I am old enough that when I studied computer science in college, the term hacker was used differently than it is today. At that time, hacker was a term used to describe someone who was enjoying coding too much, who liked to pick apart and explore how computer systems and software worked, beyond what was required in the professor's assignment. There was no malicious connotation to the term hacker at that time.
Indeed, those who travel the Internet with an exotic "nom de guerre" and like to explore the failings of computer systems have sought to reclaim the term "hacker" as the moniker of the good guy and seek to substitute the eponym "cracker" to describe the evil doers of computer sabotage. "White Hat" hackers are self-styled vigilantes for justice and the technology consumer, seeking out flaws in today's software and searching for Web sites that carelessly expose your personal information.
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Whether or not you see the hackers as they see themselves, or are appalled by their table manners, the hacker subculture fits nicely into society's timeless tradition of nonconformist, counterculture groups. It is as much of a personal lifestyle choice as it is a journey through technology. But is it also, as some people claim, a disease? Is it possible to be addicted to hacking?
A book about computer hackers called Underground, by Suelette Dreyfus, is a thoroughly researched detailing of the lifestyles of hackers. Including interviews with members of several notable hacking groups, Underground appears to make the case that hardcore computer hackers are obsessive-compulsive, with an addiction to the thrill of hacking. Now two years old, the book is a fascinating piece of investigative journalism that creates a disturbing psychological profile of malicious hackers.
Kevin Mitnick, the most famous of computer hackers, began getting into trouble for computer hacking or phone phreaking almost 20 years ago. His legal counsel has used an addicted to hacking defense, and in fact, in an earlier 1988 computer fraud conviction, Judge Mariana Pfaelzer did accept this explanation and ordered Mitnick to complete therapy for his addiction.
A federal government official who tried to understand what motivated hackers (and grew to respect many of them) once told me that many of the talented hackers he met were lacking love and respect in their lives. These young people, who mostly distrusted authority and displayed personal aloofness, would completely melt and let down their personal guard when the official showed respect and amazement at their technical skills and homegrown tools.
When you consider that the financial gain made by hackers like Mitnick was peanuts compared to what they could have made by working legitimately with their enormous skills, it is rational to consider that this is truly a compulsive behavior over which some hackers have little control. Although I have no data to back this up, my own personal feeling is that the majority of young hackers who cross the line into illegal behavior are cured by good old Father Time - that and the first time a federal agent shows up in their bedroom.
However, that compulsive behavior also happens to be extremely valuable to criminals more motivated to act maliciously and seek financial gain. Hackers who appear to exhibit compulsive behavior and aren't dissuaded by laws or a conscience represent a latent threat to our networks.
So what, you may be saying, I already knew this - why should I care? If in fact computer hacking is an addiction. Who is going to feed the addiction, the good guys or the bad guys? Hardcore computer hackers, those who do not have a moral problem with crashing systems and stealing data, will become increasingly recruited by professional criminal organizations who seek to convert this unique skill into large financial dividends. Right now, these geniuses are not being highly leveraged by the criminal element, but that will change. The stakes are too high for it not to happen.
RELATED LINKS
Underground, by Suelette Dreyfus
Hacker alert
Network World, 09/27/99
Hacker Kevin Mitnick to be released by early 2000
Network World, 08/10/99
Chaos club offers hackers holiday
Network World, 07/27/99
The security specialist
Network World, 05/10/99
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