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A white hat (or a white-hat hacker, a whitehat) is an ethical security hacker.[1][2] Ethical hacking is a term meant to imply a broader category than just penetration testing.[3][4] Under the owner's consent, white-hat hackers aim to identify any vulnerabilities or security issues the current system has.[5] The white hat is contrasted with the black hat, a malicious hacker; this definitional dichotomy comes from Western films, where heroic and antagonistic cowboys might traditionally wear a white and a black hat, respectively.[6] There is a third kind of hacker known as a grey hat who hacks with good intentions but at times without permission.[7]
White-hat hackers may also work in teams called "sneakers and/or hacker clubs",[8] red teams, or tiger teams.[9]
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ALGORITHM: The Hacker Movie
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Top 10 Most Dangerous Hackers In The World
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The daily Life of a White hat hacker
Transcription
Brand X. Okay! Okay. Good Morning I'm Agent Peterson. And this is Agent Wallace Yeah. He's new. But, he's learning, so cut him a little slack for now. Tell me your name. ...your real name, for the record. Charles Drake. What... what do you want from me? What do we want? What do we want!? You the motherfucker who likes to steal shit from the government! Huh? Huh!? Not yet. Be Patient See what I mean? What do you do for a living, Charles? I teach math, at Berkley. Nice cover, asshole. ALGORITHM: noun. a set of rules to be followed in problem-solving operations, especially by a computer. A month ago I was a god. Most people have no idea what a hacker can do. I make the world you live in... ...and I can reshape that world if I feel like it. When I look around I don't see borders walls or locks. I see puzzles... ...games that entertain me while I do bigger things. Things like breaking into the phone company to rewrite the code on their servers… ...and give myself free unlimited service. Swapping out my pre-burned SIM cards everyday at 6pm is a small price to pay. I don't care about privacy. or social status or accumulating stuff. I don't care about the law or who makes it. I live by one rule: information should be free. And everything can be simplified, encoded and understood as information. We call this the information age for a reason. Companies and governments don't get it, so they are powerless against me. You think there are rules? You treat computers like you do everything else... ...like it's an immutable fact of life and because of that… ...your worldview is antiquated. Get ready for a serious paradigm shift. The geeks have inherited the earth... the rest of you just don't know it yet. For your consideration, exhibit A. I just hacked every computer within 20 feet of me. I own them now. Thanks for coming. I think my wife is cheating on me. So ditch her. California's a No Fault state. She gets half regardless. I want proof. What for? Just call it "irreconcilable differences" and bail. I want proof for myself. I need to know. What kind of proof? You want video of her playing another guy's skin-flute? 'cause that's not what I do. No, no, no, no, no. Look around. If you find anything you send it to me. Either way you still get paid. That's the deal. You know my fee. Why would I hack all these computers... ...including the laptop of a man who just gave me five grand? I don't care what he does for a living. And if your wife finds out...? She won't. I understand the need for discretion, Mr...? It's LU$er I collect computers. Most of them don't lead anywhere interesting so I just add them to my botnet a massive set of computers I use to do whatever I feel like doing at the time mostly, to cover any trace of the big hacks that I do that might lead back to me. I can write the code I need to break into Dempsey's network. But he lives in a very expensive neighborhood. I can't just sit on his curb, outside his house, brute-forcing my way in. I need another Can-of-Worm. How soon do you need it? Two days? Are you coming? Hackers come in two basic models: coders and makers. Bitchan is a maker. She has a degree in electrical engineering. In other words, she's a lightning god, controlling and manipulating electricity to do her will. As a side job, she modified gaming consoles... ...so they'll played copied discs or games from anywhere in the world. It's not to break the law. That isn't even a factor. She does it for the same reason I do. It's about information. And region encoding is just another puzzle blocking the way. So, is this the gig Decimate hooked you up with? Yeah. It's residential. He lives in St. Francis Wood. So, do the TV, the Wi-Fi, and anything else you can think of. What about the firewall? That too. They just upgraded to smart-meters. If the worm doesn't get through in five hours just reset the power to the house... force a reboot. And when the can works? How big? It'll fit. Can I spend the night? When did you start asking? I'm going to be here until morning. We're not ADHD. We just don't care that wind-speeds on Saturn can get up to 3,000 miles per hour. I remember it because I collect information. But it's worthless to me until I decide to build a probe to land on Saturn, which doesn't even have a surface to land on anyway. It's 5:55pm and Bitchan sent me a text letting me know that the Can-of-Worm will run for 4 days passive, or 12 hours at full-power. We like things that make us think. Like, what's the most efficient way to run a Linux computer off of a battery? How fast can I get this program to run? What's the best way to break into a network? What's the best time to launch an attack against a home network? Between the hours of 3:00am and 5:00am everyone's asleep. Even the police who normally patrol are sitting in their cars in secluded parking lots, filling out drunk-driver