The Internet Underground - A Hacker's Culture

Part 2


By Greg Richburg
Netricks, Inc.

Warez, pronounced “Wāres,” in the super tech encyclopedia, is a term used by software "pirates" to describe software that has been stripped of its copy-protection and made available on the Internet for downloading. Warez web sites cost software vendors billions of dollars each year, and predominately attack the major corporations like Microsoft, Adobe, Symantec, and Macromedia, to name a few.

“Information is and should always be, PUBLIC DOMAIN!” – The Hacker’s Manifesto. We spoke briefly about this initial structure and the basics of the Internet Underground in last Month’s issue of Business Street. In this issue, I want to address the higher lever echelon of the hierarchy and complex structure that form the demensions of Internet piracy.

We spoke of the peer to peer pirates, which we all know well (Kazaa, Morpheus…), moved up to the IRC bunch, then briefly mentioned the Fserves and script kiddies. To address the system, I feel it is important to understand the reasons first.

Many of us have jumped into the peer to peer file sharing fiasco because it was fun, we didn’t see any harm, we got free music, we got free software, we got free adult media, and everyone else was doing it. A small few graduated to the IRC channels, where there was more pirated software, and it required a bit more supra-tech knowledge to grasp the goods.

Once comfortable in that realm, people started to feel important, propositons for more began to arise. Simple file server functions and scripts let them share files direct from their personal hard drives. Pack rats began to hoard everything. It almost became a contest to collect more games, mp3s, and software applications than you could use in ten lifetimes. But it didn’t end there.

You see, people out grew their own means. The commodity tansfered in a peculiar sense. From wanting more computer games, music, movies, and software, the transition to wanting more hard drive space and transfer speed soon took front seat. Then the real race was on!
The Hacker came back into the picture in full force, and the organization hierarchy compounded.

Why use my own resources when I can use yours?

It became almost a contest at this point. You see, the people involved don’t really need the software or movies that they traded, but the actual action and involvement in the process was what excited them. In a simple form, it began with the Scanners.

Scanners

Scanners scan, that is what they do. And I don’t mean scanning photos and such, I mean scanning ip address ranges and servers looking for vulnerabilities in system setups. They are abundant as ever. I can put a free system on a DSL line without a firewall and it will be compromised in less than 10 minutes. And a beautiful thing about this is that the clever Scanners won’t even use their own systems to scan. They will often use an already compromised system to do their dirty work.

Hackers

Once ample data has been collected, the Scanners post their findings for the Hackers. Hackers then break through the vulnerabilities and plant hidden applications that run on the server level of the compromised units. These applications offer a means to access and transfer data to and from the subjugated system. This function is called rooting. Once a computer is rooted, the job again gets passed.

Fillers

They will use up every bit of space the systems have available. Their job is to fill and fill they do. If the compromised system is fast enough, the fillers will upload every form of data imagineable, just for the sake of trade.

I once found a hidden file transfer application on a server that belonged to a multi-million dollar business and the group that put it there was using the system to trade French films and pirated computer games. The company had no clue how long it had been there. Now that’s a clever hack.

So with all that in mind, can you see why space and bandwidth became the commodity, and the actual information or software being traded took a second seat? The people involved in the infrastructure didn’t really need or want the goods. They just wanted to make the goods available. Which takes you all the way back to the “Hacker’s Manifesto” as mentioned in last month’s article and at the beginnig of this one, “…public domain.”

I have just touched on the hierarchy here, there is really much more to it. There are many other individuals involved in the Internet Underground and all play important roles in the grand scheme of information trading. There are racers, leechers, taggers, crackers, suppliers, nukers, couriers, site traders, and many other participants in a chaotic world run on wires and airwaves.
So the next time you download that single song from Kazaa, the next time you install that copy of Microsoft’s Office that your neighbor gave you on the burned disc, the next time you buy that dvd at the swap meet, just remember you are an important part of that culture too.

A Rule for the Road: The Internet is a culture.

All past articles written by Greg Richburg are available at http://www.netricks.com/news. Please address article suggestions to: info@netricks.com. Greg Richburg a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and the owner of Netricks, Inc. a network consulting, web design and hosting company located in Fresno, CA. Visit Netricks at http://www.netricks.com/. 559-431-3775.

