I wrote a virus. I called it the Elvis virus and it forced your computer to go to a DOS screen and display "ELVIS IS DEAD" over and over again while ignoring all keyboard commands. I never distributed the virus, but I did test it out on a non-networked computer. It worked beautifully. I had to wipe the hard drive as I had programmed it to erase all previous system backups. I then deleted the virus, so I could eliminate any chance of accidental distribution. So why did I go to all the trouble to create a virus, test it, but not distribute it? I simply wanted to see if I could. That was 10 years ago.
I was never into the hacker culture, but yes, ! <4|\| |234|> 1337 (I can read leet , well most dialects of it). I do somewhat understand the lure of hacking and virus making. The testing to see just what you can do, pitting your skills against a formidable opponent like a government website. I simply did not like the possible consequences, not only for me but for other unrelated people. If your virus gets to a doctor's computer, it could potentially wipe out important information about a patient. If it gets onto a government computer like the ones that the Social Security Adminstration uses, you could disrupt the services that many elderly and disabled people desperately need. Hacking a website for profit is a jackass thing to do. Stealing people's credit cards off a server is just as bad as breaking into their homes. Plus there is the whole "you could go to jail" part.
I believe there are also different levels of trolling. I personally think it is okay to engage in harmless "just for lulz" trolling. Things that might make people shake their heads, but not anything that is truly hurtful or mean. I also think the target of the trolling makes a huge difference. If you are on Omegle and you get some one who starts the conversation with, "asl?" it is completely appropriate to respond, "No, but I speak Porteguese" as if he was asking if you can use American Sign Language.
I agree with your comment regarding trolling - there's a difference between harmless teasing or trolling and malicious denial of service or cyberbullying. I wonder where the line is between trolling and cyberbullying?
ReplyDeleteThis could have been in the readings, and I did not notice it, but can people go to jail for harmless trolling lulz? Or is the just the notion of trolling enough to send people to jail? I also wonder if the white hat hackers might get into trouble if they test some computer security system, and the system just happens to crash beyond repair (if that is possible)? Would they be responsible if they were hired to check that computer system? Your discussion made me think of so many more questions and areas of thought regarding trolling, computer viruses, and understanding some perceptions that writers of viruses and hackers may have.
ReplyDeleteThank You,
Michelle Burton
With White Hat hackers, they usually have a contract that exempts them from any sort of prosecution. There is a comedian/motivational speaker whose name escapes me that found a loophole in a bank contract that his firm had that allowed them to physically rob the bank. So they did. They used no guns or masks, were very polite, and returned everything. One of the "robbers" actually got a date from the teller.
DeleteAlso the whole purpose of White Hat hacking is to expose any weakness in a system so that the company can fix the weakness before someone with less noble intentions finds it.
But who really decides what exactly is harmful? For some people it might just be "lulz" but to others it might be hurtful. If you would not do it in real life I do not think you should do it from behind the computer.
ReplyDeleteCreative hook. I was intrigued by your ease with hacker lingo and your carefree tone regarding "harmless trolling" because I am one of those naive digital immigrants; I can't tell the difference between what is harmless and what is a violation of my privacy.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting to read about the virus that you made 10 years ago. I use my computer a lot, but am not at all familiar with how it actually works. It seems that in this day and age having the knowledge that you do about computers and how they work is very beneficial.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I don't mind the computer person testing out their skills on their own hardware. I think the world needs hackers. White hat hackers seem to be very helpful. I just hate having to worry about the malicious hackers every time I go on the Internet. I don't want to have to worry about someone stealing my identity and running up my credit card debt. I hate getting viruses on my computer that lead to me losing precious pictures or documents. Personally I would LOVE to have the skills that hackers have but I would like to believe that I would never use them in a malicious way. They are hurting innocent people and I don't understand what makes them think it is okay.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to know that someone so close has such an ability. It puts into perspective that hackers are all around us, but when is a hacker called a hacker? Is it when the break down the security walls of some computer other than their own for the first time? or is it as early as when they have learned and posses the skills to do so? Either way you have to give them credit for their abilities.
ReplyDeleteMany would probably say they fear hackers, but I believe that, that fear steams from not having a genuine understanding of what hacking is and isn't. Hacking is a great power and for a lack of a better quote "with great power comes great responsibility," Peter Parker's grandfather knew this but he wasn't the only one. Long before the power of digital technology there was a great power called Rhetoric. In ancient times the Sophist's understood the power of Rhetoric and that in the wrong hand s it can be dangerous. Hacking and Rhetoric require the same amount of mental capacity to truly master and use to impact the masses.
Rhetoric, once understood to be not that of the work of evil but instead if used properly the work of good, it was taught to anyone whom was interested to learn. I feel that hacking one day will follow that path. It may scar some of us now but as we began to understand it more the less it will scare us and the more it will improve our society. So those who have the skill use it, but use it wisely.