arrest reports. The first and probably easiest way into any home network is the TV. All new TVs come with Internet-capable software usually Wi-Fi enabled by default. Most people don't keep their TV software updated with the latest security patches. Of course, that doesn't always work. There are two easy hacks to get past most firewalls. The first is to use a vulnerability in the default security setup in almost all routers built between 2009 and 2012. The other is to turn the power off and back on. For 60 seconds, while the hardware reboots, the entire home network is completely insecure because the firewall software loads last. The point isn't the method. It's the potential. There's always a way in. It might be a bit of a moral grey area to use one of the few socially promoted bastions of free information to hack. Or, it might be perfectly inline with the ideas of the librarians. Who knows? I don't ask. The point is, I'm not doing this from home. I'm not destroying Mrs. Dempsey; she did that on her own. I'm just exploiting the vulnerability her carnal excesses created. Do you know where the weakest link in any security system is? It's you, with your shitty passwords and how you share every part of your life online from geotagging everything you do, to a photo you post of your new ATM card. And your willingness to click on links that promise something you want. And now I own Sam Novak's computer. Whoever he is. Arthur C. Clarke wrote that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. This is where we make the magic. Anyone heard of Emergent See? Emergent See.... Big. Ugly. Nasty government contractor Data-mining. NSA. CIA. Hardcore combinatorial math. Is that it? Just data-mining? What's your interest in Emergent See? Oh. Just a side project I'm working on. Tell me that you're using the neighbor's Wi-Fi. Uh, yeah. I need a drink. Anybody else? So, what's the uh... great LU$er up to tonight? Finished with that client Decimate sets you up with? This afternoon. How did you know about that? Bitchan told me. She a cheating slut? Yeah. Something like that. But, you'll never guess with who. Does it matter? Sam Novak. Don't know him. CTO of Emergent See. No shit!? I rooted his office computer this afternoon. I'm searching their network right now, as we speak. Oh, no. Will, no, no. I told you I wasn't. It's too heavy for Backdoor. I'm not using your network. Yeah. And Hash told you what Emergent See does. Large-scale data-mining. That means NSA. They'll find the intrusion. If anyone sees anything, they're just going to think that Novak has his own botnet. Fine. I think you can do it. And I think you can get away with it. But, not here. What is your problem? Not. Here. I don't go on dates. I don't go clubbing. I don't care about celebrity hookups or which sports team just won. My universe exists entirely within computers. The moment we come up with a way to not have to eat, or sleep or any of the other things required to stay alive... I'll be the first in line. And by in line, I mean online, breaking in and reading about it. Then, Bitchan and I will get together and bootstrap a homebrew version for ourselves. Because copyrights, patents, trademarks, and all the other ephemeral concepts of ownership are a time-bomb. Animal trainers teach a dog by giving the dog some treat it likes. They call this paying the dog. I do what I do for love. Anything else is a form of slavery a reduction of my humanity. Which is why I feel the moral liberty to search through Emergent See's network and download all of their recently developed programs. After all, they are a government contractor. In this country, that means they work for me. Ownership is an illusion. I don't value money. I acquiesce to social norms only in so much as it's required to keep myself alive... and connected. Take a look at the world around you. You get in your car, which is run by a computer. You watch TV, which is run by computers. Any concept you have a world that doesn't involve electronics is naive. Of course, you can manufacture a reality to suit your delusions if you like. What difference does that make to me? It's just one less person I have to deal with. Because, if that's your choice, then you are irrelevant. You cease to exist in any meaningful way except as extremely low-hanging fruit. That is, until you get a seat on the senate and make idiotic laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Copyright hinges on two interrelated ideas: One, scarcity. Two, if we want a section of our society dedicated to making cool stuff then we've got to keep the people who create that stuff alive and doing what they do best like Emergent See's program called Shepherd. I open it up, read a few lines of hex, and quickly recognize none of it. But Hash... he codes like stream-of-consciousness poetry. Maybe he can make sense of Shepherd. I slurped a bunch of programs from a network I hacked into. Any cool ones? One's interesting. Where did you get it? Emergent See. That's some serious shit, man. Did you disable Wi-Fi? Yeah. But, I don't know what it did. Okay. To hell with it. Let's take a look. Okay. So, type shepherd. Shepherd? They called it Shepherd? Pride comes before a fall. I know, right? Okay. It's a bit sparse. This part looks like a standard terminal... But, this code here looks like it's trying to start an SSH tunnel. Where's it calling? It's calling? I don't... I don't know. Do you think it's government? Who knows? We need to give it access to find out. Well... they'll know where we are. And that's why, my friend, we're so close to the neighbors. It'll buy us a couple minutes. Any preferences? Ah... I love the communal nature of San Francisco. So caring. So sharing. So love-ed. Best Mike Myers movie ever! Okay. Well, that's as far as I go. Whatever it is, they don't want company. Be careful, Will. Sudonym was right. Emergent See's nasty... like Orwellian and shit. Maybe Decimate can hack