The Internet Underground

A Hacker’s Culture
By Greg Richburg Netricks, Inc.

Information is and should always be, PUBLIC DOMAIN! – The Hacker’s Manifesto.

The Social Organization of the Computer Underground has come a long way. It used to be understood that the computer underground consisted of actors in three roles - computer hackers, phone phreaks, and software pirates. Today, the system includes multi dimensional players that parallel the infrastructure of an organized crime syndicate.

We need to understand hacking and piracy in order to set up proper security precautions. A solid infrastructure can and will act as a deterrent from hack attempts that could lead to mishaps in your working environment.

History

The term “hack” has been around since the 60’s. A "hack" was a clever programming trick that exploited hardware features of a computer for purposes other than what they were originally intended. People good at such tricks were dubbed Hackers.

Today hackers carry a bad rap. The term has become a catch-all phrase with a derogatory connotation that defines someone breaking into computer systems with mal intent. Hackers are often blamed for the entire business of Internet piracy. The truth is, there are many corrupt users out there that abuse their knowledge and power.

In reality, most hackers abide by a simple law, “it is asserted to be a categorical imperative to remove any barriers between people and the use and understanding of any technology for the sake of learning.” This credo has evolved into an entire ethical set of rules.

Still, the piracy blame weighs heavy on the Hacker’s shoulders. Much of this blame stems from their associations with other members of the Internet Underground. Phreaking refers to the practice of using either technology or telephone credit card numbers to avoid long distance charges. When the telco line was the only means for the layperson to access computer networks, phreakers were in high demand. Hackers and phreakers often operated in unison. Today, with high speed Internet advancements, phreakers are almost obsolete.

In the mid 80’s, movies like War Games and books like Neuromancer by William Gibson offered a stretched warning that technical savvy youths could obtain power by compromising computer networks. This foresight was not too far skewed, and further books were written that illustrated how hackers worked together and developed communities based on similar technological beliefs. The rooting of a new type of culture had begun.

The New World Order

Today, Hackers and Phreakers play relatively small rolls in the structured hierarchy of the modern Internet Underground. Like the New York Mob, there is a strictly defined rank and rule among the members of this new cyber culture. Ettiquette and ethics are forfront in our digital playground, and to be a part of, one must proove him or herself by action. And although there are always bad seeds, for the most part, the hacker pushes one thing, “Above all else, do no harm.”

Please do not mistake hacking for piracy. As stated above, hackers take a bad rap and are often blamed for the bulk of piracy, when in essence, the Internet Underground is comprised of a multi-tier consortium of workers. The structure consists of a simple hierarchy that defines job and goal. A person qualifies by experience and proof of ability.

There is also a new rudimentary form of piracy that many of us partake in, but pass it off like everyday trade. These pirates have been dubbed the Kazaa Kiddies, users of the many peer-to-peer file sharing applications like Kazaa, Morpheus, and Limewire. There are enormous dangers that can easily be avoided with simple network rules in your work environment. Please see the June 2004 article in Business Street called MP3s and the Peer-to-Peer Fiasco.

The IRC channels offer the next level of piracy. Users of the Internet Relay Chat apps that download from FServers and XDCC bots are significantly higher in the chain of command. This is where the users begin to write their resume.

An even higher ranking group is dubbed the Script Kids. Script Kids have acquired some real skills. They scan, hack, and fill. That is their job. Often they work in groups. This is where we really begin to see the organization of the Internet Underground take shape.

There are several other levels of this organized culture that advance dangers and security disruptions into the business network environments. We can assess many problematic network architectures and provide firewalls and other safe housing computer rules for your network users and employees. However, it is vital for secure network operations that you enforce these rules.

To be continued…

A Rule for the Road: If you don’t know enough about the Warez World, it is best not to venture inside. It is a dangerous game, and if you value the working function of your PC, keep out.
All past articles written by Greg Richburg are available at http://www.netricks.com/news. Please address article suggestions to: info@netricks.com. Greg Richburg a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and the owner of Netricks, Inc. a network consulting, web design and hosting company located in Fresno, CA. Visit Netricks at http://www.netricks.com. 559-431-3775.