Counterculture Paper: Hackers

Counterculture Paper HackersThroughout history countercultures suck in emerged t palpebra challenge the established norm. Whether they be a throng of Hippies or the Russian Mafia, they are still considered to be a counterculture which rejects the pre-established norms of the larger cultures and deputise them with their own values and practices (Thomas). One modern counterculture is tailorers. There are terzetto different kinds of hackers, black hat, colourise hat, and white hat. All groups defy the norm, scarcely black hat hackers are more well- cognise and are a lot what volume associate with the term hacker.The word hack first appeared in the English language around 1200 (Yagoda). At that point in time, it did non refer to technology. Hacking began being associated with technology and machines in 1955 at Massachusetts ground of Technology when it was used to describe someone who used unconventional and original ways to solve problems (Yagoda). This continued on until the Jargon Files released eight definitions of the word hacker, the last one referring to a person with malicious intent (Yagoda). When self-proclaimed jejune hackers accessed forbidden study and were subsequently arrested, hacking make uped a invalidating connotation (Yagoda).Since the mid-seventies hackers have infamously stolen notes, information, and more from unsuspecting people and companies. There have been a few hackers who have stood out from the rest. Vladmir Levin, a Russian hacker, stole roughly $10 million from Citibank without the use of a estimator in 1995 he served three years in prison for his crime (Weissman). Albert Gonzalez stole millions of source and debit card numbers to execute one of the largest identify larceny schemes to date he was apprehended and sentenced to 20 years in prison (Weissman). Another Scottish hacker by the attend of Gary McKinnon was a computer prodigy by the age of 14 and managed to hack 97 Ameri preserve military networks in t he early 2000s despite the U.S.s attempts to extradite McKinnon, he has erect asylum in the UK (Weissman). An unidentified Greek hacker who goes by the name Astra accessed confidential information to the highest degree jet fighters and military-grade aircrafts he then proceeded to deceive the stolen information all over the span of five years, adding up to $360 million doomed by Dassault Group (Weissman).One of the most infamous hacktivist group is known as anon.. Founded in 2003, Anonymous is known for leading online campaigns to interpretive program their judicial decisions on political and social events (Weissman). Anonymous is open to anyone who wants to voice their opinion and includes people of all races, religions, political standings, sexual orientations, nationalities, and genders (Sands). With no specific agenda, Anonymous aims to handle attention to censorship, government control and freedom of speech anyone is allowed to propose ideas, and members leave voice the ir opinions which leads to the idea being accepted or rejected by the group as a whole (Sands). With the proper connections, anyone can elaboration access to chat groups where Anonymous members discuss ideas and their beliefs (Sands). Once an idea is accepted, the group will persistently attack its target in an effort to gain support from the public and bring about change (Sands). Since its birth, Anonymous has braggy into one of the most recognizable hacktivist groups that spans the globe, yet has no known drawing card with their abilities, they have carried out some of the most well-known hacks targeting groups analogous the church of Scientology, the KKK, and PayPal (Sands).There are three primary classifications for hackers white hat, black hat, and gray hat. White hats are normally security researchers they are hired by companies to find security vulnerabilities and report them to the company to be fixed (Zetter). unappeasable hats are what people normally think of when he aring the word hacker. They are malicious and use their extensive knowledge of operating systems to steal information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or data (Zetter). afterwards stealing information, they often use it to their advantage to blackmail people or receive bills, or they sell it to other hackers or groups for large sums of money (Zetter). Gray hats are a mix of white and black hat hackers. They may sell their information to the government so that they can hack the systems of other criminals or enemies these people may work alone or in groups to accomplish their tasks (Zetter).Over the past few decades, hackers have die increasingly public with their stances and are usually motivated by money and/or the prospect of having their voices heard by people all over the world. Using the sociological perspective, which is the ability to look at the hidden heart and soul behind peoples actions, allows people to analyze wherefore hackers do what they do (Thomas). For h acktivists, equal Anonymous, they want to influence social and political events. For example, they recently targeted Donald Trump by releasing his personal information this act gives the public insight into their opinion of the current president (Sands). Other people may use hacking to voice their opinions on animal cruelty or other controversial topics, kindred abortion. Sociological imagination, which involves influenceing the connection between ones life and the larger world, can also be applied to observing hackers (Thomas). Some hackers work on a large scale, but their actions have encouraged changes that affect us every day. For example, hackers motivate companies to install strong firewalls to prevent people care Kevin Mitnick from hacking government organizations, like the NSA (Weissman). This indirectly effects our lives, even if we do not see the consequences.Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are both used to make judgements about a culture. Ethnocentrism involves comparing one culture to other, while cultural relativism involves qualification judgments about a culture using their own standards (Thomas). Larger society sees hackers as a counterculture because they compare their norms to hackers norms. When doing this, they automatically view their culture as superior and look down on hackers, which aided in the negative connotation associated with the word. Hackers, however, employ cultural relativism, which does not involve comparing themselves to another culture, to judge whether or not their actions are acceptable. This can explain wherefore black hat hackers do not look at their actions as being punishable this could also be why groups like Anonymous are so motivated and do not see anything incorrect with targeting groups and organizations that do not mark with their views.Exploring the world of hackers has allowed me to see the world through with(predicate) their eyes if only for a moment. I can understand why hackers exploit peop le and organizations, but I do not agree with their views. I believe in freedom of speech, but I do not believe in secretly hacking companies to voice their opinions. It almost seems like cheating, and I believe that there are legal ways to send-off a movement and bring about change that do not involve stealing information. As for black hats that are simply in it for the money, I do not support their actions in the slightest. I believe that they could use their talents to get a job that would still pay decent money to live comfortably. Hackers have played a significant social function in molding modern society, and I do not see them going away soon. However, I am glad that they have kept the government on their toes. With that being said, hacking has evolved, and will continue to evolve as technology becomes more advanced. I am excited to see what the afterlife holds and what role hackers play in it.Works CitedSands, Geneva. ABC News. 19 establish 2016. 10 March 2017.Thomas, W. LaVerne. Sociology The Study of Human Relationships. Austin Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2003.Weissman, Cal Guthrie. Business Insider. 10 April 2015. 9 March 2017.Yagoda, Ben. A Short History of Hack. The New Yorker 6 March 2014.Zetter, Kim. Wired. 13 April 2016. 11 March 2017.