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Don't Pick Up the Phone!
Last updated at 5:29 pm UTC on 16 January 2006
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GEORGETOWN ESSAYS ON INFORMATION WARFARE Volume 1, Number 1
Dorothy E. Denning, Editor February 10, 1999
Computer Science Department Georgetown University
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Don't Pick Up the Phone!

by John Woods

My perception of hackers was crafted over a decade ago, by my brother, a
hacker himself. A friend of Eric Bloodaxe, he was involved with LOD,
and tied up our phone line for hours. I, of course, never understood
what he was involved with, but remember being excited when he broke into
an army base, as the military was my passion at the time. I also never
understood the constant calls from strange men our family would receive,
nor did my parents. Now, my brother claims it was the FBI investigating
him. Whether this is true or not, I do not know, but what I have always
believed of hackers is that a certain mystique and romance is important
to their work. He was excited by the fact that the FBI would be
interested in him. Hackers use something as easily accessible as a PC
to create great waves in the larger world. Although their tasks are
often effective, they are not the most practical breed.

Simply the fancy nomenclature they use and their tendency to form
hacking groups shows that a full culture has developed. I have always
been under the impression that most hackers did not find their calling
for functional reasons, but to join a popular youth subculture. That is
why I am not surprised that the vast majority were and are young, at
least when the culture arose in the eighties. The identity with a
formally named group further shows this need to belong.

The wit of their stunts and insistence on a personal touch also shows
that hacking is an artistic outlet. I was surprised that even in a
political movement as developed as the Zapatistas, this facet of hacking
remains. The Electronic Disturbance Theater, as their name suggests,
view themselves as performance artists.

I was also surprised at how the hacking community has evolved since
TRS-80s from Radio Shack were the standard. The community has
legitimized itself in many ways. I always believed that wreaking havoc
was the main priority of hacking groups, and that their romantic fervor
for it could not be quelled. Bloodaxe's final letter in Phrack
exemplifies how mistaken I was. Not only is he disgusted by the
community, but he admits that he and his contemporaries may have grown
up. Perhaps, he is implying that many of their stunts were puerile.

I also did not expect that hackers would cross the line to aid the
corporate and government machines that they once opposed. I felt the
establishment would scorn these thorns in their side, and hackers would
see such a move as compromising their integrity. But, having hackers
working on the corporate side of information warfare makes perfect
sense; they know how systems are infiltrated, so they are the best to
build the defenses.

Groups with social consciences are an impressive use of hacking that I
have never before considered. It seems that hacking circles are no
longer simply bands of mischief makers behind keyboards. A group like
L0pht is vastly different than LOD. They have gained additional clout
by legitimizing themselves. By educating the government as to why they
could paralyze the internet over long distance phone lines, instead of
actually doing it, they are doing the public a much greater service.
They are helping improve information systems and even software. They
have also created a lucrative, and legal, business by becoming
consultants. Groups and individuals who use civil disobedience and
offensive methods to combat practices they oppose, such as child
pornography, differ from my original impression of hackers. Right or
wrong, these are principled men and women who are acting with righteous
indignation. They are examples of why hackers are more than hacks.
They are not people who just get their kicks from putting a naked woman
on the opening page of the New York Times website.

The sociological aspect of hackers is essential to understanding them.
Knowing their motivations is a key to seeing what they are doing. I had
a very set view of hackers coming into this course. I feel that it was
a very accurate view for a decade ago, that is still accurate to a
certain degree today. Although, as access and social acceptance of
computers grows, the definition of hackers is expanding, a large
cross-section of the group is becoming positively productive and useful.
Even my brother has begun his own computer company.


John Woods is a senior English/Studio Art major at Georgetown University
and a contributing editor to The Georgetown Voice. E-mail:
woodsj@gusun.georgetown.edu. Copyright 1999 John Woods.

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Georgetown Essays on Information Warfare is a product of COSC 511,
Information Warfare: Terrorism, Crime, and National Security, at
Georgetown University. Each week, the students are required to write an
essay on a topic related to the readings for that week. The best essays
are selected for publication in this newsletter. The opinions expressed
in the essays do not represent those of Georgetown University, the
Computer Science Department, or the editor. This publication can be
redistributed. There is no subscription list.

COSC 511 home page: http://www.cs.georgetown.edu/~denning/cosc511
Georgetown Essays on IW: http://www.cs.georgetown.edu/~denning/infosec/iw-essays
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