CptS 401 Adam Carter Section 5.1 & 5.2

Quiz Question A hacker can be described as a programmer who writes clever or elegant code someone who breaks into computers without authorization someone who modifies web sites to make a political statement All of the above None of the above

Quiz Question Answer D. All of the above All of these versions of a “hacker” can be found in Section 5.2.1 (pp. 253-260).

Quiz Question In this attack, hundreds of thousands of requests for Web pages and other information are issued to a single Web site: Zombie attack Love Bug attack Denial-of-service attack None of the above

Quiz Question Answer C. See p. 260.

Quiz Question In 1998, “the most organized [cyber] attack on the Pentagon” was perpetrated by Al-Qaeda A disgruntled Pentagon employee China Two teenage boys Russia

Answer D (259)

Quiz Question An infected computer is often known as a: Pirate Ninja Zombie Trojan Vampire

Answer C (260)

Question A person that hacks systems for political reasons is known as a: Hactivist Terrorist Anarchist Pacifist Idealist

Answer A (263)

Quiz Question 4 (Extra Credit) Writing computer code that could at some point be used to generate computer viruses or hack into computers is presently illegal in the U.S. True False

Quiz Question 4 Answer B. False The bottom of p. 272 makes it clear that no such law exists, and points out that such a law would make it difficult to defend against such viruses, and may conflict with the First Amendment (Free Speech), since courts have previously ruled that software is a form of speech.

Discussion Exercise: Stance with Respect to Break-Ins (Clicker) Ex. 5.9, p. 300: Young, technically-oriented hackers have argued that, if owners of a computer system want to keep outsiders out, it is their responsibility to provide better security. Ken Thompson, one of the inventors of UNIX, said, “The act of breaking into a computer system has to have the same social stigma as breaking into a neighbor’s house. It should not matter that the neighbor’s door is unlocked.” Which position do you agree with more? Why? A: Young hackers’ position B: Ken Thompson’s position C: Neither D: Not sure

Hacktivism Hactivism a legitimate form of civil disobedience Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Class discussion How should we punish young hackers?

Clicker Poll Suppose a 16 year old hacker commits a denial of service attack on the 911 telephone system. How should he be punished? No punishment Weak punishment On-par with other teen hackers More penalties than usual

Class discussion Should we ban the creation of hacking tools and computer viruses?

Class discussion Many stores do not require signatures or do not verify signatures on credit card purchases. As the book pointed out, it is very easy to obtain credit card numbers. Given this fact, is this a safe practice by the stores?

Clicker question People should be required to obtain a “Computer License” that guarantees a minimum amount of competence, similar to a drivers license. Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree