Disgust En-Mass -- by shiloh

[an article written for and published in a Computer-related e-zine]

It wasn't that long ago that I was a starry-eyed kid, who followed the scene blindly.  But it also wasn't that long ago that so-called hackers had morals, of a kind.  There was an unspoken collective agreement that hacking actually stood for something worth-while.  Somehow the term hacking has been seamlessly forever misdefined by all the cracker/fraudulent kiddies out there.  What ever happened to the freedom of information?  What ever happened to the righteousness behind a good hack?  Somehow young pre-teens have grown up on exploits and power-trips.  Somehow the latest crack has been given the title of a "hack" and we all spread the word.

But that's not what hacking is and never has been.  Years ago I remember sitting in a backwards channel on a not-so-reccommended corner of IRC arguing over the definition of a hacker.

hacker (n.) 1. one who works as an individual or as part of a team to gain access to information otherwise not available to the public, under the belief that all information is and should be public knowledge.  2. one who works as an individual or as part of a team to bring forward into the public eye the flaws and loopholes present in current so-called secure systems.

When we happened on that one, there was still some semblance of truth to it.  There were still those we could point out who worked under the guidelines of such statements, rather than for the simple purpose of being able to "0wn" a system and then leave their mark, possibly destroying pertinent data in the process.

With the new millennium rapidly descending upon us, and the possibility of the end of the world, most wannabe hackers are just out for a name for themselves.  They want their alias flashed across the web, they want faces in the news.  They like the idea of a stack of newspaper clippings with THEIR alias in it, because they would only agree to be quoted if "their identity remains unknown".

These so-called hackers are simply mislabeled.  They're not hackers.  They're something that no one really wants to relate to, but deep inside knows they are.  These script-kiddies, who steal other people's work and use it to crack into a system, are simply one thing collectively:  criminals.

"... a California consulting firm, Computer Economics Inc., issued a report June 18 that estimated business losses of $7.6 billion to virus and 'worm' attacks in the first half of this year alone. " (Taken from the online The Inquirer, an article Sunday June 27, 99 - http://www.phillynews.com/inquirer/99/Jun/27/front_page/HACK27.htm)

There is no end to the amount of damage caused by these people working in the name of hacking.  They easily slip into systems, through glaring flaws in the security, and then wreck havoc.  The worst part is?  They're proud of it.  They're 14, 15, 16 year old's for the most part and they brag to their friends about it.  Common-place today is what is best known as Web-hacking, where an individual or group will enter a system and re-write www/html files to put their name on the web.  Normally such edited files will include nasty threats, proclamations of superiority, shout-outs to friends, disturbing graphics and if we - the viewing audience - are lucky, there'll also be a group logo, such as the Keebler Elves 0wned icon.

It's criminal.  What is the betterment to anyone by this?  Sure, the site goes offline, the administrators spend time and money checking into their security, and the police/fbi make a half-hearted effort at tracking down the vandals.  It's an electric form of tagging.  That's all it is.  WWW pages are just another form of large down-town brick buildings eager for a coat of spray-paint.

I suppose what gets to me the most - the real clincher is - rarely do these kids get in by their own devices.  It's usually some exploit they picked up from slashdot or bugtraq, written by maybe even a friend of theirs, but not them, and put to use after multiple testings of online IRC unfortunates.  In all honesty, I'm not computer illiterate and am capable of running an executable file on my *nix machine.  It wouldn't be so hard for me to crack into any number of severely crippled security-wise web pages and maybe even post this article.   It's something I've written and put my own effort into.  Why shouldn't I plaster is all over the web for the world to read?  Because there's a little bit of morality in me.  I wouldn't break into my next-door neighbour's house and leave it on their kitchen table for them to read, or wallpaper their house with it.  I wouldn't break into the Police Station's file room and put one in every case folder for someone to happen upon later.  Why should I break into a company web site and plaster their page with my words, why should I attempt to 0wn an FBI site for the sole purpose of making a name for myself?

When speaking with a long-time security consultant who has experience from the at-home aspect, on up into corporate Motorola and then back down to the level of local ISP, he shared a few words of wisdom "What you should do, as a hacker, is leave a file, maybe something called iwashere.txt - because then it's 8 characters and works in all platforms, including the out-dated DOS ones - with something to the effect that you broke into their system, have looked around, that they're not going to be able to track you, but you want them to know that you were here and then sign it with your online alias.  After you do this to a number of sites, you're going to get the fame you want, and the sites are going to go about securing themselves just as they would if you'd edited their web page, but you haven't caused any REAL damage."