in. Well, meanwhile, I'm going to stream So I Married an Axe Murderer. She stole my heart and my cat. We know two things about Shepherd: One, it's calling something outside itself. Two, it leads to a login screen. Doing that in public was not smart. I've got to go someplace where Wi-Fi signals can't escape. You know those crazy people who wear aluminum foil hats to protect themselves from the brainwashing space-rays? The space-rays don't exist. But the foil? That reflects almost all radio signals in existence. It's similar to what the CIA uses to make their black-rooms. And yes, the do call them black-rooms. Of course, if you don't ground it, the reflective metal becomes a giant antenna. So, the crazies, with the foil hats are actually amplifying the fictitious space-rays, if they wear rubber-soled shoes. Today's questions are: what is Shepherd doing; and who is it built for. Whoever wrote Shepherd spent a long time doing it. The entire thing is written in a proprietary language. And, since my debugger only understands standard languages there's just too much code to know what it's doing. On to question two. Who is Shepherd built for. Time for some Cartesian logic: any system can be understood if you break it down to its component parts. Study the parts, figure out what they do then you'll have a pretty good idea of what the whole thing is doing. But, like I said, it would take weeks to figure out all of Shepherd. So, I look for one very specific part. I only need to find out who it's trying to talk to. That will be a single ingredient... one number. The IP address of the server it's calling. In the late 1950s, MIT hackers believed as I do that information should be free. This ideology leads people to call us crypto-anarchists an oversimplification to the point of error. Just because I don't hold to the tenets of a government quickly devolving into fascism doesn't make me an anarchist. I don't have a label for what I do... beyond "hacker". You could just as easily call me a libertarian. Except, I'm not sure government has a place at all or what it might look like in a future without conventional trade. Or, maybe communist is right... except that means that all are community property as opposed to no one owning anything, which is closer to how I feel. Godwin's Law states that as online discussions grow longer the probability of comparisons involving Nazis or Hitler approaches certainty. The reason for this is because we, as a species, don't like vagaries. It's because we come from people who needed to know whether or not there was a tiger in the woods. Their lives depended on it. My neighbor Brian bakes meth for the Oakland chapter of an infamous biker gang. Walter White, he's not. The idiot must have blown himself up. The sentence for manufacturing an illegal controlled substance in the state of California is usually up to 7 years. Normal computer crimes can be up to 9 years. Breaking into top-secret government computer systems and copying files? They call that terrorism now days at which point the laws have been getting a bit hazy. If I'm lucky, the fire that took Brian also melted any evidence in my loft too. If not, DHS now has me on their list somewhere near the top. Excuse me, Katherine. Is Sudo... I mean, is Susan around? It's Kat. And Sudonym's in the back. You asshole. What're you talking about? Hash told me what you did. After I told you not to. An hour ago they came and took him. You did that... asshole. Hey! Hey!! Wait a second... Are you listening to me!? You did that LU$er! I don't know who those guys were, but they came in here because you decided to steal some government shit for lulz. You don't understand... No. It's not that I don't understand. It's that I don't care... about you. ...not anymore. Why are you still here? I don't have any place to go. Do I care? You did. Do. I. Care? No. Get the hell out of my bar. Correlation without causation: that's when two things seem to be related but aren't. You have two data-points: Ice cream sales, and drownings. You notice that as ice cream sales increase, so do drownings. You could assume ice cream makes people drown or you could just look at your calendar and realize it's summer. So, at first, the two facts look related. But, logic tells you they're not. Then you see a third factor, that they are related just not in the way you first thought. What is Shepherd? It could just be a login screen. But, to what? I don't know. Whoever it is, they want it hidden. Bit, this sucks. Yeah? What did you expect would happen? I don't know. Not this. What about Hash? Sudonym hates me. Figure it out. Maybe she'll forgive you. What the hell, Will? Come on... Oh my god. 15 years and you're not even curious? Jesus. No! You're Like my brother! And, you're drunk! You might like it. You might like jerking off. What if Brian didn't cause the fire? What if Emergent See traced Shepherd back to me? Which still leaves the question: who's Shepherd calling? Bit! I watched Shepherd in action. I saw the login screen at the park. So, why isn't the IP address working? Megumi! About last night... I'm sorry. I know. You're a guy. It's expected. It's just that the bastards burned down my apartment. They stole my friend... they kidnapped him. I don't know what they're doing with him or where. I don't know if he's even still alive. Well, you did hack their network. You're on their side? What you did was pretty stupid, Will. You don't even know what Shepherd does. So help me find out. So black-op agents can come and kidnap me? That's not going to happen. Please, tell me your plan... if you even have one. Find out what they're doing and why. Vague and probably impossible. The moment you touch Shepherd something bad happens. So, then, that's where we start? What? Whoever owns Shepherd... anytime they see it running, they send someone, right? Twice doesn't make it a trend... but, sure. So, we run Shepherd and let them come to us. And when