Re: Extreme Hacking

["Marcus J. Ranum" <mjr () nfr net>]

Bennett Todd wrote:
> 1999-07-05-20:26:55 Marcus J. Ranum:
> > Hacking isn't a technological problem, it's a social problem.
> > As such, it's not going to be "solved" by technological means,
> > but rather by social means.
>
> I dunno, much as I hate to step up and disagree with you of all people, I
> can't quite sit still for that.

It's OK. I'm just an opinionated guy, like most of the other
folks on the list. I neither breathe flame nor speak with any
authority other than what's been granted me by my experiences
and what I've learned from others.

> I believe "hacking" (in the sense it's being used here, as in burgling) is a
> symptom of a technological problem. Substantial and sophisticated systems,
> offering rich and diverse services, _can_ be designed and assembled with no
> exploitable security problems; a certain amount of conservative caution is
> needed, and in maintenance you have to keep an eye out for new discoveries,
> but if more people designed systems with security as a primary requirement,
> there'd be negligble activity among the computer burglars --- going around
> twisting doorknobs gets boring if none of 'em ever turn.

We're really arguing semantics, here. I'm speaking at the
meta-level: about this desire to enter systems without
invitation - out of ego, curiosity, excitement, or whatever.
The motivation is not technical but it does, in many cases
stem from a love of technology.

Certainly there would be no Internet hackers if there was
no Internet, but the technology is just an implementation
detail. If all we were using was a network of bean cans
and string, there would still be curious/thrill seekers/whatever
"hacking" it.

mjr.
--
Marcus J. Ranum, CEO, Network Flight Recorder, Inc.
work - http://www.nfr.net
home - http://www.clark.net/pub/mjr