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Hacker U.

Karma 50 writes: "What is claimed to be the world's first school for "hackers" has recently opened in Paris. Run by the magazine hackerz voice, for $60 or so you will be taught the fine art of breaking into systems. Google will do some translation of the course details. The local police are said to be "watching the school with interest"."

45 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. hahah! by jooniqzb1tch · · Score: 5, Funny

    this must be some kind of a joke ..
    I wonder how it made it to a /. story. How can you pretend to be a serious 'hacking school' when your homepage uses l33t sp34k and states that the 'school' itself has a black pirate flag pirate flag on the front and graffiti inside ?
    it all becomes clear when you look at the intended audience : http://www.dmpfrance.com/zh05.JPG 31337 isn't it :)

    1. Re:hahah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm french, and I can tell you this school is nothing but shit.
      I saw a news on french TV about this school, and I was sad to see that some "serious people" thought it was hacking.

      Want to know their level ? They made an "introduction to linux" ... What they do is using nmap or nessus, nothing else.It's just a script kiddie school...

      French people are not stupid, there are stupid people everywhere, please don't take care of these script kiddies.

    2. Re:hahah! by stealthyburrito · · Score: 2, Funny

      Fremch l33t sp34k? I'm not so sure it has the same flare.

      Bonjourez. Nous sommez l33t. Essayez de nous entaillerez.

  2. There is something like that in russia already... by svara · · Score: 4, Informative
  3. Lame by AdamInParadise · · Score: 5, Informative

    I heard about that on national TV. It's just lame.

    HackerZvoice is just a crappy "magazine", 20 pages long. It contains usefull tips like "How to bypass the Windows 98 password in 30 seconds" or "How to mount an publicly shared NFS drive remotely and feel 3l33t".

    It makes me ashamed to live in France. Hopefully we don't have the DMCA over here...

    --
    Nobox: Only simple products.
    1. Re:Lame by elem · · Score: 2, Informative

      The magazine is quite funny... they have a pdf of the second edition on their site. Its full of gems like:

      Spoofing e-mail by telneting to an SMTP server
      Flooding servers by leaving 'ping -t' running

      and the rest of seems to be want ads where they can try and trade their DVD's and warez...

      They so want to be compared to something like 2600

    2. Re:Lame by cybrpnk · · Score: 2

      I'll pass on the misspelling...good catch. I agree the internet was never free and independent...but at least it should be (speech, not beer).

  4. haha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Send your script kiddie to obedience school!
    Bad script kiddy! BAD!

  5. That school looks pathetic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What a joke. That school is nothing but a bunch of wannabe haXor script kiddies. All their classes are for newbies and I'm certain that's all they'll get - a bunch of 14 year old newbies.

    Yay! I want to take their $60 introduction to Linux class :-P pppft, if you're just learning linux now, maybe you'll be a hacker in 3-4 years. Being an elite haX0r isn't about taking a class, its about pushing yourself to learn crazy computer stuff that normal people wouldn't have the motivation to do.

    1. Re:That school looks pathetic by dattaway · · Score: 4, Interesting

      That's an accurate description of what should be an intelligent person pursuing a skill, but is severely judgement impaired.

      Reminds me of perfectly grown adults many years ago before the internet who found the CB radio as a hobby. Multi-kilowatt linear amplifiers and outrageous antennas on cars and shack houses were their hallmark. They conducted themselves to be the menace of the society. That was their life goal. To challenge the system. Outlaw freedom fighters of communication. They wanted anarchy on the airwaves.

      Most intelligent electronic hackers simply got an FCC license and enjoyed the finer aspects of the airwaves. The comparison was like heaven and hell. 733t hackers simply seem to have a little growing up to do and then they will see the light.

  6. H4x0r what? by marvin+tph · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Here we also have schools where people learn basic system intrusion techniques and run around acting "l33t". They're called high schools.

