Thread: Computer Security and Hacking in the Modern World

People will often talk about the threats to U.S. security and hegemony around the globe. Such threats include terrorism and the POV of the opposing political party (note that these are not mutually exclusive). However I have studied computer security for almost 2 years now, and I have concluded that hacking will be the #1 threat to the superpowers of today's world for several reasons:

1. Hacking is becoming a power tool already used by governments. Do you remember Stuxnet? If you do not, it is a computer worm (like a virus, except it hijacks the network and requires no human interaction to copy and spread) that was used to setback Iran's nuclear program. Most people would either suspect the United States or Israel, Iran's top enemies. Germany has also spied on people's computers for "law enforcement". China has hacked the United Nations. Governments are becoming aware of the value of cyberwarfare, and as always they will seize upon the opportunity for more power.

2. Hacking is becoming a danger to current governments. It can be seen by the acts perpetrated by Anonymous and LulzSec, two hacker groups. Anonymous has taken down the Chinese government, and LulzSec has hacked the CIA. The U.S. government has made active efforts to arrest members of the hacktivist organizations. Again, this shows that the government is aware of the power in hacking. The Internet is also a good way to spread ideas of democracy and freedom. China built it's Great Firewall in the hopes of preventing this, and censorship is high in Saudi Arabia and Iran. Hacking is the ultimate embodiment of power to the people: for the first time in history strength is not dependent on physical prowess or social standing but purely on the mind. I believe it will be the final blow to autocratic and authoritarian regimes all over the globe.

The United States, in order to prevent itself from collapsing due to the inability to keep up with technology, should make special efforts to recruit security professionals and hackers. If it does, it could very well survive the change in war from battlefields and seas to the cyber world. It will take a lot of work. It is hard to control the Internet; it is truly a people's institution. It can happen.

Any opinions on the matter? Anybody care to disagree?

Originally Posted by MadLib

The United States, in order to prevent itself from collapsing due to the inability to keep up with technology, should make special efforts to recruit security professionals and hackers. If it does, it could very well survive the change in war from battlefields and seas to the cyber world. It will take a lot of work. It is hard to control the Internet; it is truly a people's institution. It can happen.

Any opinions on the matter? Anybody care to disagree?

Why would you assume the US doesn't already, or am I misunderstanding your question?

Originally Posted by lizzie

Why would you assume the US doesn't already, or am I misunderstanding your question?

Because the CIA got hacked by LulzSec. A government agency that exists solely for national security should be better at protecting itself.

Originally Posted by MadLib

Because the CIA got hacked by LulzSec. A government agency that exists solely for national security should be better at protecting itself.

...come back when you know what 'hacking' is?

The public site of the CIA got DDOS'd. That's like saying that a master locksmith's house is insecure because someone caused a traffic jam on their road.

Official websites are close to being useless. Why would any government agency in its right mind put sensitive information in an official, open website? Now, I would be much more concerned when an internal system or even interoffice mail is hacked, but of course, there's a slim chance that it'll be reported or such.
Those idiot hacking groups have no idea that the government is at the top of their head, and is laughing at them. DDos is amazingly easy, it's the kind that primitive North Korean hackers use. It's also not what many would call hacking, as it retrieves no information or such. Therefore, highly inefficient way of "hacking"

Originally Posted by iangb

...come back when you know what 'hacking' is?

The public site of the CIA got DDOS'd. That's like saying that a master locksmith's house is insecure because someone caused a traffic jam on their road.

Don't tell me what I know or don't know. I study computer security. DDoS's fall within the range of hacking, albeit very script kiddie at that. I didn't know much about the situation but I didn't know it was just the home page. Yeah, that isn't so bad. What happened with HBGary was more serious though.

Originally Posted by Proud South Korean

Official websites are close to being useless. Why would any government agency in its right mind put sensitive information in an official, open website? Now, I would be much more concerned when an internal system or even interoffice mail is hacked, but of course, there's a slim chance that it'll be reported or such.
Those idiot hacking groups have no idea that the government is at the top of their head, and is laughing at them. DDos is amazingly easy, it's the kind that primitive North Korean hackers use. It's also not what many would call hacking, as it retrieves no information or such. Therefore, highly inefficient way of "hacking"

Nowadays many hackers don't need skill, and blackhat programmers will code software that allows someone with very little hacking skill to DDoS or use spyware. A good example is SpyEye, which is a program that will develop spyware for noob hackers. Among experienced hackers this is looked down upon and hackers who simply use premade software instead of their own skill are called "script kiddies".

I didn't know that North Korea engaged in much hacking. My realm is more with computer viruses and such, and my knowledge is almost purely theoretical at this point. Thanks for the info

Originally Posted by MadLib

Nowadays many hackers don't need skill, and blackhat programmers will code software that allows someone with very little hacking skill to DDoS or use spyware. A good example is SpyEye, which is a program that will develop spyware for noob hackers. Among experienced hackers this is looked down upon and hackers who simply use premade software instead of their own skill are called "script kiddies".

I didn't know that North Korea engaged in much hacking. My realm is more with computer viruses and such, and my knowledge is almost purely theoretical at this point. Thanks for the info

They developed some hacking unit a few years back ago, though I'm not doubtful that they had previous hacking experiences before. A primitive DDos attack originating from China and North Korea 1-2 years back tells about their skills