they come with their guns? Nobody's coming. It's clear. It's done. Come on. Stakeouts are so much cooler in the movies. Yeah. But if this works, we'll have something. Yeah. If they don't see us... if they don't catch us, whoever they are. Did you put your camera in my bag? Yeah. Put your phone down. Keep watch. Why? I have to pee. What? What? You think girls don't have to pee? Feel free. Unfair. Bit. What? I know you don't... like me. Of course I like you. You're like my brother, and best friend, all in one. No. I meant, attracted to me. I know what you meant. I was just trying to let you off easy. Easy? I thought you said you were sorry. I am. Then why are you bringing this up again? I don't know. I'm just curious. Something to pass the time. Why wait until now? I didn't wait. That was just the first time you noticed. Then what, Will? Suddenly, you think I'm going to invite you into my room? No. You could fuck me all night. That's not what I meant. What? What? You see that? Get the camera. Get the camera. All we need is a licence... just get the license plate. Get down, get down. Did they see us? Did they see us? I don't know. Okay. Take the... take the picture. Okay. What's going on? Come on. Did they see us? Do you think they saw us? I... I don't know. Son of a bitch, that was close. Did you get it? Did you get it? Let's just get out of here. It didn't work. We know that. Try the next one. Now what? When do you want to go back and get the Can? It's only going to give us an IP address, not a password. I have to go to work. I'll be back later tonight. It's called port knocking. You want to talk to Server X, which won't respond. The only way to get it to respond is to query Servers A through E in a certain order, during a specified period of time. Only then does Server X talk back. In this case, 212.3.208.65 That's why the IP I got from the black-room didn't work and why I just got a different IP from the Can-of-Worm. Of course, that doesn't solve the login screen. I'm not dressed. I got the IP. I went back and got the Can and it had the IP in it. Did anyone see you? Some nosey neighbor. I told him I was with the phone company. How do you know he was local? How do you know he wasn't with them? That... that's just paranoid. I mean, he just walked up to me and... Paranoid? Don't be an idiot, Will. It's not just your shitty life on the line anymore, okay? Dude! What is your problem? You ever heard of calling first? You told me to come over. Not a good time. It's important. Then why wait until we're inside? Tell me now. I found the IP address Shepherd's been trying to reach. I'll be back in a second. And the ice? Yeah. That too. I know you think this is important, but it can wait. It's 212.3... .208.65, I know. How? Will? Will. What do I do for a living? You're a hacker. And who do I work for? I don't know. I work for governments. Major multi-national companies. Finding an IP address is noob shit. Mister Big Shot... I'm gonna need a few more tests. Now, do you have something useful... or not? They've got Hash. I know. Kat came here for comfort, and I'd like to get back to that. I need the password for the login screen. I have to know what it does and why they're willing to kidnap people. Will, whatever it is, it's bad. I know that; It always is. It's going to be something you'll want to forget, but you won't be able to. It will change your worldview. And, it will either make you an activist, or apathetic. Is that what you want? Yes. Are you sure? There's no going back, Will. Not ever. I need to know. Time for your medicine. Don't come in. Are you sure about this? What is it? What do you think? You wrote it down? Sure. Why not? That is the stupidest password I've ever seen. It's actually pretty good: more than eight characters, a capital letter, and a symbol. Props to Michael Mitchell. Head of the NSA. You wanted access. He's probably got the most. Have fun. Wait, wait, wait. How did you get this? He didn't give it to me, if that's what you're asking. Thanks. I owe you. No you don't. Not this time. Not for that. It's not a puzzle anymore. Now, it's something else. DHS probably thinks I'm dead. They have everyone they think knows about Shepherd. I could leave it alone and disappear. Pull a Kevin Mitnick, sans the getting caught part. Of course, Mitnick now makes millions as a security consultant. I just need to terminate some of my social connections So my trail never leads back to them... or from them to me. Where were you? I talked to Decimate. Yeah. He had plans. I know. How did you know? So, what were you doing for the rest of the night? Thinking. Wondering when... when does this thing end? Are you staying here? No. You started it, Will. I know. So, what's the problem? I think I should let it go. What happened to your curiosity? Too many people are getting hurt. This country is supposed to be free. I don't care about politics. It's not about politics. It's about an idea, Will. It's... ...If people knew about this? Finish this. It's not about you anymore. An open Wi-Fi network is one more hop they'll have to make to find me. Then, there's TOR. TOR was designed by the Navy so their informants could login and give them secret information from a country they're not supposed to be in. Logging into Shepherd is scary however I do it. The fact that it's a tracking program doesn't help. Who can it track? I wonder if it can track Hash. How would you wake him up? No. No knives. Subtle, remember? How hot's your tea? Rise and shine, buddy. Rise and shine. Movie time, Charles. This is a video of you, at a park bench... As you attempt to access a top-secret database. Look, Hash. We know you did it. Okay? Lying to us just makes life much more painful for you. The video shows a man named William Vernor Stephenson giving you the laptop. See, we were able to track his phone, but we lost his data around 6:00pm Ah, but your phone... we got that for days. Look. Just tell us where