  7. Cyberarmy Is A Hacker Army Of One by cybrpnk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    CyberArmy is a similar outfit for the training and promotion of hacking knowledge. From their homepage:

    Welcome to CyberArmy - an independant army / union of over 50,000 Internet users, fighting for a free and independant internet. We need more recruits, so join the CyberArmy now! With our online promotional system you can gain officer status in the CyberArmy and take more part in mission proposals, missions, and division commands. Over the following months, we will be focussing our efforts against governmental controls over the net. To re-state the philosophy of the CyberArmy:

    CyberArmy is a group of netizens who believe in a deregulated Internet, which is free from external control. We believe in providing tools to assist others who believe in a free Internet - we support Open Source. We campaign against those who abuse the free nature of the Internet. We believe that spammers, child pornographers, web based scammers, and malicious hackers are enemies of the Internet. We believe that the Internet can be self-regulated, and that we, as equipped and knowledgable netizens, can control and suppress abusers of the Internet, with legal methods, by consolidating together as a united CyberArmy.

  8. The big question... by isorox · · Score: 2, Funny

    Do they teach you how to get first post?!

  9. a few terms followed closely by a prison term by Judas96' · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "The local police are said to be "watching the school with interest"."
    Right on! That means when you graduate you get two pieces of paper: A diploma and an arrest warrent! Better strip out of those robes before the court date. Don't want the judge to think you are trying to impersonate him or anything.

  10. Nooo, please no! by Nicolas+MONNET · · Score: 5, Informative

    Why the fuck does this appear on /.? EVERYBODY with half a clue in computer stuff laughed at these guys here in France, and cursed the journalists who gave this losers such exposure.

    They are just a bunch of lame'o script kiddies wannabe.

    Just to give you an idea of their stupidity, their publication (Hacker'Z voice) has been repeatedly caught publishing others' articles (see for example this article at linuxfr.org) calling it their own work.

    The most striking example of their kiddie-ness is probably their spelling (both in French and English); I know, I know, flaming someone on spelling isn't exactly glorious, but when the ratio goes above one spelling error per word (and I'm not making this up), you've seriously got to wonder.

    Oh, but wait! They're even more sorry fucks than you'd think. Look at their über-zekure registration form for their university: yoohoo, ACTION="mailto:...". Those guys can't even get fucked to install SSL!

    Couple links for completeness:

    Hacker Z Voice site

    Hacker U site

    1. Re:Nooo, please no! by nettdata · · Score: 2

      The most striking example of their kiddie-ness is probably their spelling (both in French and English);

      My God! Taco is really a Kiddie!

      I know, I know, flaming someone on spelling isn't exactly glorious, but when the ratio goes above one spelling error per word (and I'm not making this up), you've seriously got to wonder.

      Naw, it's just one of many ways to be a karma whore. :)

      --



      $0.02 (CDN)
  11. Who's gonna listen? by James+Foster · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They're teaching the fine art of "hacking", which is according to them, "breaking into systems". The true term for that is "cracking", and if they don't know the proper name of what they are teaching, how can anyone possibly take them seriously about the content they are teaching?

    Also, I would think that "the fine art of hacking" would cost more to learn than a mere $60.

    1. Re:Who's gonna listen? by autopr0n · · Score: 2

      The true term for that is "cracking"

      Yes, if you happen to buy ESR's ridiculous revisionist history. Words are defined by the way they're used. When people say "hacker" they probably mean someone who breaks into computers. Up until ESR's campaign "cracker" meant someone who broke software copy protection.

      The fact that people would like the word hacker to mean a certain thing doesn't mean it will.

      --
      autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  12. Hacking School is malicious by Lewisham · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hacking is a Good Thing. It teaches skills and leads to important security holes being filled. By learning about these holes, everyone benefits with the joys of greater knowledge (wooo! Alturistic :) ) But there are already places where you can learn hacking. They call themselves: Universities.

    A lot of courses (at least the ones I have seen) provide a foundation in how to hack, simply because it is the only way to make sure that any systems you create are secure, and tests new technology as well. For example, I've seen two Universites here in the UK that do this. At the University of Bristol, they are researching into how to hack smart chips, whilst University of Nottingham let you try and hack their network. Of course, this is all built into a well-rounded course teaching students Computer Science.