Over the years the term "hacking" has become one related closely to computer/phone-crimes and credit-card fraud.  The previously given definition has little chance of ever standing true again and those of us who remember the "old-school" days sit back silently and watch the youngsters quickly bury themselves in a world they just don't understand.  Anarchy has yet to find a solid ground in our society and when one tries to live outside the walls of the norm, but insists on leaving trails inside, there's only one place for them to end up. 

Alex...

The top of this page says it was for Alex ... (who the heck is Alex? did I date an Alex when I was 17?! I don't remember an Alex! The only Alex I can remember from back then is tic-tock .. but I don't remember us connecting?!@# oh memories, how you fail me some 18 years later!)

---
I lay here, on my stomach, and try to write. I go through page after page, and nothing really comes. I know what I want to write about and I know how I want it to end up, but I don't know how to get from here to there.

one fish
two fish
Red fish
blue fish.

Why can't it be that simple? Why can't I just write and have words, great big important words, just drift into my head and arrange themselves as they flow out of my pen? Why does it have to be so hard for me to say anything? Everyone says I have a wonderful way with words, but suddenly I feel stooopid. I totally lack the sense of diction.

All I want to do is make love to you with my poetry. I want to impress you and knock you off your feet. I know you already love me, but god-damnit, I still want to do this for you, because you deserve it! AARRRGHHH!!!!
---
 
[post-script ... oh wow ... ALEX! I lived in DC for a summer with Alex .. what the hell, "did I date an Alex when I was 17?" .. yes, yes I did! Alex was pretty fucking amazing. I was kinda of a self-absorbed twat back then ..... but he loved me anyhow..... oh Alex!]

Excerpt from my very first web page:

This is me...

Alright, well.. let's get to the important stuff of this site.

Hi! I'm Cassandra J. Henry and this is my page .. I'm sure you already KNEW that, but.. anyways! .. The J. stands for Jewell .. my parents gave me that middle name so I could sign my "J. Henry" (in otherwords, my parents are nuts and somehow associate J. Henry with John Hancock).

I am a young female from Ontario, Canada (I'm Canadian, eh!) and am semi-new to this Internet thang. I grew up with computers, starting out on a C64/128 with a 1200bps modem (which my father, who is heavily interested in computers, suckered my older sister and I into buying with our Christmas money!!) and then after our $500 phone bill from calling Q-Link in the states, we decided we could run our own BBS. This was about 6 years ago and our BBS, Ambassador Board, is still up and running with about 600 users. I actually only started accessing the InterNet at the end of August '95.

As for that funky pic. on my main page and associated with most of my pages, I bet you're wondering what the heck it has to do with me, well... I had blue hair! Amazing, eh?! .. It took me a whole year to get my parents to let me dye is, but.. finally they did! What an experience. (if you ever want to hear a really long and semi-odd story, ask me about what I went through to get blue hair!!) -- for anyone who has seen this page before, you know that that pic had blue hair too, but now that my hair is red, I felt it would be appropriate to change her hair colour!! :) .. (if you wanna hear another long and odd story, ask me about my 4 hour trip to the hair-dressers!!!)

Aside from the InterNet, I do a lot of other things in my spare time. I love to write poetry and short stories. I also like to read. I'm completely into the horror genre, my favourite author, at the moment, being John Saul. I like to go out to parties and dances and to the movies like any regular person. I listen to pretty much any kind of music, from Alternative and Industrial to Rock and Classical (my favourite band is PearlJam with Live as a close second). Shiloh is actually from the song Shilo by Neil Diamond. Although I have leared it has many other significant meanings.

I don't really know what else to say? The sport I love the most is basketball, I'm VERY against smoking and drugs and alcohol and all that stuff (I'm not religious or anything, I just don't see the point in most of it!!) .. I do know how to have a good time without all that stuff! .. I love to wear jeans and a t-shirt and a pair of big fuzzy socks .. my hair is curently pretty short (not quite shoulder length) but I am in the process of growing it (again!) .. I am a very scatterbrained type of person, and I do tend to jump from topic to topic!! Truth be know, I am 16, born June 10, 1980. Now that you know my birthday, send me sumfin, eh?! hehe!

Anyways, I don't want to bore you to tears (as if I havn't already!), so I guess I'll end this here and let you go searching through the fun things on my page. If you ever want to talk to me, I spend a lot of time in IRC .. I have my own channel called #Shilohz and if I'm online than I'm bound to be there, and if I'm not actually there but am online, ShyBot (my bot! newest accomplishment!) will be there, so msg her!! Oh, and reccently I spend most of my time in #devotion so you can look for me there too! And.. I always enjoy getting e-mail, so.. send me something.. heck, just write and say hi! I promise I'll respond! hehe!

Description (An English Journal Post)

The film has started.  The first scene is of a young woman.  She is tall, perhaps 5'10".  Her long dark hair falls over her shoulders in a cascade of natural curls.  Her deep imaginative dark eyes, intent on something in front of her.

Somewhere, a bird sings out a melody.

The lady leans back against the hillshide, her head reading on the soft grass, its green a deep constrast to her creamy white skin and her pale virgin dress.

Her gaze falls to her lap where a book lays open to a well-worn page.  It is a book of poetry, author unknown.

The girl closes her eye and resites out loud the poem from memory.

Then, the screen goed black.  The goddess is gone...

By Cassandra J. Henry
March 1995

[I can picture her - a lovely description. 8/10 ]

Journal Entry About Journals (An English Journal Post)

[Read/Mark this one:  A]

This is a journal entry about journal entries.  I don't enjoy writing in a journal for school.  Why, you may ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  When I am writing in my journal at home, I know that no one is going to read it, I know that I can write about anything and no one will be offended.

When I write at school, what I say has to be guarded because I know that you are likely to read it.  Some of the topics require personal information and opinions that I may not wish to share, yet I almost find myself doing so anyways. [Check, smilie]

I think a journal is a good idea, but the topics should possibly be more fun, like, "What if a space shuttle were to land on earth from another galaxy?" [Maybe we'll do that one]

I am into topics that are deeper than than, but I can't always express my feelings or opinions on them easily when I know there is going to be someone reading it. [Check. Yes.]

And...

I never get to hear what you think about the topics that we have to write about!  It is hard to have a one-way conversation with a piece of paper through a pencil!

Okay, I have just learned that I can't write my journal is class when there are other people talking.  I keep wanting to write down the words that people are saying.

Okay, this is it, no more, the lights are gone, this is it!

Signed Cass Jewell Henry

[Well written, Cassandra... a very thoughtful piece about journals.]

Love and marriage (An English Journal Post)

Love. What a word. I wonder if I'll ever really find it.  I know that I love pretty much everyone that enters my life to some degree of the word, but I never really know how they feel about me.

Because I love everyone in some way, there is always a chance that that love will blossom into something bigger and better.

There often seems to be about two or three guys out there who tell me they love me, but I've stopped believing them fully because I have been screwed around by so many people that I don't know what to think any more.

I have had many relationships, but none of them ever seem to work out. My very first relationship was in grade one.  The next one didn't come until grade 6.  From then on I have spent little time out of relationships.

There have been 11 guys in my life, 10 of which have been since '92.  I have been "going-out" with a guy for 167 days now.  In the beginning we talked on the phone a lot (since he goes to a different school) and got together at local parties, etc, but have since stopped talking often, and have never actually been on a date with him.  (This Friday we are going out to the movies.)

Righ now there are 6 guys in my life who have told me they love me.  I don't think that some of them know the meaning of the word.

As for marriage...

I don't know if I could spend the rest of my life with one person.  I know for sure that I would probably flirt constantly with other guys, even if I were married, but I am a very insecure person and would always think that there must be someone better for the person I am with.

Besides, I have not had a friendship that has lasted more than 4 years and the person who I am friends with (the 4 year one) is beginning to annoy me royally.

Oh well, I'm only 14, so there's hope for me and love and marriage yet.

Signed Cass Henry.

Journal Starter #31 (An English Journal Post)

The computer is very important in my life because I meet many friends over it! I use modems and BBS's and communicate with new people every day. However, with the computer, I don't get to meet the person face to face, so it almost becomes hard to meet people in person.

I also use the computer to type up reports, becaue my hand-writing is messy.

I play games on the computer and I also can play my music on the CDROM.

My father is a computer consultant, and without the computer my family and I wouldn't have the money from his job.