The Constitution of a Hacker (March, 1984) ------------------------------------------ With every generation of humans, there are certain types of individuals that emerge. There are (always have been and always will be) leaders, followers, general nuisances, etc. And then there are folks who like to play with things and figure out how they work. Before technology came along, there really wasn't all that much for these people to play around with. And certainly there was no way for them to pool their resources except through face-to-face communications. With telephones, of course, all aspects of human life changed. Here was a toy that anyone could play with and get virtually unlimited results. But of course, most people didn't (and don't) see it that way - phones are phones and nothing more. You're not supposed to have fun with them. Yet, certain adventuresome types insisted on having fun with their phones anyway. They did all kinds of things they weren't supposed to do, like figure out the way phones work and interconnect. For the first time, these technological enthusiasts posed "a threat" to technology by reaching out and touching it rather than simply using it without asking any questions. Today there are lots of people still having fun with their phones and making all kinds of technological advancements of their own. But the real focus at the moment is on the newest "threat," people who like to experiment and have fun with computers. Not the kind of fun they re supposed to be having with Pacman and Mr. Do, but unauthorized fun with other people's computers. Why do they do this? What do these people possibly have to gain by breaking into computer systems and seeing things that don't really concern them or that is of no possible use to them? In the great majority of cases, computer hackers don't gain anything material or financial from their exploration. Add to that the high risk of getting caught and it becomes very hard for the average citizen to understand what motivates these people. Many computer hobbyists, in fact, are resentful of hackers, considering them immature and troublesome. Quite a few computer bulletin boards prohibit certain topics from being discussed, and when they do, hacking is almost always one of them. There is some justification behind this, since the image of all computer users can be adversely affected by what the hackers do. There are also the legal people who insist on telling everyone that breaking into a computer by phone is just like physically breaking into a home or office. Fortunately, that logic seems to be shared by very few people. In spite of all of the threats and criticism, though, the hackers are not "cleaning up their act." And public opinion, particularly among the young, seems to be in their favor, mostly as a result of media coverage. There's even a weekly TV program about hackers called The Whiz Kids. Each week, this group of amazing kids has a new adventure. The scripts are a bit moronic but interesting nonetheless. In one episode, the kids (only one of which is a true hacker) find out about an evil person who happens to be stealing Social Security checks. (They discover this by casually logging into his bank account.) To teach him a lesson, they break into another computer and enter his name as being deceased. In each program, these kids break into at least one new computer. But do they ever get into trouble? Of course not. First of all, they re only children. And second, they re entering these computers for good reasons, even if they are unauthorized. Now what kind of message is this program conveying? Apparently, it's OK to invade other people's privacy if your intentions are ultimately "good." It sounds like something Reagan would get a kick out of. A genuine hacker breaks into computers for the challenge. He's not out to save the world or to destroy it. He is not out to make a profit out of what he's doing. Therefore, it's not fair to categorize him as a criminal and it's just as wrong to say he's some sort of a savior. Technological enthusiasts operate with the same motivation that a good mountain climber has. Regardless of what may happen to him, a computer hacker will always be interested in playing with computers. It's in his nature. And any laws that are created to "eliminate" hacking simply won t work because of these facts. There will always be people who want to experiment with things and this urge cannot be stifled. Did hacking come to a grinding halt because of the "414" scandal? Or because of the Telemail raids? No. Judging from the proliferation of computer bulletin boards where hacking is discussed, it's getting bigger than ever. The realistic way for the owners of large computer systems to look at this is to regard hackers as necessary security checks. That's right. Necessary because if the hackers weren't the ones to break in, who would be? Let's assume that hackers had never even tried to break into the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center computer. Someone else would have, because the system was practically wide open. And maybe they would have had a reason to get into the system to do various nasty things. But now, because of what the hackers did, the Sloan-Kettering system is more secure. One could almost say that a person with hacking abilities has an obligation to try and get into as many different systems as he can. Let's get nationalistic for a moment. If you have the number for a top secret government computer in Ft. George G. Meade, MD, odds are that the Albanians have it also. Now, would it be better for them to break into the system and find out all kinds of nice things or for you to break in and be discovered, forcing the system to become more protected? And, if you do break in, don't you deserve a note of thanks for waking them up? Keep in mind, though, that a computer hacker is under no obligation to turn himself in or warn operators that their system is easily penetrable. It's the job of the Sysops to notice when their computers are being tampered with and if they don't detect you, then that's a second security lapse for them. This is a pragmatic view, however shocking it may seem. In closing, we should point out to the hackers themselves that there is no need to worry or fret if their methods or secrets are eventually discovered. This is only the beginning. Our world is turning into a technological playground.