Is Your Son a Computer Hacker?
By T Reginald Gibbons
Posted on Sun Dec 2nd, 2001 at 11:00:21 AM PST
As an enlightened, modern parent, I try to be as involved as
possible in the lives of my six children. I encourage them to join
team sports. I attend their teen parties with them to ensure no
drinking or alcohol is on the premises. I keep a fatherly eye on
the CDs they listen to and the shows they watch, the company they keep
and the books they read. You could say I'm a model parent. My children
have never failed to make me proud, and I can say without the
slightest embellishment that I have the finest family in the
USA.
Two years ago, my wife Carol and I decided that our children's
education would not be complete without some grounding in modern
computers. To this end, we bought our children a brand new Compaq
to learn with. The kids had a lot of fun using the handful of
Adobe's Word, and my wife and I were pleased that our gift was
received so well. Our son Peter was most entranced by the device,
and became quite a pro at surfing the net. When Peter began to spend
whole days on the machine, I became concerned, but Carol advised me
to calm down, and that it was only a passing phase. I was content to
bow to her experience as a mother, until our youngest daughter, Cindy,
charged into the living room one night to blurt out: "Peter is a
computer hacker!"
As you can imagine, I was amazed. A computer hacker in my own
house! I began to monitor my son's habits, to make certain that
Cindy wasn't just telling stories, as she is prone to doing at
times.
After a few days of investigation, and some research into computer
hacking, I confronted Peter with the evidence. I'm afraid to say, this
was the only time I have ever been truly disappointed in one of my
children. We raised them to be integrity,
and Peter betrayed the principles we tried to encourage in him,
when he refused point blank to admit to his activities. His
denials continued for hours, and in the end, I was left with no
choice but to ban him from using the computer until he is old enough
to be responsible for his actions.
After going through this ordeal with my own family, I was left
pondering how I could best help others in similar situations. I'd
gained a lot of knowledge over those few days regarding hackers.
It's only right that I provide that information to other parents, in
the hope that they will be able to tell if their children are
being drawn into the world of hacking. Perhaps other parents will
be able to steer their sons back onto the straight and narrow before
extreme measures need to be employed.
To this end, I have decided to publish the top ten signs that your son
is a hacker. I advise any parents to read this list carefully and
if their son matches the profile, they should take action. A smart
parent will first try to reason with their son, before resorting to
spanking. I pride myself that I have never
had to spank a child, and I hope this guide will help other parents to
put a halt to their son's misbehaviour before a spanking becomes
necessary.
1. Has your son asked you to change ISPs?
Most trusted and responsible Internet
Service Providers, such as AOL. These providers have a strict "No
Hacking" policy, and take careful measures to ensure that your
internet experience is enjoyable, educational and above all legal.
If your child is becoming a hacker, one of his first steps will be to
request a change to a more hacker friendly provider.
I would advise all parents to refuse this request. One of the reasons
your son is interested in switching providers is to get away from
AOL's child safety filter. This filter is vital to any parent who
wants his son to enjoy the internet without the endangering him
through exposure to "adult" content. It is best to stick with the
protection home-based
solution. If your son is becoming a hacker, he will be able to
circumvent any home-based measures with surprising ease, using
information gleaned from various hacker sites.
2. Are you finding programs on your computer that you don't remember
installing?
Your son will probably try to install some hacker software. He may
attempt to conceal the presence of the software in some way, but you
can usually find any new programs by reading through the programs
listed under "Install/Remove Programs" in your control panel.
Popular hacker software includes "Comet Cursor", "Bonzi Buddy" and
"Flash".
The best option is to confront your son with the evidence, and force
him to remove the offending programs. He will probably try to install
the software again, but you will be able to tell that this is
happening, if your machine offers to "download" one of the hacker
applications. If this happens, it is time to give your son a stern
talking to, and possibly consider punishing him with a grounding.
3. Has your child asked for new hardware?
Computer hackers are often limited by conventional computer hardware.
They may request "faster" video cards, and larger hard drives, or
even more memory. If your son starts requesting these devices, it
is possible that he has a legitimate need. You can best ensure that
you are buying legal, trustworthy hardware by only buying replacement
parts from your computer's manufacturer.
If your son has requested a new "processor" from a company called
AMD is a third-world
based company who make inferior, "knock-off" copies of American
processor chips. They use child labor extensively in their third world
sweatshops, and they deliberately disable the security features that
American Intel, use to prevent
hacking. AMD chips are never sold in stores, and you will most
likely be told that you have to order them from internet sites. Do not
buy this chip! This is one request that you must refuse your son, if
you are to have any hope of raising him well.
4. Does your child read hacking manuals?
If you pay close attention to your son's reading habits, as I do,
you will be able to determine a great deal about his opinions and
hobbies. Children are at their most impressionable in the teenage
years. Any father who has had a seventeen year old daughter
attempt to sneak out on a date wearing make up and perfume is well
aware of the effect that improper influences can have on inexperienced
minds.
There are, unfortunately, many hacking manuals available in bookshops
today. A few titles to be on the lookout for are: "Snow Crash" and
"Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson; "Neuromancer" by William Gibson;
"Programming with Perl" by Timothy O'Reilly; "Geeks" by Jon Katz; "The
Hacker Crackdown" by Bruce Sterling; "Microserfs" by Douglas Coupland;
"Hackers" by Steven Levy; and "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" by Eric
S. Raymond.
If you find any of these hacking manuals in your child's possession,
confiscate them immediately. You should also petition local
booksellers to remove these titles from their shelves. You may meet
with some resistance at first, but even booksellers have to bow to
community pressure.
5. How much time does your child spend using the computer each day?
If your son spends more than thirty minutes each day on the computer,
he may be using it to DOS other peoples sites. DOSing involves gaining
access to the "command prompt" on other people's machines, and using
it to tie up vital internet services. This can take up to eight
hours. If your son is doing this, he is breaking the law, and you
should stop him immediately. The safest policy is to limit your
children's access to the computer to a maximum of forty-five minutes
each day.
6. Does your son use Quake?
Quake is an online virtual reality used by hackers. It is a popular
meeting place and training ground, where they discuss hacking and
train in the use of various firearms. Many hackers develop anti-social
tendencies due to the use of this virtual world, and it may cause
erratic behaviour at home and at school.
If your son is using Quake, you should make hime understand that this
is not acceptable to you. You should ensure all the firearms in your
house are carefully locked away, and have trigger locks installed.
You should also bring your concerns to the attention of his school.
7. Is your son becoming argumentative and surly in his social
behaviour?
As a child enters the electronic world of hacking, he may become
disaffected with the real world. He may lose the ability to control
his actions, or judge the rightness or wrongness of a course of
behaviour. This will manifest itself soonest in the way he treats
others. Those whom he disagrees with will be met with scorn,
bitterness, and even foul language. He may utter threats of violence
of a real or electronic nature.
Even when confronted, your son will probably find it difficult to talk
about this problem to you. He will probably claim that there is no
problem, and that you are imagining things. He may tell you that it is
you who has the problem, and you should "back off" and "stop
smothering him." Do not allow yourself to be deceived. You are the
only chance your son has, even if he doesn't understand the situation
he is in. Keep trying to get through to him, no matter how much he
retreats into himself.
8. Is your son obsessed with "Lunix"?
Mandrake are all versions of an
Soviet computer
hacker named Linyos Torovoltos, before the Russians lost the Cold War.
It is based on a program called "xenix", which was written by
US government. These programs are used by
hackers to break into other people's computer systems to steal credit
card numbers. They may also be used to break into people's stereos to
steal their music, using the "mp3" program. Torovoltos is a notorious
hacker, responsible for writing many hacker programs, such as
"telnet", which is used by hackers to connect to machines on the
internet without using a telephone.
Your son may try to install "lunix" on your hard drive. If he is
careful, you may not notice its presence, however, lunix is a
capricious beast, and if handled incorrectly, your son may damage your
computer, and even break it completely by deleting Windows, at which
point you will have to have your computer repaired by a
professional.
If you see the word "LILO" during your windows startup (just after you
turn the machine on), your son has installed lunix. In order to
get rid of it, you will have to send your computer back to the
manufacturer, and have them fit a new hard drive. Lunix is
extremely dangerous software, and cannot be removed without destroying
part of your hard disk surface.
9. Has your son radically changed his appearance?
If your son has undergone a sudden change in his style of dress, you
may have a hacker on your hands. Hackers tend to dress in bright,
day-glo colors. They may wear baggy pants, bright colored shirts and
spiky hair dyed in bright colors to match their clothes. They may take
to carrying "pacifiers around their
necks. (I have no idea why they do this) There are many such hackers
in schools today, and your son may have started to associate with
them. If you notice that your son's group of friends includes people
dressed like this, it is time to think about a severe curfew, to
protect him from dangerous influences.
10. Is your son struggling academically?
If your son is failing courses in school, or performing poorly on
sports teams, he may be involved in a hacking group, such as the
infamous "Otaku" hacker association. Excessive time spent on the
computer, communicating with his fellow hackers may cause temporary
damage to the eyes and brain, from the electromagnetic radiation. This
will cause his marks to slip dramatically, particularly in difficult
subjects such as Math, and Chemistry. In extreme cases, over-exposure
to computer radiation can cause schizophrenia, meningitis and
other psychological diseases. Also, the reduction in exercise may
cause him to lose muscle mass, and even to start gaining weight. For
the sake of your child's mental and physical health, you must put a
stop to his hacking, and limit his computer time drastically.
I encourage all parents to read through this guide carefully. Your
child's future may depend upon it. Hacking is an illegal and dangerous
activity, that may land your child in prison, and tear your family
apart. It cannot be taken too seriously.
