Hacking: The Good, The Bad, and The Protective
Summary
In this article, we explore the world of hacking, which involves manipulating systems in ways that were not intended or expected. There are both malicious and good hackers, with the latter working to protect against attacks by identifying vulnerabilities and suggesting improvements. We also discuss the speaker’s personal experience with coding games and their recent studies in cybersecurity, including the Target breach and techniques such as buffer overflow.
Table of Contents
- What is Hacking?
- Good Hacking vs. Bad Hacking
- Personal Experience with Coding Games
- Cybersecurity Studies and Examples
- Protecting Against Attacks
What is Hacking?
According to security researcher and computer hacker Sam Kampka, hacking involves using or manipulating a system in a way that it wasn’t intended or expected. This can include a variety of techniques, such as exploiting vulnerabilities, manipulating code, or stealing information. While hacking is often associated with malicious intent, there are also good hackers who use their skills to prevent attacks and protect against vulnerabilities.
Good Hacking vs. Bad Hacking
Good hackers work with companies to identify vulnerabilities and suggest improvements. They use the same skills as bad hackers but have a different goal of helping everyone stay protected. For example, Sam started doing good hacking at the age of nine by changing the way video games worked. His parents were happy when they found out he was doing it for good.
Personal Experience with Coding Games
The speaker enjoys playing coding games on code.org, which offers a variety of games for different age groups. They particularly enjoy Flappy Bird, which involves connecting puzzle pieces in a graphical interface. While the speaker admits to not knowing much about computer hacking, they compare it to designing games and software by controlling inputs and outputs. Inputs can include keystrokes, mouse movements, microphones, cameras, and even temperature.
Cybersecurity Studies and Examples
The speaker has started studying cybersecurity and learned about information and network security, as well as different network topologies and levels of security. They are aware of the Target breach, where credit card numbers were stolen, and how a penetration test revealed that an internet-connected deli meat scale was exploited to gain access to the point of sale system. The company was able to access the network through a vulnerability in the deli scale, and from there, it was easy to escalate privileges and find other vulnerabilities.
Protecting Against Attacks
Hackers often target weak links in large networks, such as Bluetooth devices, to gain access. Buffer overflow is a technique where a program can be manipulated to overwrite important memory, such as a return address, with malicious code. While protection mechanisms have been developed to prevent buffer overflow attacks, smaller devices like microcontrollers may still be vulnerable. The challenge is to add layers of protection to prevent malicious attacks while keeping costs low.
Conclusion
Hacking is a complex and often misunderstood field, with both good and bad actors. While malicious hacking can cause significant harm, good hacking can help prevent attacks and protect against vulnerabilities. By understanding the techniques used by hackers and implementing strong security measures, individuals and companies can work to keep their systems and data safe.
