Forwarded From: Nicholas Charles Brawn <ncb05@uow.edu.au>
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 majordomo@repsec.com with "subscribe isn".
Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
Received on Sun Nov 1 21:15:19 1998