    Where does that leave the idea of "hacking schools"? It puts them quite definitely in the malicious camp. If these people were hacking to increase their skills, they would be taught other things at the same time (ala University). But this "school" is starting people out with hacking, and giving a few lessons in C and Linux for those that don't know. It's not about being a better computer user, it's about being a better hacker, which can only be used for the more nefarious of purposes.

  13. Impressed by the translation by Google. by Dog+and+Pony · · Score: 2, Funny

    It almost perfectly imitates the way that supposedly "french" people talk in English-speaking movies and series such as Cafe Rene.

    Not necessarliy a good thing though. I've seen that series.

  14. They've assembled C! by Alsee · · Score: 3, Funny

    On the bottom of this page you'll find the following text:

    Last news, special a Newbie course "Language C" has been just assembled.

    You gotta love automated language translation!
    Hmm, wait a minute - a non-techie english speaker might write the same thing, lol.

    -

    --
    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  15. Not to point out the obvious... by jurros · · Score: 5, Insightful

    but this would be considered a Cracking school, not a Hacking school. A Hacking school would teach logic, problem solving, and finding unusual solutions to everyday problems. If we expect the public to differentiate the two, we have to lead by example.

    Furthermore, I find this article to be full of horrible and misleading information.

    At the end, they hope to have improved their "white hat" or good pirate - skills.
    Ok... What exactly is a 'good pirate'? For that matter, how does piracy (or hacking for that matter) even enter into this article.

    ...which teaches you, amongst other things, how to invent false credit card details and fiddle your mobile phone bills.
    Nevertheless, "Clad" is adamant that he teaches only ethical hacking skills.

    Umm... Yeah. Right. There are perfectly ethical reasons to do these things.

    "For me", he says, "it is enough to know I can break into a system, without crossing the line into illegality."
    Breaking into a system is illegal. Even if it's not in the country where you live, there is no way that it's ethical. But at least the article presents a consenting view on this.

    Hacking is illegal.
    That's like saying thinking is illegal.

    "I teach them ethical values," Clad Strife told me. "It's not my responsibility if they use my information to do something illegal at home.
    I disagree. If you teach a trade that is very likely to be used for malice, it is your responsibility to make sure that you teach it to people who will not misuse it. For example, in the U.S. military, there are weeks of training in which discipline is taught. We don't just give anyone machine guns and send them off. If you were teaching bomb making to your neighbors, you would be a bit more caring to make sure that they behave responsible!

    "[Cracking] is not fundamentally illegal. After all, when you're driving a car, you can knock someone over and kill them, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be allowed to have driving lessons, does it?"
    Umm... No. Your argument does not hold up. Using the logic in reverse you see the flaws. "Hitting people with cars is not fundamentally illegal. After all, when you surf the internet, you might break into someone's computer. But that doesn't mean that people shouldn't be taught to use the computer, does it?" That's just rediculous.

    ...if you want to pay by credit card, do it over the phone.
    Anyone sending these KIDS their credit card numbers has more to worry about than whether the internet or phone is more secure.

    As the school's website says, paying over the internet isn't secure.
    Yeah. You wouldn't want the wrong people to have your credit card number! ROFLMAO.

  16. Not secure! by BrookHarty · · Score: 2

    As the school's website says, paying over the internet isn't secure.

    Those hackers dont know about SSL? (-;

    1. Re:Not secure! by Geeky+Frignit · · Score: 2

      Paying with a credit card anywhere is not secure. I think the greatest thing that can come to credit cards are the type that you put a certain amount on, spend it, and then throw it away. Credit card numbers are easy to get by a 16 year old. All you have to do, go out get a job at a grocery store as a cashier. Bring a pen and paper with you and prep your short term memory for remembering 20 digits and a name.

      Using a credit card requires a good deal of trust no matter where you use it. If something is encrypted over a network, it still has to be decrypted someplace else where a person, on the inside, could get to it. Most companies, though, when this is demonstrated to them disregard the warnings because they trust their people on the inside.

      --
      Tired of sitting at that karma cap? Start a flame war today! See just how low you can go!
    2. Re:Not secure! by BrookHarty · · Score: 2

      Nothing is secure.. But! you can you can make it as secure as possible, its not like your transmitting clear text, have your database open to the Internet (google btw catalogs database gui html sites, nice way to find open databases...), the employees are thiefs, the company isnt reputable.

