Run those passwords out and then,                Dial back up, we're logging on,                We're hacking, hacking, hacking.                (The Hacker Anthem, by Chesire Catalyst)               Hacking broadly refers to attempts to gain access to comput-          ers to which one does not possess authorization.  The term "hack-          ers" first came into use in the  early 1960's when it was applied                                        - 13 -            to a  group of pioneering  computer aficionados at  MIT (Levy,          1984).   Through the 1970s,  a hacker was viewed as someone obs-          essed with  understanding and mastering computer  systems (Levy          1984). But, in the early 1980's, stimulated by the release of the          movie "War Games"  and the much publicized arrest  of a "hacker          gang" known as "The 414s",  hackers were seen as young whiz-kids          capable of breaking into corporate  and government computer sys-          tems (Landreth 1985:34).   The imprecise media definition and the          lack of any clear understanding of what  it means to be a hacker          results in the mis-application of the  label to all forms of com-          puter malfeasance.               Despite the inter-relationship between  phreaks and hackers,          the label of "hacker" is generally  reserved for those engaged in          computer system trespassing.   For CU participants,  hacking can          mean either attempting to gain access  to a computer system,  or          the more refined goals of exploring in,  experimenting with,  or          testing a computer system.  In the first connotation, hacking re-          quires skills to obtain valid  user accounts on computer systems          that would otherwise be unavailable,   and the term connotes the          repetitive nature of break-in attempts.  Once successful entry is          made,  the illicit accounts are often shared among associates and          described as being "freshly (or newly) hacked."               The second  connotation refers  to someone  possessing the          knowledge, ability,  and desire to fully explore a computer sys-          tem.   For elite hackers,  the mere act of gaining entry is not          enough to warrant the "hacker" label;  there must be a desire to                                        - 14 -            master and  skill to  use the  system after  access has  been          achieved:               It's Sunday night,  and I'm in  my room,  deep into a               hack.   My eyes are on the monitor, and my hands are on               the keyboard,  but my mind  is really on the operating               system of a super-minicomputer a  thousand miles away -               a super-mini with an operating systems that does a good               job of tracking users, and that will show my activities               in its user logs,  unless I  can outwit it in the few               hours before  the Monday  morning staff  arrives for               work.....Eighteen hours ago,  I managed to hack a pass-               word for the PDP 11/44.  Now, I have only an hour or so               left to alter the user logs.  If I don't the logs will               lead the system operators to my secret account, and the               hours of work  it took me to get this  account will be               wasted (Landreth, 1985: 57-58).               An elite hacker must experiment  with command structures and          explore the many files available in  order to understand and ef-          fectively use the  system.  This is sometimes  called "hacking          around" or simply "hacking a system".  This distinction is neces-          sary because not all trespassers are necessarily skilled at hack-          ing out passwords,  and not all hackers retain interest in a sys-          tem once  the challenge of  gaining entry has  been surmounted.          Further, passwords and accounts are often traded,  allowing even          an unskilled intruder to erroneously claim the title of "hacker."               Our data indicate that, contrary to their media image, hack-          ers avoid deliberately destroying data  or otherwise damaging the          system.   Doing so would conflict with their instrumental goal of          blending in with the average user  to conceal their presence and          prevent the deletion of the account.   After spending what may be          a substantial amount  of time obtaining a  high access  account,          the hacker places a high priority  on not being discovered using          it,  and hackers share considerable  contempt for media stories                                        - 15 -            that portray them  as "criminals."  The leading  CU periodicals          (e.g., PHRACK, PIRATE)  and several CU "home boards" reprint and          disseminate media stories, adding ironic commentary.  The percep-          tion of media  distortion also provides grist  for message sec-          tions:               A1: I myself hate newspaper reporters who do stories on               hackers, piraters, phreaks,  etc...because they always               make us sound like these  incred.  {sic} smart people               (which isn't too bad) who are the biggest threat to to-               days community.  Shit...the  BEST hackers/phreaks/etc               will tell you that they only  do it to gain information               on those systems,  etc...(Freedom  - That's what they               call it...right?)  (grin)               A2: Good point...never met a "real p/h type yet who was               into ripping off. To rip of a line from the Steve Good-               man song (loosely),  the game's the thing.  Even those               who allegedly fly the jolly rodger {pirates},  the true               ones, don't do it for the rip-off, but,  like monopoly,               to see if they can get Boardwalk and Park Place without               losing any railroads.  Fun of the latter is to start on               a board with a single good game or util {software util-               ity} and see what it can be turned into,  so I'm told.               Fuck the press (DS message log, 1989).               One elite hacker,  a member of a loose-knit organization re-          cently in the national news  when some participants were indicted          for hacking,  responded to media distortions of the group by is-          sueing an underground press release:               My name is {deleted}, but to the computer world,  I am               {deleted}.   