[Year 12 IT Apps] TJX Hacker Gets 20 Years in Prison

[Timmer-Arends]

Just to throw in my 2 cents worth

Pre-networks (say 70's and earlier) a 'hacker' was somebody who programmed by hacking at code for hours on end trying to make it work instead of thinking and designing first. To quote Joseph Weizenbaum (1976), "The compulsive programmer spends all the time he can working on one of his big projects. 'Working' is not the word he uses; he calls what he does 'hacking'..."

Regards
Robert T-A
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mark KELLY 
  To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List 
  Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2010 6:33 PM
  Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] TJX Hacker Gets 20 Years in Prison


  Hi all.  English teacher speaking.  (Not a claim of expertise; just a declaration of bias)

  The movie 'War Games' forever broke the innocent original interpretation of 'hacker'.  I regret the change, just like I regret not being allowed to be (in the happy sense) 'gay' or use the word 'cum' (in its Latin sense, not its XXX sense). 

  'Cracker' would be considered a post hoc attempt to resurrect 'hacker' in its original sense.  I fear the battle is already lost; 99% of the population simply does not know or care about the difference: and they win.

  English vocabulary is only defined by its current popular usage.  Love it or loathe it, "alright" will become a legitimate word, "whom" will only be used by people who don't know when to use it properly, and apostrophes are so tortured by misuse that it would be kinder to drown them and end their suffering. 

  Americanisms like 'color' and 'aluminum' (with the missing final "i" - a fascinating lesson in industrial history for those who know it) will continue to infect the rotting corpse of Australian vocabulary until even pedants such as I (who know when to say "I" instead of "me") have to stop and think about what is "correct". 

  And don't get me started on the demise of colons and semicolons.

  Sigh.  We may rage against the dying of the light, but realise that there are still people railing against "tomorrow" instead of "to-morrow". 

  And even I have started the vile act of verbing nouns...



  On Sun, Mar 28, 2010 at 11:41 AM, Roland Gesthuizen <rgesthuizen at gmail.com> wrote:

    I was curious too about the difference and Donna does raise an interesting point so I did some background reading to unpeel Hacking vs Cracking. I'll openly acknowledge that it is a hot language debate going on with malicious connotations floating about in this brew.

    From what I can read, a hacker is one who hacks, in the context of a computer this can be by circumventing its security system. Not entirely evil if we read up about the work by "white hats" and the more obscure "grey hats". There are others who enjoy making innovative customizations or combinations of retail electronic and computer equipment. This is also described as hacking and it doesnt have to involve bypassing security codes, installing mod chips etc. Crikey, my adaptation of a wiimote to play a game (still rather badly) on my computer or its adaptation as an interactive whiteboard tool is hacking .. so is the RACV chap who "hacked" into my car to recover my keys. His work was godly, worthy of a thousands blessings and a beer.

    We all know the great job that the media does to educate and inform the public (tongue firmly pressed in cheek) that the public is hugely unaware that different meanings exist. Considering that computer security experts embrace all these different uses of the word "hackers", we should similarly disassociate security breakers as "crackers", a term that is analogous to a safecracker. I don't mince words. As I remind my students:

      a.. Glance into my open lunchbox? You were probably just curious. I should have closed it and you should immediately tell me when you noticed that it was open.

      b.. Steal my lunch without my knowledge or permission? You are a thief!

      c.. I will share a slice with anybody who is hungry but only if they ask me nicely FIRST!
    Regards Roland



    On 26 March 2010 10:19, Adrian Janson <janson.adrian.a at edumail.vic.gov.au> wrote:

      >From your link:

      "In common usage, a hacker is a person who breaks into computers"

      Therefore hacker.


      -----Original Message-----
      From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Donna Benjamin
      Sent: Friday, 26 March 2010 10:09 AM
      To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
      Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] TJX Hacker Gets 20 Years in Prison


      Cracker please. Not Hacker.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_%28computer_security%29

      On Fri, 2010-03-26 at 08:13 +1100, Mark KELLY wrote:
      > BOSTON — Convicted TJX hacker Albert Gonzalez was sentenced to 20
      > years in prison on Thursday for leading a gang of cyberthieves who
      > stole more than 90 million credit and debit card numbers from TJX and
      > other retailers.  The sentence for the largest computer-crime case
      > ever prosecuted is the lengthiest ever imposed in the United States
      > for hacking or identity-theft.
      >
      > Read More
      > http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/tjx-sentencing/#ixzz0jE1QpB3a
      >
      >
      >
      > http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/tjx-sentencing/
      >
      > --
      > Mark Kelly
      > Manager - Information Systems
      > McKinnon Secondary College
      > McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
      > Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085
      > School Phone +613 8520 9000
      > School Fax +613 9578 9253
      > kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
      >
      > Webmaster - http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
      > IT Lecture notes: http://vceit.com
      > Moderator: IT Applications Mailing List
      >
      >
      > _______________________________________________
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      --
      Donna Benjamin - Executive Director
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    -- 
    Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
    http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au

    "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead
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  -- 
  Mark Kelly
  Manager - Information Systems
  McKinnon Secondary College
  McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
  Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085
  School Phone +613 8520 9000
  School Fax +613 9578 9253
  kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au

  Webmaster - http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
  IT Lecture notes: http://vceit.com
  Moderator: IT Applications Mailing List


  _______________________________________________ 
  http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe 
  IT Applications Mailing List kindly supported by 
  http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/infotechindex.html - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and 
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