      At work we spend millions on security and secure ecommerce e-wallet support, I know of only 2 ways to hack it, and you need root access on the box. If you have root on the box, your broke through many firewalls, software firewalls, tcp wrappers, encrypted file systems, software security alarms, hardend o/s, etc... Its not like we left telnetd open with guest/guest account enabled.

      Washington state senators are even trying to pass identity theft laws that change the time that credit card holders have to report theft charges. Currently its at the time it happens, not the time the card holder notices it.

      BTW, check fraud is much larger than CC fraud.

    3. Re:Not secure! by Geeky+Frignit · · Score: 2

      I agree with you completely in what you said. The company I work for spends millions as well to make their systems secure. There is a good analogy though, when a network has many pieces and complex connections, the easier it is to exploit. In the same way, a complex business is a lot easier to exploit.

      --
      Tired of sitting at that karma cap? Start a flame war today! See just how low you can go!
  17. Comparisons by not-quite-rite · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This school of H4X0Rs is to legit hacking what icyhotstuntaz are to legit rap.

    See the comparison for yourself:
    http://stuntaz.cjb.net/

    Better yet, don't. Just forget about it....

  18. Re:'Ware the contradictions by cybrpnk · · Score: 2

    Beware your assumptions. If you think somebody with a handle of "cybrpnk" is automatically a lamer living in a fantasy world modeled on the movie "HACKERS", then you're wrong. It's just a label, CmdrTaco was taken. I posted the link because the ideals of Slashdot and Cyberarmy are very similar, one is just trying to take a more proactive stance than the other, and the same type of people are likely to be interested in both. Attempting to organize individual users to speak up for their interests is ALWAYS a good thing, particularly in a time of Echelons and Carnivores and Magic Lanterns. Think of organizations like Cyberarmy in evolutionary terms: lots of things are tried, the strong flourish, but all were necessary for progress. And speaking of lame labels, a case could be made that Anonymous Coward is the lamest label of all...

  19. It ain't the first course by a long way by Zeinfeld · · Score: 3, Informative
    SecureIT (now owned by VeriSign) had a hacker course out four years ago. Only it was a 2 day course and cost about $1500. It was to train sysops in the techniques they would face.

    The french course appears to be aimed at crackers rather than legitimate white hat hackers. I doubt it will last long at that price, the first true crackers who attend the course will rip off the material.

    Before too long the dweebs will come to the same realisation that the l0pht did, that there is much more money to be made on the enterprise side. They will then get VC, set up a carbon copy of @stake and start wearing suits according to Zeinfeld's law: security consultants who are ex-NSA or MI5 wear jeans and a T shirt, security consultants who are ex-hackers wear suits.

    --
    Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
    Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
  20. Re:Giving Hackers a Good Name by nr · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Hackers already have a school. Its called University and Computer Science. I would call that Scr1pt k1dd13 school.

  21. /. advertising Hackerz V0ice. Great by Radium_ · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is just great. Anyone who has read Hackerz V0ice once knows they are just a bunch of lamerz who think they are the master of the Internet just because they know how to use Back Orrifice.

    Hackerz V0ice (the magazine) is a piece of crap explaining how to use 3 years old "exploits" (hear : "windows trojans") in s0M Scr1Pt K1dY l4n64g3 50 FuL of M15T4kz I have to re-read sentences twice to understand what they mean.

    The best part is that they think the represent the french "kackerz" (as if these guys were hackers) and advise anyone to rally their "movment". They want to be the french CCC, but they are just another group of computer illeterates who are trying to make money out of the Lin00X/Int3rn3T/conspir4Cy/"Micr0S0ft Sux" trend.

    To bad only french sites talk about this magazine, you'll have to use babelfish, but *please* have a look at :
    - http://www.kitetoa.com/_disc1/showthread.php3?thre adid=22
    - news:fr.comp.securite

  22. actualy. by autopr0n · · Score: 2

    Well, as others said, you're not going to learn how to hack in a week for $60. But it can be taught.

    My university actually does teach classes on hacking, or as they call it 'information warfare'. Not 'security' mind you, 'warfare'. Of course, it's a grad program... you'll need a degree before you can even take it...

