Computer Hackers

Appeared in Volume 8/3, August 1995

Computer hackers - don't you just love 'em!

You and I both know that most hackers are acne-ridden male teens with only one aim in mind - to find on-line pictures of scantily clad girls. However, it isn't a good idea to debunk the popular stereotype of an all-powerful, surfing gladiator on a mission to expose our Nation's secrets.

One reason is that it may put into jeopardy funding for expensive projects such as LP-based network security and rule-driven user monitoring.

A much more important reason is that it would unravel the mystique which has cast a veil over our previous image as white-coated techno-junkies. This would have serious consequences for our ability to be invited to parties, and to be shown the respect due to Knights of the Information Super Thingy.

I'm always amazed by TV's portrayal of hackers. Invariably, the interviewer does a doom-ridden voice-over as a shadowy figure, lighted only by a monitor's glow, taps away at a PC's keyboard. The hacker's identity is hidden by a baseball cap and sunglasses.

This may impress the average viewer, but doubts arise in my mind when the camera shows what's on the computer's screen: either a help window for Microsoft Word, or a man page for vi. Also, how effective can the hacker be? He probably can't even see the screen with all the lights turned off, and with those dark glasses on.

Call me suspicious but I think the hacker is really the journalist's kid brother, and the hacker's den is the journo's very own office (with the blind's pulled down). It may not be award winning TV but it's a lot cheaper to make than a report on Bosnia. And don't forget those flashy computer graphics, which can be tacked on at the front of the report, at the end, and at random places in the middle. They are an essential component, since they liven up the story, and pad it out to the required length.

Andrew Davison