Part 98 (1/2)
Several nods of agree from the far end of the table ”If you want to call it security” A sh pitched whine
”What do you meanI'm sorry, I don't knohat to call you,”
asked Scott
”GWhiz The security is a toy”
GWhiz spoke unpretentiously about how incredibly simple it is to crack any security system He maintained that there are theoret- ical methods to crack into any, and he emphasized any, computer
”It's impossible to protect a computer 100 Can't be done So that means that every computer is crackable” He offered to explain the norance of deciet into any computer they want There is always a way”
”Isn't that a scary thought?” Scott asked to no one in particu- lar
Scott learned froh school junior froenius scale, joined Mensa at 4 and already had in hand scholarshi+ps frohouse, Mellon, CalTech, MIT, Stanford to na and was now fluent in eleven coarded with an intellectual awe from hackers for his theoretical analy- ses that he had turned into hacking tools He was a walking encyclopedia of methods and techniques to both protect and attack co both sides with the sah tech MAD - Mutual assured Destruction, com- puter wise
”Don't you see,” said the British DRDR, continuing as if there had been no interruption ”Thephreaks, and that's exactly e are And that works for the establishners and securi- ty people honest by testing their systereat deal, don't you think? We, the hackers of the world, are the Good Housekeeping Seal of security systems by virtue of the fact that either we can or we cannot penetrate the for the systeht path,” Dave the futurist spoke up ”Even though he does work for GCHQ”
”GCHQ?” Scott asked quickly
”The English version of your NSA,” said Pinball, still engrossed in his food
”I do not!” protested DRDR ”Besides, what difference would it make if I did?” He asked reed Dave ”The effect is the same
However, if you are an MI-5 or MI-6 or whatever, that would show a great deal of unanticipated foresight on the part of your government I wish ours would think farther ahead than today's headlines I have found that people everywhere in the world see the problem as one of hackers, rather than the fundamental issues that are at stake We hackers are y has bequeathed us If any of our governh to listen, they would have a great deal of concern for the e infrastructure that doesn't have a leader Now, I' that if I were the govern on in the trenches The US
especially”
Everyone seeht up in their ownparasitic lives to realize that a neorld is shaping around the no doubt as to how he felt ”They don't have the set involved and see it first hand Which is fine byat DRDR, ”it doesn't ives us ainst what?” asked Scott
”Against them, of course,” responded Che2 ”The fascist military industrial establishment keeps us under a microscope They're scared of us They have spent tens of billions of dollars to construct huge computers, built into the insides of mountains, protected from nuclear attack In them are data bases about you, and me, and him and hundreds of millions of others There are a lot of these systems, IRS, the Census Department has one, the FBI, the DIA, the CIA, the NSA, the OBM, I can go on” Che2's voice crescendo'd and he got more demonstrative as the importance he attributed to each subject increased ”These computers con- tain the most private information about us all I for one, want to prevent the others get at it either Unlike those who feel that the Bill of Rights should be re-interpreted and re-shaped and re- packaged to feed their power frenzy, I say it's worked for 200 years and I don't want to fix soh the consequences of breaking and entering a coainst the possi- ble negatives before wildly en computer
That is e lish with Teutonic precision and a ave his accented words additional credibility He sounded like an expert ”I believe, quite strongly, that it is not so complicated to have a major portion of the hacker coe, no one should have any trouble with the sis as you found the security as long as you're acco useful”
”Hold on,” interrupted Scott ”Aht to break into a co right before you leave?”
”That's about it It is so si in its ramifications The beauty of the Code, if everyone lived by it, would be a ood for everyone”
”Wait, I can't stand this, wait,” said Scott holding his hands over his head in surrender He elicited a laugh fro, it's OK for you to come into my house when I'm not there, use the house, wash the dishes, do the laundry, sweep up and split I have a real problem with that
That's an invasion of my privacy and I would personally resent the shi+t out of it” Scott tried this line of reasoning again as he had with Kirk
”Just the point,” said DRDR ”When someone breaks into a house it's a civil case But this new bloody Computer Misuse Act makes it a felony to enter a computer Parliament isn't 100 perfect,”
he added coislative guidelines to criminalize certain computer activi- ties