Forwarded From: Nicholas Charles Brawn <ncb05t_private> 30-10-1998 CHINA: FROM THE WEB - PHREAKING HACKTIVISTS - WHAT'S IN A NAME? It's a full-time job staying abreast of the jargon that comes spinning out of the Web. The latest term to make us quizzical: hacktivism, the term being used to describe the recent attack on an Indian army website. Soon after www.armyinkashmir. com had been set up to denounce Pakistan's "proxy war" and "narcotics terrorism" in Kashmir, it was hacked. Or rather cracked. The difference is important. Hackers see themselves as the intellectuals of Geek City's computer-code ghetto. They make programs better, spotting security flaws. Crackers are the bad guys, illegally and maliciously breaking into sites and servers for kicks or cash. So what on earth is a hacktivist? A cracker with a conscience. If crackers are the online equivilent of juvenile joyriders, hacktivists are like the guys blocking highways to protest pollution. Hacktivism is virtual direct action, and it is becoming increasingly popular as the first generation to have grown up with the Net comes of political age. And Asia is at the forefront of the new movement. In June, an Indian nuclear facility was targeted in the wake of that country's bomb tests. In August, crackers helped focus attention on the plight of Chinese Indonesians. Meanwhile, a mysterious group of dissidents called the Hong Kong Blondes has been employing its skills on China's police networks, tipping off anybody it finds lined up for political arrest. Those responsible are now recognized as pioneer hacktivists. The tag has the approval of a long-serving computer security group. Its new site hacktivism.org will soon be brimming with tips and tools to spread the hacktivist gospel. For now it contains the following handy definition: "Hacktivism: a policy of hacking, phreaking, or creating technology to achieve a political or social goal." Phreaking? Bookmark the computing glossary at wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/ index.html. You're going to need it. ASIA INTELLIGENCE WIRE ASIAWEEK 30/10/1998 -o- Subscribe: mail majordomot_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
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