No I never assumed any such thing. I have provided you with an easy way to get
exactly what you need actually. Also my comment above was directed at exactly
what you wrote which preceeds it.
In fairness - he never said such a thing. He did say that one
couldn't tell if someone was asking for that purpose.
I'd add that I can't even tell whether or not you have a firearms
collection.
1. Once again, (and check back through the thread) noone called you a
criminal... What WAS mentioned is that noone KNOWS that you are NOT a
criminal... Two entirely different things.
2. Someone DID ask if your bitting question matched one of the code
questions to gain access to a secured website. I never saw an answer to that
exact question. IF the do match, you have to admit it would be quite a
coincidence and a strong indication that you MAY be attempting to bypass the
previously mentioned secured access.
If you were to receive a phone call tomorrow where a person you did not know
asked questions whose answers COULD be used to compromise your network
security (even if only in part), would you not think twice about giving that
answer? Even if the question COULD also be only coincidently linked to,
say, a certain password/defeat exploit/etc?
Would you be WRONG if you chose to take the preventative route and not
answer?
For what it's worth, some of us still remember when "hacker" was a term
of high respect, and "systems hacker" was the specific term for folks
who were misapplying the skills (and did not necessarily imply that the
individual was a hacker in the positive sense, as opposed to being the
sort of person whose idea of fine carpentry is a axe and maul.)
The difference has been well established for years. The fact that the
mainstream media misuses the term consistently only means it's yet another
thing they consistently get wrong. Hackers in general are honest and ethical
people who obey laws at least as much if not more than the general public does.
If you doubt that go to a hacker (not a cracker) forum and ask about how to
commit illegal acts/destroy systems and watch the flames pour in.
While I would prefer it if the meaning of words didn't change (and
that they stayed the way they were when *I* learned them) - if the media
and the general public "misuse" a word long enough, that turns into its
new meaning.
I'm afraid that "hacker" now has as its first meaning "cracker". Then
there is a second meaning (maybe labelled Obs.? :-) referring to
someone who does creative but inelegant coding.
Ah, isn't technology great. From the first days when some
cave man rolled a rock in front of his cave, people have
been trying to secure things. And criminals like Fugi have
been trying to violate the security.
Yes, cracker is likely the right word. I'm neither, and I
don't pay much attention to these things. Thanks for the
education.
Your proving his point, or maybe you are just jerking his chain a little. You
don't know or have reason to believe he's a criminal. As far as accessing the
site if it uses a password which is essentially public domain information then
entering the proper password no matter how obtained probably doesn't break any
laws. Such passwords are just a bad idea unless you intentionally want to
provide only the slightest of security.
I am well versed in what a hacker is... Doesn't mean I would not care if one
was benignly poking around my system... Well intentioned/moraled or not,
they are still illegitimate intruders.
And what I'm telling you is that hacking in the purist sense of the word is NOT
breaking into systems. It is the creative and eloquent solution of programming
problems.
I agree... Your 'password' by means of asking a question that not just
anyone could answer is NOT RESTRICTED SECURITY... It is to keep out those
casual 'cracker' types who do web searches in order to find out more than
they should know without taking any personal risks to learn...
A RESTRICTED WEBSITE (like the one my employer uses for payroll entry and
other employee information functions) requires a userID and password that is
different for each authorized user and grants different levels of access
depending on who the person is...
Don't cry over someone asking for the 'secret word'... If you really wanted
to keep people out of these trade websites you would use some of your trade
association fees to pay for someone to setup user accounts and cross
reference applicants for entry to the website against various trade
association memberships and certification lists...
Evan the Maintenance Man
this is what you pasted:
Hack / Informal. To use one's skill in computer programming to
gain illegal or unauthorized access to a file or network: hacked
into the company's intranet.
now, looking at this definition and saything the key words are
"unauthorized access" would kicking down a door and robbing the
place be hacking it? no it sure fucking wouldn't. is greaking
someones car windows to steal their stereo hacking their car? no.
the key words in this definition are "skill in computer programming".
what, do you have a 6th grade education?
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