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Conference noted::hackers_v1

Title:-={ H A C K E R S }=-
Notice:Write locked - see NOTED::HACKERS
Moderator:DIEHRD::MORRIS
Created:Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:Mon Aug 03 1992
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:680
Total number of notes:5456

85.0. "Corporate Hackers" by ACE::BREWER () Thu Jan 03 1985 23:10

	Just a thought...

	We read frequently of 14 year olds being busted for hacking. Can anyone
recall any reporst of corporate/international hackers? Certainly if kids
can bust systems, professionals, hired for the job could accomplish the 
same without leaving an intentional trail.

	(reporst=reports)^

	The news media never snaps to this aspect, yet it HAS to exist !

	-John
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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85.1--UnknownUser--Mon Jan 07 1985 04:280
85.2--UnknownUser--Mon Jan 07 1985 04:280
85.3HARE::STANMon Jan 07 1985 04:288
Re .0 and .1:

Your use of the term "hacking" is misleading and derogatory.

I do a lot of hacking at DEC, and am proud of it.
Most hackers are not criminals.

Perhaps you should use the term "cracking" or "criminally hacking".
85.4EDSVAX::CRESSEYMon Jan 07 1985 09:486
    I believe I have witnessed the coining of a term.  So be it.
    From now on, criminal hacking of a system will be referred to
    as "cracking the system".  The other etymology of "like cracking
    a safe" will keep the philologists off our trails for years.

    Dave
85.5SERPNT::GULDENSCHUHMon Jan 07 1985 15:223
Stan (and anyone else offended), please accept my apology.  No offense intended.

/s/ Chuck
85.6HARE::STANTue Jan 08 1985 04:291
You had no need to apologize.
85.7ROYCE::KENNEDYTue Jan 08 1985 12:568
Back in the days of yore, many customers had access to the net. 
One apparently found out about the VAX 11/782 several years in
advance of its appearance. By the time I heard about it (before 
I came here), the Multi-processor 780 with shared memory was 
being discussed all over the place - long before any 
announcements.

Hugh.
85.8LATOUR::AMARTINTue Jan 08 1985 19:345
Re .4:

The term "cracker" has been used by other people before this, even in
this file.
				/AHM
85.9SPRITE::MCVAYThu Jan 10 1985 23:3616
 Back to the original point: there have been cracker cases--many of 
them.  I suspect that they aren't as widely publicized because they 
aren't as good a news story.  No one regards it as unusual or 
particularly noteworthy if a highly-trained technician/professional 
manages to crack the system--who's better qualified?  But a 14-year-
old with a scrap-built system that brings a whole corporation/hospital/
government facility to its knees: now THAT'S news!!

 Footnote: one of the famous myths about criminals is that the good 
ones are eventually hired by law-enforcement agencies because of their 
expert knowledge; so safecrackers become security experts, 
counterfeiters are assigned to the bunko squad, etc.  However, the 
"cracker" stories are true--there are several (I have heard of at 
least four) corporate hackers who were caught and the companies agreed 
not to prosecute if the hackers went to work for them on security.  
There was a story about one of these on TV a few years back.
85.10LATOUR::AMARTINFri Jan 11 1985 12:306
I had my first exposure to computers sharing a KA10 using ASR33's in
high school on Long Island.  The BOCES/LIRICS voc-ed timesharing system
had a policy of hiring students who broke in to the machine as operator/
systems programmers.  At least one such person (not me) is working
for DEC right now in software engineering.
				/AHM