Re: The Threshold of Hackiness

[Paul Johnston <paul.johnston () pentest co uk>]

Hi,

> I can agree to some extent, but I find difficult to set the threshold
> of cluelessness one can accept from a supposedly "good hacker".

I had a go at this recently and came up with a three tier definition:

1) Script kiddie - Uses public tools and exploits, but does not
understand them, and cannot fix problems
2) Proficient hacker - Uses public tools and exploits, with full
understanding; can tweak tools for unusual scenarios
3) Advanced persistent threat - Has a collection of zero day exploits,
and is able to develop new exploits

Now this gets interesting from a defensive point of view. You can stop 1
and 2 using standard security best practices. But the standard defences
break down when faced by an attacker with zero day exploits.

Paul

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