hacktivism
breaking into computer systems for political purposes
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
At a round table event in London to discuss the security threats in a post-11 September world, Chief Executive of mi2g, DK Matai, said HACKTIVISM posed one of the biggest risks to business and government computer systems.
(BBC News)
---
The threat against U.S. exchanges has seemed to increase in recent years amid the rise of HACKTIVISM, which has altered the motivation behind attacks from financial gain to ideological.
(FOX Business News)
(BBC News)
---
The threat against U.S. exchanges has seemed to increase in recent years amid the rise of HACKTIVISM, which has altered the motivation behind attacks from financial gain to ideological.
(FOX Business News)
Did you
know?
hacktivism
noun
- the activity of using computers to try to achieve political change, for example by attacking websites or illegally entering another computer system
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
Hacktivism, a portmanteau of hack and activism, refers to the "unauthorized access to computer files or networks in order to further social or political ends" (Oxford English Dictionary). The term is believed to have been first coined in 1996 by an organized group of computer hackers called Cult of the Dead Cow, or cDc for short.
A hacktivist uses the same tools and techniques as a hacker, but does so in order to disrupt services and bring attention to a political or social cause. For example, one might leave a highly visible message on the home page of a web site that gets a lot of traffic or which embodies a point-of-view that is being opposed.
Is hacktivism is a crime? Opponents argue that hacktivism causes damage in a forum where there is already enough opportunity for non-disruptive free speech. Others insist that it is the equivalent of a protest and is therefore protected as a form of free speech.
Some of the more common "tools" used by hacktivists include:
- web site defacements = an attack on a web site that changes the appearance of the pages
- redirects = redirecting a web page URL - or address - to another web page
- denial of service attack (DoS) = making a web site or web page unavailable to Internet users
- virtual sit-in = A virtual sit-in is a form of electronic civil disobedience deriving its name from the sit-ins popular during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The virtual sit-in attempts to recreate that same action digitally using a distributed denial-of-service attack. During a virtual sit-in, hundreds of activists attempt to access a target website simultaneously and repetitively. If performed correctly, this will cause the target website to run slowly or even collapse entirely, preventing anyone from accessing it.
(sources: Wikipedia, searchsecurity.com)
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Hacktivism is a protest movement which can cause companies severe economic damage."
noun
- the activity of using computers to try to achieve political change, for example by attacking websites or illegally entering another computer system
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
Hacktivism, a portmanteau of hack and activism, refers to the "unauthorized access to computer files or networks in order to further social or political ends" (Oxford English Dictionary). The term is believed to have been first coined in 1996 by an organized group of computer hackers called Cult of the Dead Cow, or cDc for short.
A hacktivist uses the same tools and techniques as a hacker, but does so in order to disrupt services and bring attention to a political or social cause. For example, one might leave a highly visible message on the home page of a web site that gets a lot of traffic or which embodies a point-of-view that is being opposed.
Is hacktivism is a crime? Opponents argue that hacktivism causes damage in a forum where there is already enough opportunity for non-disruptive free speech. Others insist that it is the equivalent of a protest and is therefore protected as a form of free speech.
Some of the more common "tools" used by hacktivists include:
- web site defacements = an attack on a web site that changes the appearance of the pages
- redirects = redirecting a web page URL - or address - to another web page
- denial of service attack (DoS) = making a web site or web page unavailable to Internet users
- virtual sit-in = A virtual sit-in is a form of electronic civil disobedience deriving its name from the sit-ins popular during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The virtual sit-in attempts to recreate that same action digitally using a distributed denial-of-service attack. During a virtual sit-in, hundreds of activists attempt to access a target website simultaneously and repetitively. If performed correctly, this will cause the target website to run slowly or even collapse entirely, preventing anyone from accessing it.
(sources: Wikipedia, searchsecurity.com)
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Hacktivism is a protest movement which can cause companies severe economic damage."
