Hackers: Computer Outlaws revisited

From: Clint Wolff <vaxman_at_qwest.net>
Date: Thu Jul 26 21:01:49 2001

A point to ponder... Would it be okay for someone to enter your house
and poke around in your closets? Watch your home movies on your VCR?
Read your bank statements and credit card statements?

If someone breaks into my computer, the invasion of privacy is not
diminished in the least. I may have photos that weren't taken on
paper because of privacy concerns. My banking records are stored
there (no numbers though). YOUR email address is there. Someone
can invade YOUR privacy by breaking into my computer.

If someone trespasses on my property, they are a criminal. It
doesn't matter to me if the trespass was electronic or not.

Clint

PS Why do you think a FAX is equivalent to a billboard? It is a
lot easier to break into an etailer's computer and steal the
whole database of customer information.

On Thu, 26 Jul 2001 LFessen106_at_aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 7/26/01 10:25:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> vaxman_at_qwest.net writes:
>
> > Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap Crap!
> >
> > How would YOU feel if someone broke into your computer system and took
> > YOUR files to do whatever he felt like with? Or hacked your voicemail
> > system and listened to your messages?
> >
> > I know your knee-jerk reaction... I don't have anything I care about
> > on my computer...
>
> First off, there is a HUGE difference between Hackers and Crackers. Hackers
> generally DO NOT make it a point to cause dammage - they are just "browsing"
> for the most part.
>
> > If your name, DOB, and SSN are ANYWHERE on your computer, a hacker can
> > steal your identity. A credit card number (perhaps from an letter you
> > typed in and FAXed to purchase something because you didn't want to
> > send your CC# across the internet)? Bank account numbers? ETrade
> > account numbers?
>
> You would FAX a credit card or account number? Why not just buy a billboard
> for it somewhere. Computer systems for online purchases use encryption for
> this information and I know we all know that on this list.
> Now before you go getting bent about my reply, let me quantify a little bit:
> I am not promoting hacking into someone's computer nor am I saying I want
> anyone roaming around in any of mine for any reason. What I am saying is I
> would much rather have a "hacker" in there than some damn "script kiddie"
> (which wasn't covered really in the show).. They are the bad ones - the
> crackers.. Now as far as the show, I though it was pretty good and tastfully
> done. On a personal note, while people like Kevin Mittman might "legally" be
> considered criminals my opinion is since they caused little or no dammage,
> and made no money off their "efforts" the FBI would have been better off
> spending my taxpayer money catching murderers or drug dealers, etc.. But,
> like I said, that's only my opinion. If you want to throw someone in jail
> for computer crimes, catch some of those 13 year old script kiddies that keep
> crashing computers and running DDOS attacks and hang them - AND their
> parents. At least with Mittman in your system, your system is still running.
>
> -Linc Fessenden
>
> In The Beginning there was nothing, which exploded - Yeah right...
>
> Calculating in binary code is as easy as 01,10,11.
>
Received on Thu Jul 26 2001 - 21:01:49 BST