Hackers get a bad rap. Businesses, industries, and even society as a whole covet their skills, yet they are often misunderstood and frequently despised. Is their vilification justified? This is the first book to use previously validated psychological inventories to explore and profile the personalities and behavioral traits of more than 200 self-admitted hackers. Many of the profiled are at the top of their game, revered by both the good hackers (white hats) and their more malevolent peers (black hats).
While there are serious reasons to fear the darker elements of the hacker community, there is also much to admire in their nobler counterparts. Fascinating case studies on hackers who have been caught and convicted of their crimes, as well as those betrayed by their peers, offer a unique, credible understanding of what makes hackers tick. The authors examine current laws meant to control hacking and its collateral crimes—stalking and terrorism—along with other means of reining in the irresponsible scriptkiddies and vicious black hats. Moderated and balanced, this book is an easy-to-read, authoritative source information for anyone interested in who hackers are, and how much we should worry about them.
| Illustrations | ||
| Acknowledgments | ||
| Ch. 1 | Introduction: Fears About Hackers and Why This Book Was Written | 3 |
| Case 1 | Kevin Mitnick | 13 |
| Ch. 2 | Hackerdom History, Highlights, Facts, and Headline Makers | 21 |
| Case 2 | Susan Thunder | 35 |
| Ch. 3 | A Balanced View About Hackers: The Good Side | 39 |
| Case 3 | Neil Barrett | 50 |
| Ch. 4 | A Balanced View About Hackers: The Bad Side | 55 |
| Case 4 | How to Break into Computers | 75 |
| Ch. 5 | The Demographic Profile of J. Random Hacker: What the Literature Says and What Our Study Found | 101 |
| Ch. 6 | The Psychological Aspects of Hackers: What the Literature Says | 115 |
| Case 6 | Carolyn P. Meinel | 146 |
| Ch. 7 | The Psychological Aspects of Hackers: What Our Study Found | 151 |
| Case 7 | Geeks vs. G-men | 162 |
| Ch. 8 | The Social Characteristics of Hackers: What the Literature Says and What Our Study Found | 165 |
| Case 8 | Life in Cyberspace | 184 |
| Ch. 9 | The Black Hat Cyberterrorists: What the Literature Says | 187 |
| Case 9 | Mohammed Atta and Ziad Zarrah | 213 |
| Ch. 10 | The Black Hat Cyberstalkers: What the Literature Says and What Our Study Found | 217 |
| Case 10 | Zyklon | 232 |
| Ch. 11 | Social Controls on Hackers: Court Remedies and Legislation in North America and Britain | 241 |
| Case 11 | Bernie S. | 265 |
| Ch. 12 | The Ethics and Morality of Hackers: Are Present Remedies Working? | 279 |
| Further Reading | 299 | |
| Index | 303 |
Overview
Hackers get a bad rap. Businesses, industries, and even society as a whole covet their skills, yet they are often misunderstood and frequently despised. Is their vilification justified? This is the first book to use previously validated psychological inventories to explore and profile the personalities and behavioral traits of more than 200 self-admitted hackers. Many of the profiled are at the top of their game, revered by both the good hackers (white hats) and their more ...