Computer Crime In The 90s Essays - Hacker Culture, Phreaking

Computer Crime in the 90's It's the weekend, you have nothing to do so you decide to play around on your computer. You turn it on and then start up, you start calling people with your modem, connecting to another world, with people just like you at a button press away. This is all fine but what happens when you start getting into other peoples computer files. Then it becomes a crime, but what is a computer crime really, obviously it involves the use of a computer but what are these crimes. Well they are: Hacking, Phreaking, & Software Piracy. To begin I will start with Hacking, what is hacking. Hacking is basically using your computer to "Hack" your way into another. They use programs called scanners which randomly dials numbers any generating tones or carriers are recorded. These numbers are looked at by hackers and then used again, when the hacker calls up the number and gets on he's presented with a logon prompt, this is where the hacking really begins, the hacker tries to bypass this anyway he knows how to and tries to gain access to the system. Why do they do it, well lets go to a book and see "Avid young computer hackers in their preteens and teens are frequently involved in computer crimes that take the form of trespassing, invasion of privacy, or vandalism. Quite often they are mearly out for a fun and games evening, and they get entangled in the illegal use of their machines without realizing the full import of what they are doing" , I have a hard time believing that so lets see what a "hacker" has to say about what he does "Just as they were enthraled with their pursuit of information, so are we. The thrill of the hack is not in breaking the law, it's in the pursuit and capture of knowledge." , as you can see the "hacker" doesn't go out to do destroy things although some do. It's in the pursuit of knowledge. Of course this is still against the law. But where did all of this start, MIT is where hacking started the people there would learn and explore computer systems all around the world. In the views of professional hacking is like drugs or any other addictive substance, it's an addiction for the mind and once started it's difficult to stop. This could be true, as hackers know what they are doing is wrong and they know odds are they will be caught. But as I mentioned some hackers are just above average criminals, using there skills to break in banks and other places where they can get money, or where they can destroy information. What a hacker does at a bank is take a few cents or even a few fractions of a cents from many different accounts this may seem like nothing but when all compiled can be alot. A stick up robber averages about $8,000 each "job", and he has to put his life and personal freedom on the line to do it while the computer hacker in the comfort of his own living room averages $500,000 a "job". As for people destroying information, this is for taking some one down, destruction of data could end a business which for some is very attractive. It can cost a company thousands of dollars to restore the damage done. Now that you have an understanding of what a "hacker" is, it time to move on to someone closely associates with a hacker. This is a Phreak, but what is that. For the answer we turn to the what is known as the "Official" Phreakers Manual "Phreak [fr'eek] 1. The action of using mischievous and mostly illegal ways in order to not pay for some sort of telecommunications bill, order, transfer, or other service. It often involves usage of highly illegal boxes and machines in order to defeat the security that is set up to avoid this sort of happening. [fr'eaking] v. 2. A person who uses the above methods of destruction and chaos in order to make a better life for all. A true phreaker will not go against his fellows or narc on people who have ragged

The 1800s and the U.S. Claim essays

The 1800s and the U.S. Claim essays In the 1800s, many countries were competing for ownership of the Pacific Northwest region, between Canada and the Oregon territories. Among these were Spain, Britain, the U.S., and Russia. They all wanted land, because with land came money, and with money came to power. The United States had the best claim to the Pacific Northwest region in the 1800's because of their attempts at the exploration of the entire area, the settlement that occurred because of this exploration, and the fur traders who were the first American residents of this area. There were many explorers and many exploratory attempts which helped to strengthen the claims of the U.S through the passing of information. One of the most famous of these was the Lewis and Clark expeditions. Lewis and Clark helped lay claim to the area through the knowledge passed on from the journals and records they kept. The knowledge that was gained from their explorations provided Americans with a fuller account of the potential and opportunity available in the Pacific Northwest. Robert Gray also helped to lay claim to the area with his discovery of the Columbia River. This attracted fur traders who came into this area and sealed the presence of the United States. These expeditions allowed the U.S. to find out what was in the area and gave them a chance to settle, improve the land, and produce from the land. The exploration of the Pacific Northwest led to settlements such as missions and residential land which was improved and produced from, further strengthening the U.S claim. The pioneers came to settle and improve the land. These pioneers came running because of the Oregon promoters. These people encouraged residence in this area through glittering articles in magazines and newspapers. Fur traders and early explorers told of scenic beauty and ideal climates luring many people towards the Pacific Northwest region. There were also the Homestead and Donation Land Acts which gave peop...