08 Track 8

Review unit 1

fluency practice

review reading 1: White hat and black hat hackers

Page 59

white hat and black hat hackers

Contrary to how they are portrayed in books and movies, not all hackers are computer prodigies. But they seem to have one thing in common: a natural curiosity and a strong desire to figure out how things work.

Many devote their time to understanding computer applications and systems, reaching a level of knowledge sometimes equal or superior to the creators’ themselves.

This knowledge is not in itself a bad thing nor a good thing: it’s what these hackers do with the knowledge that makes them ethical or unethical hackers. While it is difficult to fit hackers neatly into distinct categories, they can be divided into three groups: white hat hackers, black hat hackers (also known as crackers), and gray hat hackers.

The white hat hacker has immaculate computer ethics. For example, if a white hat hacker discovers a security weakness in the computer network, the first step would be to inform the network administrator of the problem and perhaps offer some advice on how to address the issue.

While white hat hackers do gain access to private networks and information they do so with the permission of the owner and they can be counted on to “do the right thing.” White hat hackers often work for organizations and businesses to enhance the businesses level of computer security.

Linus Torvalds is an example of a white hat hacker. He studied computer science at the University of Helsinki, where in 1991 he wrote the first version of a computer operating system called Lennix.

Unlike many software authors, Torvalds relinquished the chance to get rich from this profitable venture and instead gave his operating system away for free.

The black hat hacker, on the other hand, usually has malicious intent. In some circles, the term cracker is used instead. It is predominantly black hat hackers that perpetrate computer crimes.

For example, they have broken into computer networks and use that Access to steal money and information. Many black hat hackers form groups and damage or threatened to damage computers and computer networks.

Kevin Polson, who went by the name of dark Dante was an early black hat hacker. In a famous incident, Polson used his understanding of computers and telephones to unethically win a Porsche sports car.

People had to call into a radio station and the 102 collar would be awarded the car. Polson simply kept control of all the phone lines and made sure that he was collar number 102.

Like many black hat hackers. Polson spent time in prison, but he later took a job as a white hat hacker for a computer security company.

Another example of a black hat hacker is Vladimir Levin of Russia. He was arrested in 1995 for planning the theft from Citibank, a large American bank. He was convicted for leading a group of criminals who fooled Citibank computers into transferring them a record $10.7 million. He was sentenced to three years in jail.

The enormous amount of publicity surrounding this crime forced Citibank and many other financial institutions to examine and upgrade their online security systems gray hat hackers naturally fall between the white and black hat hackers.

These hackers find their way into computer systems and networks but do not immediately inform the owner of the security problem. At the same time, they are usually not intent on destroying or exploiting the system either.

There have been cases of gray hats leaving behind messages or vandalizing websites with electronic graffiti in order to let others know that they were capable of getting in.

So while gray hats probably wouldn’t care about the network owners or managers, they are also likely to do little or no damage because gray hats are rarely arrested. Their names usually remain unknown. The Apache software foundation’s website was broken into in 2004 by anonymous hackers.

They did not, as might be feared, release viruses that would replicate themselves through Apaches, computers or damage them in any way. Instead, they left a message explaining the security problem that had allowed them to gain access.

The hackers asserted: “This is a general warning. Learn from it. Fix your systems, so we won’t have to.”

In their own strange way, the gray hat hackers had assisted Apache in making their networks more secure.

It seems the future of white hat hackers is secure as their skills are in demand to monitor the security of the vast number of computer networks around the world. There is certainly more pressure than ever on gray hat hackers to stop their activities.

More people are questioning thier rationale, because today’s corporations and governments simply have too much at stake to allow them to casually enter their networks. In recent years, gray hats have been arrested and prosecuted for crimes that might have been ignored in the past.

And finally, while the early black hat hackers were never severely punished. Their activities are today taken more seriously than ever before.

However, as long as there are good hackers. There will always be bad ones. So the problem of the black hat hacker is sure to continue.