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Add to FavoritesWhat does a kid need to be a successful computer hacker? There are a number of requirements: access to a computer (preferably unsupervised), computer skills, opportunities to learn the necessary skills, and motivation. Each of these things is far more readily available now than it was ten years ago - so it far more likely that kids today will learn to hack than they did then.
While many families were purchasing computers for home use by that time, the phenomenon of a computer for each family member is still fairly recent. Ten years ago, family computers were more likely to be set up in a common area of the home, and to be shared by multiple users. They were also far more likely to be desktops as opposed to laptops, which means that they stayed put. The increased portability of laptops also contributes to the ease with which young people can avoid adult supervision of their computer use.
While it is easy to take the general population's computer competency for granted now, this is another area that first of all, is often over-rated, and secondly, was even less true ten years ago. Far more young people than you might expect are entering college in 2008 with minimal computer skills - in 1998, we did not even expect that they would have developed them prior to admission; we were still teaching them. Of course, there were exceptions the early adopters, geeks and nerds - and their children. But on the whole, computer skills were no where near as prevalent as they are today. Many of the motivated were still too busy learning to use computers effectively, or to program, to be working on learning to hack. Not all, of course but the hacker sort, who had both the skill and the privacy were far fewer.
When it comes to motivation - just as important, if not more so - than any real benefit to hacking behaviors, hacking has always been about notoriety, about showing off. Ten years ago, because the general population was not as computer savvy as they are now, someone who could fix, build, network or explain computers could well earn a reputation above the crowds. Now, so many more people have at least the basic skills that in order to stand out, hacking is more likely to be perceived as proof of one's ability, and so, there is more motivation to go there, particularly if one is a fifteen year old boy.
And last but not least, of course, the vast growth in the Internet has contributed to providing said fifteen year old boy with everything they could possibly need to know about whatever it is they want to do. It is possible to find millions of how to hack resources online, and to connect with other likeminded people all around the world. You don't even have to wait for downloads these days; broadband Internet is widely available.
Skills, resources and motivation: all are contributors to a far higher incidence of kids learning to hack in the 21st Century.
Learn more about this author, L. Lee.
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10 years back there were fewer computers, lesser penetration of information technology in the society and definitely restricted access to internet or other resources that could possibly used for this sinister purpose. But those who did know how to do it did it because in those days, companies were more concerned about making profits rather than assessing security of their IT infrastructure. These geeks' had intimate knowledge of the systems and exploited vulnerabilities to their advantage. There were lame hackers also called Script Kiddies', who used to replicate the exploits used by these established hackers and gain unauthorized access or cause damage. But now, the world is a very different place for the hacker. For today his success is entirely dependent on how ignorant the administrator, the IT department or the software support supplier is, which is highly unlikely.
Security couldn't be more overemphasized in today's world. We have all sorts of security arrangements in place everywhere. Most companies build software with security as their core concern. Home users have never been as concerned about security as they are now. Firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), Antivirus solutions have never had it so profitable. Most operating systems are almost over engineered for security. The world's most popular operating system series- Windows is no exception. But incidents on windows are far more reported as these operating systems are widely available and more accessible, the most common incident being the buffer overflow exploit.
Statistically, we find that cases of hacking or successful attempts or incidents have gone down drastically, especially so in the 21st century. As the penetration of computers increased, the software companies have changed their attitude towards security and have realized that security is integral to their survivability and profitability. This has lead to the boom in the security industry. Companies like Symantec, ESET, CheckPoint, and Computer Associates have been spearheading this boom. These days, it is highly unlikely to find a computer without an antivirus or firewall solution. Today, the home user is very concerned about how safe his data is or how secure his wireless home network is. Companies have massively engineered their networks and VPNs to prevent any security lapses. All this leave absolutely no room for script kiddies to use their muscle.
Having said this, it should also be noted that hacking and intrusion incidents do happen and succeed every now and then. But now, hacking can only performed by those with a very good knowledge of the systems and their vulnerabilities. Unless they are very good with their tools, it is difficult for them to succeed. Moreover, laws pertaining to hacking and cyber crime have been tightened and federal agencies have stepped up their vigil on such violations making all the more difficult for the determined to succeed and for the offender to escape. Therefore, I personally feel that even though the spread of internet access has been phenomenal and hacking tutorials freely available, it's highly unlikely the kids would succeed at anything they do in line with the tutorials and hence I feel they are less likely to cause any damage.
Learn more about this author, Ashwin Krishna Gopal.
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