Forwarded from: H C <keydet89at_private> Cc: aleonardat_private I read through the entire text of the linked article twice... http://www.salon.com/tech/books/2002/06/05/teenage_hackers/index.html?x I came to the conclusion that the purpose of this "book review" was to fill space. Yes, both positive and negative criticisms were pointed out, but the only real negative criticism was that the author of the book in question, Dan Verton, let the concept of "hacker" remain muddied. So what? We're all used to it by now. Those of us in the security profession have seen it for as long as we've been involved in infosec, so it isn't really anything new. It's just how it is w/ the media. It happens that given his background, Mr. Verton is a little more clear on the concept than most, regardless of what's protrayed in his book. > "The Hacker Diaries," though flawed, Again, for the positive things in the book, Mr. Leonard doesn't really put a lot of original effort into describing just _how_ the book is flawed. > In a culture increasingly dominated by digital technologies, by > computers and networks and code, it should be no surprise that acts > of information violence attract more attention than graffiti on > subway cars or actual street-gang rampages. "Acts of information violence"? Defacing a web page being equated to "violence"? Come on, Mr. Leonard...really! > Verton's greatest mistake is his failure to properly ground the > concept of "hacker" from the get-go. Further, Mr. Leonard states: "One of the intriguing things not really explored in "The Hacker Diaries" is that Mafiaboy's legendary romp through the biggest names on the Internet -- Yahoo, eBay, Amazon, CNN, eTrade -- three years ago hasn't been duplicated to the same extent since." Well, Mr. Leonard...*how* is such a thing intriguing? Perhaps it is b/c Mafiaboy didn't "romp through" any of those sites, but instead conducted denial of service attacks. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,46791,00.html Also, the current year is 2002...Mafiaboy's exploits are only two years old. Not to be nitpicky, Mr. Leonard, but the above link was retrieved in seconds after entering "mafiaboy" into a Google search. While you're busy criticizing Mr. Verton for his loose handling of the word "hacker", you yourself are being quite loose with the facts. " It might have been easy for him back then, but apparently it's not so easy for today's ornery young men." It doesn't take much to realize why. In the ensuing two years, Internet device manufacturers have released information regarding how to protect against such things...even the MS KnowledgeBase contains information on the subject. People are more aware of the issue, and are taking steps to protect themselves. "Verton's decision to open the book with a fabricated diary entry by a convicted "hacker" hits every sensationalist button and rings completely untrue" Reading a book review in which several of the "facts" used to make a point are incorrect, and quite easily verifiable by anyone w/ a 28.8K modem is...what? Sensationalist? Space filler? Fodder? Help me out here, Mr. Leonard. H. Carvey - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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