Re: Wired: Pentagon Searches for 'Digital DNA' to Identify Hackers

[Rich Kulawiec <rsk () gsp org>]

On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 11:18:54AM -0800, Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah wrote:
> Having dealt with linguistic forensics for decades, I can assure you
> that it is possible to identify authors and sources despite editors,
> publishers, and even mangling from electronic communications systems.
> There are a huge number of characteristics that can be used to identify
> people: my wife (who used to be a secretary) even found characteristics
> "line lengths" in stuff people wrote.

An excellent introduction to this field (which I'm certain Rob doesn't
need) is Don Foster's "Author Unknown".

However, I find this approach wholly inapplicable to software as one of
the first things I would do, were I engaged in the business of hacking
for some government or another, would be to steal as much of the work
of others as I possibly could.  Oh, not just because it would defeat
this approach, but because it's far more time- and cost-effective.
I can't imagine that I'm the first person to think along these lines.

---Rsk

"VAX - when you care enough to steal the very best"
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