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  23. Re:wrong use of word 'hacker' by autopr0n · · Score: 2

    Bleh - im tired of hearing the word 'Hacker' being used the wrong way - and you all probably know what i mean by that.

    Language is defined by the way it is used, not by the personal desires of various factions.

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  24. Slashdot as DDOS by Alien54 · · Score: 2
    They'll probably have their site /'ed, and then they'll cite it as an example of a super sophisticated DDOS attack

    watch that server go up in smoke, just by coincidence.

    Given the french law, which does have a tendency to be draconian, and given the recent change in the security environment, it might have been safer to open a school for aspiring criminals, or something.

    --
    "It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
  25. Follow up by Karma+50 · · Score: 2, Informative
    Of course, it isn't really the world's first.
    A quick search after submitting the story turned up these articles

    --
    http://www.thehungersite.com
  26. "Hackerz [sic] Voice"? by Legion303 · · Score: 2
    Will they have a basic spelling course?

    Why do I get the feeling that all my friends would laugh at me if I pursued an education at Hacker U?

    -Legion

    1. Re:"Hackerz [sic] Voice"? by Animats · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The original reads well. You're reading machine-translated colloquial Parisian French.

  27. I think you mean... by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 2

    > but this would be considered a Cracking school,
    > not a Hacking school.

    Sounds more to me like it's going to be a skr1p7-k1dd13 sk001. Do you really think the implications, and exploitation, of buffer overflows and IP spoofing can be tought in a short course? I suppose they could have a list of prerequisites...

    More likely they're teaching things like how to get an IP from a domain name and how to get and use the latest skr1p7z.

  28. Hacking is different... by mirabilos · · Score: 2, Insightful

    call it cracking.

    Sorry if there's a zero-body post, but I hit
    the return button while still in Subject line.

    It's called cracking, and not hacking, for
    certain reasons which all are outlined in the
    Jargon file at http://www.ccil.org/jargon/
    and for which its author has my full ACK.

    --
    My Karma isn't excellent, damn it! (And /. still does not get UTF-8 right in 2012. Wow.)
  29. Spot the Snob by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What`s much funnier than this course are the snobbish comments coming from many Slashdot posters. Almost all attacks on systems come from so called script kiddies i.e. someone who didn`t work out the security flaw themselves. How many Slashdot posters have actually broken into a system without using some prior knowledge gleaned from another programmer - if it`s one percent I`d be more than surprised.

  30. My findings. by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    You know.. I used to think that.
    But I have yet to see one, single security-minded 'hacker' tackle a real sysadmin job and do it any differently than those he previously lambasted for being 'dumb'.

  31. Natural selection by LazyDawg · · Score: 2

    I think "Universities" like these are a great idea. Finally, a place to teach people the hard way not to be stupid!

    Its like those Smart Pills you find on the ground in the woods. You know, the ones which turn out to be rabbit poop?

    --
    "Look at me, I invented the stove!" -- Ben Franklin
  32. French l33t sp33k by hooded1 · · Score: 2

    Wait a sec. how do they do l33t speak in french... half the characters used it l33t speak for vowels are just accented french letters... So the words aren't gunna look much different

    --
    A rabbit in the hand is worth 4 in the cage
  33. Well.. by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    I'm trying to answer that.. but I don't see what you mean.

    Definitions in the english language are based on what is generally accepted as the meaning of said words. Many words evolve into having many different meanings.

    "Hacker", to most people in the English world, means someone who 'hacks into computers'

  34. New French school opens ... by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 2


    There is a new French Language school opening. For $60.00 they will teach you the meaning of phrases like "me casa es su casa", and how to count, such as "Uno, Dos, Tres ...". When you finish it you will have learned the fine art of speaking French.

    In other words ... Hacking is != Cracking any more than French == Spanish. Just as some hackers are also crackers, but most are script kiddies, some people who speak French also speak Spanish, but most do not. Try breaking into a computer system with duct tape if you think hacks automagically apply to cracking. (That was English I just used there by the way, which you can also learn in my new Sanskrit course ;^} )

    --
    Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun