Raise your hand if you're hesitant to write what's on your mind for fear of receiving some special attention from Anonymous, LulzSec, and friends.
[deleted]
LulzSec: Why we do what we do
21–30 of 195 posts
Re: LulzSec: Why we do what we do
#22Raise your hand if you're hesitant to write what's on your mind for fear of receiving some special attention from Anonymous, LulzSec, and friends.
Your question is more inviting than anybody speaking their mind. The one thing I thought when I read their statement was that it reminded me of A Clockwork Orange.
Re: LulzSec: Why we do what we do
#23Raise your hand if you're hesitant to write what's on your mind for fear of receiving some special attention from Anonymous, LulzSec, and friends.
Please don't fear them, their power comes from feeling righteous in what they do. No one's figured out how to manipulate them that easily.
At least not yet, anyway.
Re: LulzSec: Why we do what we do
#24Initially I thought the disclosure argument they made was weak (we hack stuff because when we announce it similar companies will be more careful) because unless they cause enough trouble to make security an immediate priority for a given non-targeted company, then it's unlikely that they will overcome that company's inertia.
However I realised that I have become significantly more careful with password reuse now because there are no companies I absolutely trust to keep my information from leaking out.
Re: LulzSec: Why we do what we do
#25They seem somewhat clueless.. If the NSA can partner with ISPs to scan internet traffic for phishing, viruses, etc ...the obvious next step is Lulzsec mentions or member mentions...in IRC, email, etc.. There is no such thing as hiding when attacking the internet, sooner or later you become the bitch
what makes you think Lulzsec mention the name "Lulzsec" a lot more often than the average HN reader?
Re: LulzSec: Why we do what we do
#26Just a question: if all they were doing was manipulating URLs (and I know they've moved beyond that) would they be doing anything illegal?
Yes. If I leave the door to my house unlocked, it doesn't mean that it is ok for you to come in without my permission.
Morally, it's also not just how you break in, but what you do afterwards. I.e. if you prevent more harm than you do.
If you enter the unlocked door and write "HI YOU FORGOT TO LOCK YOUR DOOR" with lipstick on the bathroom window, you're alerting the owner to a bad security practice by giving them a good scare. It is A Good Thing, because you likely prevented them losing their stuff.
If you enter the unlocked door and start smashing and stealing stuff, you are technically still alerting the owner to a bad security pracice, but it is now A Bad Thing. By "being" the worst case, you only guaranteed something that was only likely to happen.
Re: LulzSec: Why we do what we do
#27Raise your hand if you're hesitant to write what's on your mind for fear of receiving some special attention from Anonymous, LulzSec, and friends.
Your question is more inviting than anybody speaking their mind. The one thing I thought when I read their statement was that it reminded me of A Clockwork Orange.
Yes, the parents in A Clockwork Orange! Or pretty much everyone in the "It's a Good Life" episode of Twilight Zone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Its_a_Good_Life_(The_Twilight_Z...
That episode also made it into the Twilight Zone movie directed by John Landis.
See you next Wednesday!
Re: LulzSec: Why we do what we do
#28>People who can make things work better within this rectangle have power over others; the whitehats who charge $10,000 for something we could teach you how to do over the course of a weekend, providing you aren't mentally disabled. This is a common complaint among blackhats: they see whitehats as being in the game for the money and taking advantage of the unenlightened as much as they [the blackhats] themselves do. I…
That false comparison has always bothered me. Preying on the weak for fun instead of profit doesn't make you right, it makes you sound like a sociopath.
Re: LulzSec: Why we do what we do
#29Raise your hand if you're hesitant to write what's on your mind for fear of receiving some special attention from Anonymous, LulzSec, and friends.
The impact of their attacks has more been a strong motivation to "get my house in order". I'd been using LastPass for some time but decided that I should get the YubiKey for two factor auth. I also started becoming quite a bit more vocal at work about the sorts of things it might be a good idea to take a closer look at. This is a wake up call for what's already happening. They just decided to do it and tell the public instead of sitting, waiting, and letting people continue to feel safe. If there's danger and it's at your doorstep, it's good to feel not safe.
Re: LulzSec: Why we do what we do
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes. If I leave the door to my house unlocked, it doesn't mean that it is ok for you to come in without my permission.
Can I look in the windows?
Passer-by catching a glimpse of my big TV through my street-facing uncovered window? Sure.
Standing outside and watching my TV for 10 minutes? Please leave before I call the police.
Creepy guy with zoom-lensed camera in a van trying to peek through my bathroom curtains? I have already called the police.
While it isn't intuitive to us programmers and hacker types, when it comes to law and courts, intent matters more than action.