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Get Paid To Crack?
John Klein writes "Corporate Technologies USA, Inc. is offering hackers $250US and up as part of the Hacker Wargame Research Project. Participants are given sufficient time to hack three primary goals on real Windows 2000 servers on an internet connected wargame network. The servers are updated with fairly current Windows patches, so this is not necessarily an easy task. The difficulty is part of the point. The Project is studying how hackers think, called cognitive research, in an effort to better understand how future IDSs might identify the target of an attack during it's early stages. The Project guarantees complete anonymity for those that want to participate without pay, or complete privacy protection to those that choose to get paid."
Will this one just get DOSed into oblivion too?
Does this not undermine a crackers "Trade Secrets" then ?? I am no cracker, but I have always been under the impression that if a cracker is going to get into a site, he is going to use his own methods (unless of course he is a script kiddie) .. which means that he is not going to give away his secrets .. no matter how much (little) he will be paid ..
If they really want some competition, shouldn't they offer at least some TopCoder-scale money - for instance, how about $10k, but have tiered competitions, so that only the top 5 hackers are trying to get in? That would avoid the DoS issues.
stuff |
Wargames are interesting, maybe even fun, but they shouldn't be used for cognitive research. You simply can't replicate the environment of a real corporate network.
Where is the poor tech support agent that I call to inform of the "new authentication procedures"? Where are the client boxes sending out cleartext FTP passwords over a compromised proxy server?
Seriously, this isn't a great way to study "cracker patterns". Most crackers aren't creative enough to gain access to a box that lacks the common weaknesses of a corporate server. It's easy to setup a server that no one is supposed to use, but the challenges (and weaknesses) come from the balance between security and usability.
"Shall We Play A Game?"
1. Wait for critical security patch from Microsoft (shouldn't take long)
2. Read up on exploit
3. ???
4. Get paid
Isn't this a blatent violation of the DMCA?
I wonder how far they are willing to go to protect a hacker that finds a rare vulnerability.
Melius mori in libertate quam vivere in servitute.
Wanted: Cracks on isolated Windows server. Full disclosure required. Compensation $250 or negotiable. Social Engineers need not apply.
I, for one, would be seriously surprised if anyone at Microsoft uses this to build a better system. I could see if this research was used for security outfits to track B&Es, but even that's a little loosey-goosey, IMHO.
This effort could be for the good, but crackers out there be warned that this could be a one stop ticket to FBI surveilance and eventual lockup. Come now, doesn't this remind you of the RIAA's amnesty offer?
I remeber reading a story not so long ago about a company (can't remember their name) that asked a hacker to break into their secure ATM transaction network to prove its infalability. