When most people think of the word “hacker” they think of
someone who is a malicious computer user up to no good. Beware the hacker who is trying to steal your
personal information, spread computer viruses, or even start a war by infiltrating
military computer systems. While there
is no denying there are hackers with bad intentions, the truth is that they
make up only a small percentage of the hacker community. Not all computer hackers focus on the
exploitation of others. In fact, many
hackers who once used their talents to break into systems now put their skills to
use by creating better software or strengthening security. In a way, the Internet is a battleground
between different kinds of hackers. The bad guys, or black hats, who try to
infiltrate systems and spread viruses, and the good guys, or white hats, who focus
on security and develop powerful virus protection software.
Here are a couple of well-known computer hackers.
Steve Wozniak
Before he co-founded Apple Computers, Steve Wozniak and
Steve Jobs built something called a blue box. This was an electronic device
that allowed users to make free long distance calls by emulating the in-band
signaling mechanism. Wozniak and Jobs
sold these devices to their fellow classmates.
David Smith is known for being the author of the infamous
e-mail virus, Melissa. The Melissa virus
was based on a macro in a Microsoft Word document. Once activated the virus
would replicate and e-mail itself to the top 50 people in the recipient’s
address book. Smith claimed the virus
was never intended to cause any harm, but the increase in e-mail traffic forced
some companies to discontinue e-mail programs until the virus was contained.
Hey David,
ReplyDeleteThat was a good introductory blog-post about hackers. Its true that some bad hackers are putting to use their expertise to create some good software...Now-a-days we see companies keeping hackathons for hackers to exploit a zero-day vulnerability ( i have referenced that in my blog-post) for a good amount of cash..
As for the aesthetics of your blog, I really like the design and layout..you have a feel good factor when reading. Keep up the good work!
Nice introduction about the hacking topic. It's true that when we hear about hacking, all the negativity always come up in our mind. I always thought that hacking was for someone to break into our systems and gain access and steal personal information for their own use. I like how you incorporated some well-known computer hackers in you blog. It shows the bright side of hacking.
ReplyDeleteThank You for the feedback and for checking out my blog!
ReplyDelete