Computer Hacking question please.

[David Cramer]

With the anti-virus thread going, it lead me to ask this question. How do hackers continually get away with sending out bad things to disable/goof-up/screw-up computers?

Is it because they can't track them?
Are they not worth the time to track?
Is it not cost effective?
Do hackers put out worm/trojan viruses just for the heck of it because they know they can't be caught?
Do they ever catch who is doing it?
Is it groups of people doing this or usually just individuals who are scary smart with computers?



I am not computer smart, I will admit it and will continue to admit it. I am a power tool guy and when we can afford to, I love doing anything and everything around our house. Sawmillcreek is the number one site that I look up and that is usually the extent of my computer use.

I, in my 30's, can't figure it out. Is it a thrill/rush for a hacker to send out something and get excited because it screwed up 1,000's of computers?

I did well in college and I'm far from being the village idiot, but I just don't get it. Can someone please shed a little light on this subject.

Thanks!!!

Dave

[Bob Childress]

With the anti-virus thread going, it lead me to ask this question. How do hackers continually get away with sending out bad things to disable/goof-up/screw-up computers?

Is it because they can't track them?

They can be difficult to track, since some will use YOUR computer to send it on. Pretty soon, 1,000's of computers are sending it and good luck.

Are they not worth the time to track?

There are a phalanx of people (many ex-hackers) who make a living tracking down these things.


Is it not cost effective?

Depends on the damage it does. Anything that hacks into, say, a Microsoft program, they will spare no expense.


Do hackers put out worm/trojan viruses just for the heck of it because they know they can't be caught?

Yes. They think they wont be caught.

Do they ever catch who is doing it?

Yes, actually. And they either go to jail or get recruited into the anti-hacking mob.


Is it groups of people doing this or usually just individuals who are scary smart with computers?

Sometimes groups but more often loners. Yes, they are scary smart with computers.



I am not computer smart, I will admit it and will continue to admit it. I am a power tool guy and when we can afford to, I love doing anything and everything around our house. Sawmillcreek is the number one site that I look up and that is usually the extent of my computer use.

I, in my 30's, can't figure it out. Is it a thrill/rush for a hacker to send out something and get excited because it screwed up 1,000's of computers?

I did well in college and I'm far from being the village idiot, but I just don't get it. Can someone please shed a little light on this subject.

Thanks!!!

Dave

HTH

[Al Willits]

You can shy away from many viruses and such by not opening files that are sent to you from persons unknown, many are transmitted that way, come to think of it, files from people you do know that unknowily have a virus or two can be transmitted that way.
Also downloading from sites is a good way to get some, many of the P2P music/video sites like Bearshare are great sources to see how well your anti virus is working.

Considering its almost impossible to stop a determined hacker, I'd just be careful of what I put or did on my comp, also using a password to get your comp to complete the start up helps a lot too.

Al

[Scott Shepherd]

Also, there are many people who no little to nothing about computers who do it. The are kids who go on websites and get the code and then change a few lines and launch it.

There are people who hate Microsoft. I mean real hate. They live every moment of their awake time trying to take down Microsoft. They have formed organizations that do nothing but that. They feel MS sells flawed software and they do everything they can to exploit the things they consider fatal flaws.

With MS products, in the past, it's been quite easy to exploit. You didn't have to be a real brainiac to do it. With more sophisticated operating systems like UNIX, it was far more difficult. I took some UNIX programming classes years ago (many years ago) and the guy who taught it worked on the original version at Bell Labs. He told us that the few people smart enough to hack UNIX back then were so highly sought after and paid that they wouldn't consider it. Back then everything ran on UNIX that was important. Government, Banks, Military, Telecommunications and anything big and important.

That was just a snapshot of many years ago. Today, it's all much different. Various operating systems are all working together, and all is takes is one weak link in the chain and the entire system is in trouble.

People haven't hated UNIX or Linux like they have MS products. With the Apples gaining market share, you'll probably start to see a lot more people messing with those.

Maybe some day we'll get a computer that is hack proof, virus proof, and spam proof Heck, I'll take spam-proof for now

[Pat Germain]

I work on Unix systems for my job. Although it was developed in the early 1970's, it was designed with built-in security which makes it very difficult to crack. Bank and credit card servers still run Unix with security being a primary reason.

Windows is based on DOS, which was designed completely wide open; no security whatsoever. Since then, Microsoft has been cramming security on top of this architecture. Although it's a lot better than it used to be, it's still not Unix.

I don't know a lot about Macs, but I'm under the impression their operating system is based on Unix which is why they are much more difficult to hack than a PC running Windows.

These days, hacking is way beyond angry MS haters and pimple-milking punks staying up past their bed time. Espionage, both corporate and government, is a primary objective. It's much easier for a foreign government or company to steal information and technology than pay for it or develop it themselves.

[Phil Nuccio]

Macs run BSD

[Pat Germain]

Macs run BSD

Cool. For those not aware, BSD is a 'flavor' of Unix.

[Mike Henderson]

In the early days, hacking was just malicious - the malware would do something to mess up your computer. Now days, it's a business and the primary aim is to steal your identity and perhaps your financial IDs and passwords.

The major thing is ID theft since that can be used for a longer time without you knowing about it. If they take money from your bank account, you usually notice it fairly quickly. But with your ID, they can open credit card accounts and charge quite a bit before you are even aware of it - they'll change the address on the account so you don't find out about it. The way you finally find out about it is when you have your credit score checked and it's in the basement.

Not all malware is out to steal your ID but a lot of it is.

Mike