William is, and what you plan on doing with Shepherd. What happens when I know everything: The Age of Aquarius, or 1984? The U.S. government rarely builds its own technology. They hire Raytheon to maintain a radar station in Alaska. SAIC took over remote viewing when the Army got tired of it. And Emergent See built the login app for the most powerful monitoring system ever conceived. Sudonym? And probably the search engine on the back-end too. Kat, would you get her please. This is important. What do you want? We need to talk. Then talk. Not here. In the back. Does it bother you that the NSA monitors everything that you do online? Does it bother you that you're afraid of a government that claims to be for you? That both private and public companies know where you are, right now. Who gives a shit? Why should I care? What's your name? Eddie. Eddie... Brannon. Brannon. What were you doing last night, Eddie? Sitting at home, watching TV. What were you watching? I don't remember. Something on Netflix. That good? Ink! You got good taste in movies, Eddie. That's a good movie. What the hell is this? It's a tracking program. What's it track? Everything. See what I mean? I don't do anything wrong. So, who cares? That's good. You know who else didn't do anything wrong? A guy named Robert Martin. At least, that's not why he was kidnapped two days ago. You want to know what he's doing now? Hey, that's enough. I'm a software engineer at Dean & Dean. I don't even know what Shepherd is! I want to believe you. I do. But we have records showing... ...that you tried to access Shepherd from your house. Oh, come on. I don't know. I don't. I told you everything I know. Would you like a cup of coffee? Sure. Remember, no cream. And two sugars. Only one today... Why are you doing this? Because you wouldn't talk to me. You're an asshole. Whatever the reason, that's what she said and I want to live long enough to enjoy my pension. Why! Robert. This is just a job to me and I'm going to come in tomorrow and it's either going to be you in that chair or somebody else... ...and it really doesn't matter to me. I've told you everything I know. Come on! This can stop anytime or go on as long as you want. Come on! No... no... What the hell is wrong with you! I know you're mad. Mad!? You show torture, in my bar, in San Francisco. Will, think for a moment! There's something else. Yeah. You're right. You logged onto a government website to show a tracking program that tracks everything. You saw me use TOR. And you think the CIA or whoever's behind this, you think they haven't cracked TOR? No. They haven't. And you know this how? Because, if they have... If they trace this back to me? Damn it, Will. They kidnap people. They torture people. Yes. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Just think about somebody other than yourself. I have been. That's why I'm here. They have Hash. I know. I was here when they took him. No. They have him and I found him. Show me. You're not gonna like this. Where is he? 611 Folsom. Downtown, south of Market. We gotta get him out. This is Homeland Security. They're working with the NSA and Emergent See. We can't just leave him there. Bitchan and I can break into their system. But you're gonna need to be there to pick him up, when and if he comes out. And we're gonna need your servers. You want to just hack them? They'll trace it, Will. No, not this time. They will trace it, and then who knows how many people you're gonna have to bail out. I already have two. There is another possibility, but it's a lot scarier and it is going to add you to their list. We gotta get him out. If I don't come out... Are you sure he's here? This is it. Get him out. Are you ever gonna come in on-time? You know what your problem is? You're too serious. We're fighting terrorism. Alright? Do you want another 9-11? Whatever. Someday, when you realize how much shit actually goes down, you'll relax. I don't know what I'm expecting. Maybe two armed guards and a full-body scanner. This place looks more like a library, or a school. Anything but a domestic prison for advanced interrogation. What's this regarding? Prisoner transfer. I guess that's the point when you violate the people's trust on this scale. Discretion is more important than function. So, transfer. That's weird. What's this about? I don't know. I don't ask. I asked once. That's why I'm running these errands instead of being a field agent. I know what you mean. I asked once and I didn't sleep for a week. So, who do you want to work on today? Martin's dead. Sometimes Julie overdoes it a bit. I told her to take it easy. Oh. It looks like Robert Martin isn't here anymore. That's not what I was told. The database was just updated. Pneumonia I understand. But, letting a subject die during an interrogation? That's just irresponsible. Sorry. Anyway, Charles Drake should be coming right out. That leaves Charles Drake. Well. Drake it is. How you doing today, Charlie? They really went to town on you, huh? I got some good news. You're getting out a here, buddy. So, what do you want to try next with Drake? I don't know. How about the microwave? I heard that wasn't gonna come in for another couple weeks. No. It came in this morning. That's right. Prisoner transfer. I don't know where they're sending you but it's gotta be better than this place, right? Okay. Let's go. Someone's gonna change your clothes and walk you out of here, okay? He doesn't have any fillings, does he? No. I checked earlier. That's good. You don't want to see what happens to someone with fillings. I've seen it. Gnarly old burn marks all over the inside of their mouth. God. And this guy, it wasn't even in his records. He must have had it done in Tijuana or something. Anyway, they turned the emitter on and sparks just started flying from this guys mouth. And the emitter tech, he pukes on me. Did they move him? No. So, he's in here. 