a gambling that sometime will win or sometime will lose, the stake is compelling property from others. Clearly, the result of the issue does not justify the act itself.

Another argument is that it completely ignores the economic factors that prevent many sites from updating and right to use their software. Richard Stallman claimed that the vendor who sells software or system with high price to users is really unethical. The site and systems does not automatically update and maintain by itself. If this site or system can keep working, then the vendor must employ staff and cost money to correct, maintain and update it. Moreover, owners and users of computers and systems generally have no ability to accomplish these complex jobs. It is assume that software and systems of Microsoft is free, we still possibly use Windows1995. This does not justify which reason for gaining free access to systems is hacking.

Some hackers are male adolescents in the high school or university. These young trespassers assert that they are just simply learning knowledge about how computer systems or network operate and complex programs write. Around the age of 12, Kevin Mitnick figured out he could hacked into the Los Angeles bus system, and get free busrides anywhere in the greater LA area. In high school, he breaked into some famous computer systems, sash as Fujitsu, Motorola, Nokia, and Sun Microsystems. Until today, Kevin Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and trial were controversial. There are many legal and ethical issues concerning the young hackers with intent to leaning. First of all, it is inappropriate that all responsibility for adolescents criminal reason out education. Education is a role of guidance. “Neither does writing a virus or worm program and releasing it into an unsupervised environment provide any proper educational experience.”14 By analogy, the text of driving licence provide one with the driving skill from even without it, however, it can not prevent that driver with excessive speed. Furthermore, if it is leaning by unauthorized accessing computer systems or network, then the tuition is too expensive. Because of unexpected results from “learning”, most of systems have been damaged by trespasser and created viruses. For example, governmental information, financial information, medical system. Finally, the immature activities from intruder of prodigy have no responsibility for the society of computer, even real-life society. Someone assert that it is necessary that geniuses are protected. However, society needs a normal person instead of a genius without responsibility and ethical. Clearly, the reason with “learning” motivations is also unethical.

In conclusion the relationship between hacker or hacking and ethics is controversial. No matter what law regulates activities, no matter how secure a system or network could become it will not be enough for development of computer technology. We also need to develop computer ethical value, responsibility and incumbency as drives of computer ethics.

1. Duncan Langford, “Business Computer Ethics” Addison Wesley Longman Limited 1999

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker

3. http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/13125333.html

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_hat_hacker

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Russinovich

6. http://www.oreilly.com/news/differences_nt.html

7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor

8. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,105665,00.html

9. http://www.answers.com/topic/markus-hess

10. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-958920.htm

11. http://infosecuritymag.techtarget.com/2002/jul/news.shtml

12. Terrell Ward Bynum and Simon Rogerson, “Computer Ethics and Professional Respnsibility”, chapter 10, Eugene H. Spafford “Are Computer Hacker Breal-ins Ethical?”, 2005

13. Frederick Douglass, American Abolitionist,Letter to an associate, 1849 http://www.stallman.org/articles/on-hacking.html

14. Terrell Ward Bynum and Simon Rogerson, “Computer Ethics and Professional Respnsibility”, chapter 10, Eugene H. Spafford “Are Computer Hacker Breal-ins Ethical?”, 2005