The Cult of Hackers

Origin: NewsFactor (www.newsfactor.com)
Date: November 21, 2002
By: Jay Lyman

Hackers are typically portrayed as one of two stereotypes: digital Robin Hoods taking on the Internet's wired establishment or sinister masterminds who can upend everyday users' lives with their technical exploits.

In reality, hackers -- who tend to resist that blanket term in favor of more specialized designations, such as cracker, white hat or black hat -- are usually tech-savvy individuals experimenting with their skill sets by probing applications and Web sites for vulnerabilities, security expert Ryan Russell told NewsFactor.

But how did hacker myths arise? What sparks our fascination with those who illicitly explore computer systems?


Comic Book Characters

Gartner research director Richard Stiennon told NewsFactor that the public's desire to view real-world individuals as fictional good guys and bad guys is the driving force that determines how hackers are perceived.

"I think we're all influenced by comic book heroes and comic book villains," Stiennon said. "We glamorize them, and we're looking for a mastermind. Unfortunately, it doesn't exist. There's no Grinch of cyberspace that's going to steal Christmas."

But Stiennon was able to point to the root of the hacker myth. Even though today's hackers have posed no critical danger so far, he said, there is potential for future risk, and that knowledge of our vulnerability contributes to hackers' image and to the hacker culture's lore.


Dashing Digital Despots

At the "benevolent rebel" end of the spectrum, Russell said, hackers are portrayed in a playful sense because many in society may share their political ideology or sentiment. "It's obviously a good story if you have someone who appears to be smart and mischievous, and the criminal aspect is always interesting," he noted.

Stiennon agreed that those who are seen as taking on the establishment often win the admiration of onlookers. He noted that the "sport" of hacking has hit the mainstream in high schools.

At the other end of the hacker spectrum is the myth of the intelligent evildoer who is hell-bent on parlaying technical expertise into societal upheaval. "It's ... playing on the fear of the unknown," Russell said. "The idea that someone evil can impact your life is kind of a scary thing."

Public perceptions aside, however, Russell said that with few exceptions, the criminal elements of hacking -- and the monetary damages cited as a result of intrusion incidents - are usually exaggerated.


Old Guard, New Guard

Indeed, the evil hacker mastermind stereotype, which never really reflected reality, soon may give way to a more serious, though less overtly sinister, portrait of a hacker.

Unlike the hackers of yore, who had to master at least the rudiments of a programming language and operating system knowledge, a new guard is emerging in the hacking world, assisted by more than 30,000 Web pages devoted to the subject.

Stiennon said the real hacking risk of the future is that these new, younger hackers could enter the job market and neglect to check their hacking behaviors at the door. "They're at a company with a Web browser, and they'll snoop around just for kicks," he said. "Next thing you know, they've hacked into the employee database or executive e-mail."