'Cause I know he didn't escape. No! He's not in here! I know that. So, they moved him. That kind of thing happens all the time. Let's go check with the front desk. Have you seen a Charles Drake? Yeah. He just left. Stop. They're gone. What? You're just gonna let them get away? No. I'm going to send a team out after them and bring them back the same way we did it the first time. I'm saying we use the tools available to us. Alright? Track them with their cell phones. They have GPS. Where's Martin? They probably killed him. Wait. What? How do you know? Two reasons: One, he wasn't there this morning. Two, they don't transfer people out of there. We can't go anywhere we've ever been. So... We... we. They know where we've been. They know everyone that we know. They know everyone that we've ever talked to. They're probably tracking us right now. Turn off your phone. Where am I supposed to go? I don't know! Out of town. Take 280 south. I need some time to think. Can you bring up the lobby cameras for me please? Sure. Alright. Back that up five minutes. Okay. Alright. Wait. Pause. Who's that? Can you enhance that resolution a little bit? I can increase the contrast a little, but I can't add resolution that doesn't exist. Alright. Whatever. Just, do that. Okay. Okay. Do an image search on him. Damn it! That's the kid from the park. That's Stephenson. Go to Decimate's house. I don't know where he lives. Head north on 19th. Up early, Will? I need your help. Again? I'm in trouble. I warned you about that. I know. I get it, more than you know. I doubt that. But continue. We got Hash. Oh, don't tell me that. He's in the car. Whatever. Get inside before someone sees you. Douche bag. You brought him here? Will, this is bad. I know. We're going to get caught. And they're going to try and take me down with you. I'm sorry. But, I know what Shepherd is. So do I. I can't let it go. So, you went the way of the activist. Does this mean you're willing to accept the consequences? They're going to come and get me. I'm not asking you to hide me. I'm asking for your help in taking them down. Shepherd is wrong. What are you doing here? Does it matter? Will, what the hell have you done? What do you want this time? We need to take them down, or at least break them before they find us. You got Hash out, which I have to say, more than I thought you'd manage. But, attacking DHS and NSA? Will, it's crazy, even for me. We can't let them get away with this. I... I can't... I can't live with it. The NSA is a company mainly populated by people like me. You don't stand a chance. Then we notify the media. Haven't you ever heard the term "media conglomerate"? Damn it, Decimate. Don't you believe in anything!? Survival. And what you're talking about? Not how I do it. Information should be free. Don't be naive, Will. Nothing is changing. You either play the game and thrive, or fight it and lose! I don't lose. Will's right. We can't let them take him. Sure we can. In fact, it's probably the best option we've got right now. Sometimes the best way to deal with a thing... is to go through it. I thought you were his friend? I am. After seeing you here though, I wonder if he feels the same way about you? I have a lot of work to do before sunrise, so... What happens at sunrise? Don't wake them. They're going to need what little rest they can get. When are you going to get some furniture? When I get around to it. Heat? Really? You are such a guy. Good morning, people! I've got some bad news. DHS is outside and they've come for Will and Hash and Sudonym. What? How did they find us? I turned you in. You mean, we're just going to knock? Those are the orders. That's not a lot of fun. I get that you're pissed. But, you're just gonna have to trust me. Why? Because I've got a plan. And if you're plan fails? Punctual. I like that. Where are they? It's alright. They're not going to do anything rough. That's part of the deal. Look, I don't trust you. That happens. Get up. I don't know who you are or who you're friends with. But, this could have been messy. You just made our job a lot easier. Let's go. Anything I can do to help. Have a nice rest of your day. Well that's done. Words are about conveying ideas. The words "twenty days later" don't even begin to convey my experience. Maybe Sudonym was right. Maybe I should have left it alone. Hey, it's Will, right? Let me get this off of you. I got some news for you, Will. You hear me? Hey. Now they're telling me... and I probably shouldn't even be here... but your friend... Charles? He didn't make it. I'm sorry that it has to come from me. They couldn't revive him. You know, I'm sorry. I don't know who I am anymore. Maybe that doesn't even matter. Call Timothy Elliot. You're up early. Late, actually. They've had Will for three weeks, now. I know. I just got the word: they're closing the facility in a week. Well, then it's time. I could try to justify all of this to you but in the end it really doesn't matter. What you did is important, Will. It's a big deal. It's probably the biggest thing that you'll ever do. What do you want? I want you to work for us. What can you do. I'm a... I'm a hacker... a coder. That's what Timothy told us. You still feel up for it? What will you do with my code? Now, we could sit here and talk about the seemingly fluid nature of morality and your particular take on it, but like I said, that doesn't really matter. I can get you out of here. I can get you doing work that you'll be proud of. How can I trust you? Take a leap of faith, Will. And my friends? Friendly, would you come in here? Would you help Will to the car where his friends are waiting for him. Now Timothy told me your story, but I'd like to hear it from you. Okay, here we go. One, two, three... What are you talking about? Tell me whatever you think is relevant. And don't worry about the time. We've got a couple of hours before we have to get back to the office. Okay. This started about a month ago. A month ago... I was a god.
