Local hacker says he's good guy, alerting sites of security

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Mar 12, 2000 | by Chris Walsh

The first thing that stands out about ytcracker, a Colorado Springs computer hacker who prefers to be identified by his online name, is how normal he looks and acts.

The 17-year-old does not wear thick, wire-rimmed glasses or sport a pocket protector. He does not laugh diabolically and talk about destroying the world's technological web.

His skin doesn't emit a translucent glow from spending hours in front of a computer screen.

It's evident from the outset that ytcracker (pronounced whitey- cracker), who dropped out of high school and is starting his own Web security company, is not the stereotypical "computer geek."

In fact, he is an example of the quintessential hacker: young, intelligent, male and misrepresented in the public eye.

"I'm not that much different from anyone else," he said. "I like to party hard and have fun ... I actually have a life."

Like most hackers, he has a problem with the recent attacks that crippled popular sites such as Yahoo! and CNN, which were carried out by "crackers."

The media falsely attributed the attacks to hackers.

Crackers, according to hackers, maliciously break into Web sites and computer networks for destructive purposes or for financial gain.

Hackers, on the other hand, say they use their computer expertise to fix online security loopholes. Hackers say they would never stoop so low as to carry out "meaningless" attacks like the ones last month.

"The basic difference between crackers and hackers is simple: Hackers build things; crackers break them," said Eric Raymond, a widely known 42-year-old hacker who lives in Pennsylvania and has published essays on the subject.

Hackers also contribute to "open-source" programs, which are freely distributed over the Internet so others can pursue development of the program and add their ideas for improvement. Linux and Netscape are some of the largest open-source programs.

Hackers often are portrayed as lonely computer geeks - the angst- ridden social outcasts who turned to computers to vent their frustrations.

Raymond says their ranks contain such individuals, but the stereotype is often overblown.

"We don't all wear black. We're not disgruntled teen-agers," he said. "Most of all, real hackers don't break things. We build stuff - like the Internet."

But the lines between hackers and crackers can be blurry.

Some hackers may consider ytcracker an actual cracker because he occasionally breaks into Web sites to notify the company or organization that they have security problems.

But he distances himself from his malevolent counterparts.

"I'm on the straight and narrow; I'm on the good side," he said.

"I would never break into systems to intentionally cause harm; there's absolutely no need to show people what I can do."

Learning the tricks of their trade in basements and bedrooms throughout the United States, hackers say they do it because they love computers and want to see technology evolve.

"It's a hobby for most of us," ytcracker said. "It's a glamorous Hollywood world when you're in it, and it's fun."

As technology percolates into society, the number of hackers is expanding as fast as computer processor speeds.

"I'd say hundreds of thousands is in the right range," Raymond said.

"I've probably seen ten thousand hackers myself on the road and at trade shows, and I doubt I've met more than a tenth of the ones out there."

- Chris Walsh may be reached at 636-0162 or chrisw@gazette.com Edited by Joan Zales. Headline by Sherida Warner