I have been a member of the group known as               Legion of Doom since its  creation,  and admittedly I               have not been the most legitimate computer user around,               but when people start hinting at my supposed Communist-               backed actions,  and say that I am involved in a world-               wide conspiracy to destroy the nation's computer and/or               911 network,  I have to speak  up and hope that people               will take what I have to say seriously. . . .               People just can't seem to grasp  the fact that a group               of 20 year old kids just  might know a little more than               they do,  and rather than make  good use of us,  they               would rather  just lock us  away and keep  on letting               things pass by them.   I've said this before, you can't                                       - 16 -                 stop burglars from robbing you when you leave the doors               unlocked and merely bash them in the head with baseball               bats when they walk in.   You  need to lock the door.               But when you leave the doors open, but lock up the peo-               ple who can  close them for you  another burglar will               just walk right in ("EB," 1990).               Although skirting the law, hackers possess an explicit ethic          and their primary goal is  knowledge acquisition.   Levy (1984:          26-36) identifies six "planks" of the original hacker ethic,  and          these continue to guide modern hackers:             1.  First,  access to computers should be unlimited and total:                 "Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative!"             2.  Second, all information should be free.             3.  Third, mistrust authority and promote decentralization.             4.  Fourth, hackers should be judged by their prowess as hack-                 ers rather than by formal  organizational or other irrele-                 vant criteria.             5.  Fifth, one can create art and beauty on a computer.             6.  Finally, computers can change lives for the better.               PHRACK,  recognized as the  "official" p/hacker newsletter,          expanded on this creed with a rationale that can be summarized in          three principles ("Doctor Crash," 1986).   First, hackers reject          the notion that "businesses" are the  only groups entitled to ac-          cess and use of modern technology.   Second,  hacking is a major          weapon in the fight against encroaching computer technology.  Fi-          nally,  the high cost of equipment  is beyond the means of most          hackers, which results in the perception that hacking and phreak-          ing are the only recourse to  spreading computer literacy to the          masses:                                        - 17 -                 Hacking.  It is a full  time hobby,  taking countless               hours per week to learn,  experiment,  and execute the               art of penetrating multi-user computers:   Why do hack-               ers spend a good portion of their time hacking?   Some               might say it is scientific curiosity, others that it is               for mental stimulation.   But the true roots of hacker               motives run much deeper than that.  In this file I will               describe the underlying motives  of the aware hackers,               make known the connections between Hacking,  Phreaking,               Carding, and Anarchy,  and make known the "techno-revo-               lution" which  is laying seeds  in the mind  of every               hacker.  . .  .If you need a tutorial on how to perform               any of the above stated  methods {of hacking},  please               read a {PHRACK} file on it.   And whatever you do, con-               tinue the fight. Whether you know it or not, if you are               a hacker, you are a revolutionary.  Don't worry, you're               on the right side ("Doctor Crash," 1986).               Computer software,  such as auto-dialers popularized in the          film War Games,  provides a  means for inexperienced hackers to          search out other computers.   Auto-dialers randomly dial numbers          and save the "hits" for manual testing later.  Some users self-i-          dentify has hackers simply on  the basis of successfully collect-          ing computer numbers or passwords, but these users are considered          "lamerz," because they do not possess sufficient knowledge to ob-          tain access or move about in  the system once access is obtained.          Lamerz are readily identified by their message content:                 Sub ->numbers                From -> (#538)                To   ->all                Date ->02/21/xx 06:10:00 PM               Does anyone know any numbers for hotels, schools, busi-               nesses,  etc..and passwords if you  do please leave a               bulletin with the number and  the password and/or logon               id.                 Sub ->phun                From -> (#138)                To   ->all                Date ->02/22/xx 12:21:00 AM               Anyone out there  got some good 800 dial  up that are               fairly safe to hack?  If so could ya leave me em in e-                                       - 18 -                 mail or post em with  the formats.....any help would{be               appreciated......                                 thanx                 Sub ->NUMBERS                From -> (#538)                To   ->ALL                Date ->02/24/xx 03:12:00 PM               Does anyone have any 1-800 numbers with id,  logon and               passwords?                 Sub ->Credit Card's for Codez                From -> (#134)                To   ->All                Date ->01/26/xx 07:43:00 AM               Tell ya what.   I will  exchange any amount of credit               cards for a code or two.  You name the credit limit you               want on the credit card and I will get it for you.   I               do this cause I to janitorial  work at night INSIDE the               bank when no one is there..... heheheheheh                 Sub ->Codes..