History
One of the first instances of an ethical hack being used was a "security evaluation" conducted by the United States Air Force, in which the Multics operating systems were tested for "potential use as a two-level (secret/top secret) system." The evaluation determined that while Multics was "significantly better than other conventional systems," it also had "... vulnerabilities in hardware security, software security and procedural security" that could be uncovered with "a relatively low level of effort."[10] The authors performed their tests under a guideline of realism, so their results would accurately represent the kinds of access an intruder could potentially achieve. They performed tests involving simple information-gathering exercises, as well as outright attacks upon the system that might damage its integrity; both results were of interest to the target audience. There are several other now unclassified reports describing ethical hacking activities within the US military.
By 1981 The New York Times described white-hat activities as part of a "mischievous but perversely positive 'hacker' tradition". When a National CSS employee revealed the existence of his password cracker, which he had used on customer accounts, the company chastised him not for writing the software but for not disclosing it sooner. The letter of reprimand stated "The Company realizes the benefit to NCSS and encourages the efforts of employees to identify security weaknesses to the VP, the directory, and other sensitive software in files".[11]
On October 20, 2016, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced "Hack The Pentagon."[12][13]
The idea to bring this tactic of ethical hacking to assess the security of systems and point out vulnerabilities was formulated by Dan Farmer and Wietse Venema. To raise the overall level of security on the Internet and intranets, they proceeded to describe how they were able to gather enough information about their targets to have been able to compromise security if they had chosen to do so. They provided several specific examples of how this information could be gathered and exploited to gain control of the target, and how such an attack could be prevented. They gathered up all the tools they had used during their work, packaged them in a single, easy-to-use application, and gave it away to anyone who chose to download it. Their program called Security Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks, or SATAN, was met with a great amount of media attention around the world in 1992.[9]
Tactics
While penetration testing concentrates on attacking software and computer systems from the start – scanning ports, examining known defects in protocols and applications running on the system, and patch installations, for example – ethical hacking may include other things. A full-scale ethical hack might include emailing staff to ask for password details, rummaging through executive dustbins, usually without the knowledge and consent of the targets. Only the owners, CEOs, and Board Members (stakeholders) who asked for such a security review of this magnitude are aware. To try and replicate some of the destructive techniques a real attack might employ, ethical hackers may arrange for cloned test systems, or organize a hack late at night while systems are less critical.[14] In most recent cases these hacks perpetuate for the long-term con (days, if not weeks, of long-term human infiltration into an organization). Some examples include leaving USB/flash key drives with hidden auto-start software in a public area as if someone lost the small drive and an unsuspecting employee found it and took it.
Some other methods of carrying out these include:
- Disk and memory forensics
- DoS attacks
- Frameworks such as:
- Network Security
- Reverse engineering
- Security scanners such as:
- Social engineering tactics such as:
- Phishing
- Pretexting
- Training Platforms
- Vulnerability research
The methods identified exploit known security vulnerabilities and attempt to evade security to gain entry into secured areas. They can do this by hiding software and system 'back-doors' that can be used as a link to information or access that a non-ethical hacker, also known as 'black hat' or 'grey hat', may want to reach.
Legality
Belgium
Belgium legalized white hat hacking in February 2023.[15]
China
In July 2021, the Chinese government moved from a system of voluntary reporting to one of legally mandating that all white hat hackers first report any vulnerabilities to the government before taking any further steps to address the vulnerability or make it known to the public.[16] Commentators described the change as creating a "dual purpose" in which white hat activity also serves the country's intelligence agencies.[16]
United Kingdom
Struan Robertson, legal director at Pinsent Masons LLP, and editor of OUT-LAW.com says "Broadly speaking, if the access to a system is authorized, the hacking is ethical and legal. If it isn't, there's an offense under the Computer Misuse Act. The unauthorized access offense covers everything from guessing the password to accessing someone's webmail account, to cracking the security of a bank. The maximum penalty for unauthorized access to a computer is two years in prison and a fine. There are higher penalties – up to 10 years in prison – when the hacker also modifies data". Unauthorized access even to expose vulnerabilities for the benefit of many is not legal, says Robertson. "There's no defense in our hacking laws that your behavior is for the greater good. Even if it's what you believe."[4]
Employment
The United States National Security Agency offers certifications such as the CNSS 4011. Such a certification covers orderly, ethical hacking techniques and team management. Aggressor teams are called "red" teams. Defender teams are called "blue" teams.[8] When the agency recruited at DEF CON in 2020, it promised applicants that "If you have a few, shall we say, indiscretions in your past, don't be alarmed. You shouldn't automatically assume you won't be hired".[17]
A good "white hat" is a competitive skillful employee for an enterprise since they can be a countermeasure to find the bugs to protect the enterprise network environment. Therefore, a good "white hat" could bring unexpected benefits in reducing the risk across systems, applications, and endpoints for an enterprise.[18]
Recent research has indicated that white-hat hackers are increasingly becoming an important aspect of a company's network security protection. Moving beyond just penetration testing, white hat hackers are building and changing their skill sets, since the threats are also changing. Their skills now involve social engineering, mobile tech, and social networking.[19]
Notable people
- Tamer Şahin (born 1981), a Turkish white hat hacker
See also
References
- ^ "What is white hat? - a definition from Whatis.com". Searchsecurity.techtarget.com. Archived from the original on 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ Okpa, John Thompson; Ugwuoke, Christopher Uchechukwu; Ajah, Benjamin Okorie; Eshioste, Emmanuel; Igbe, Joseph Egidi; Ajor, Ogar James; Okoi, Ofem, Nnana; Eteng, Mary Juachi; Nnamani, Rebecca Ginikanwa (2022-09-05). "Cyberspace, Black-Hat Hacking and Economic Sustainability of Corporate Organizations in Cross-River State, Nigeria". SAGE Open. 12 (3): 215824402211227. doi:10.1177/21582440221122739. ISSN 2158-2440. S2CID 252096635.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Ward, Mark (14 September 1996). "Sabotage in cyberspace". New Scientist. 151 (2047). Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ a b Knight, William (16 October 2009). "License to Hack". InfoSecurity. 6 (6): 38–41. doi:10.1016/s1742-6847(09)70019-9. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ Filiol, Eric; Mercaldo, Francesco; Santone, Antonella (2021). "A Method for Automatic Penetration Testing and Mitigation: A Red Hat Approach". Procedia Computer Science. 192: 2039–2046. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2021.08.210. S2CID 244321685.
- ^ Wilhelm, Thomas; Andress, Jason (2010). Ninja Hacking: Unconventional Penetration Testing Tactics and Techniques. Elsevier. pp. 26–7. ISBN 978-1-59749-589-9.
- ^ "What is the difference between black, white, and grey hackers". Norton.com. Norton Security. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ a b "What is a White Hat?". Secpoint.com. 2012-03-20. Archived from the original on 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ a b Palmer, C.C. (2001). "Ethical Hacking" (PDF). IBM Systems Journal. 40 (3): 769. doi:10.1147/sj.403.0769. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
- ^ Paul A. Karger; Roger R. Scherr (June 1974). MULTICS SECURITY EVALUATION: VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 12 Nov 2017.
- ^ McLellan, Vin (1981-07-26). "Case of the Purloined Password". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ "DoD Announces 'Hack the Pentagon' Follow-Up Initiative". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ^ Perez, Natasha Bertrand,Zachary Cohen,Alex Marquardt,Evan (2023-04-13). "Pentagon leak leads to limits on who gets access to military's top secrets | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Justin Seitz, Tim Arnold (April 14, 2021). Black Hat Python, 2nd Edition: Python Programming for Hackers and Pentesters. No Starch Press. ISBN 978-1-7185-0112-6. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ Drechsler, Charlotte Somers, Koen Vranckaert, Laura (3 May 2023). "Belgium legalises ethical hacking: a threat or an opportunity for cybersecurity?". CITIP blog. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Brar, Aadil (18 January 2024). "China Raises Private Hacker Army To Probe Foreign Governments". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Attention DEF CON® 20 attendees". National Security Agency. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-07-30.
- ^ Caldwell, Tracey (2011). "Ethical hackers: putting on the white hat". Network Security. 2011 (7): 10–13. doi:10.1016/s1353-4858(11)70075-7. ISSN 1353-4858.
- ^ Caldwell, Tracey (2011-07-01). "Ethical hackers: putting on the white hat". Network Security. 2011 (7): 10–13. doi:10.1016/S1353-4858(11)70075-7. ISSN 1353-4858.
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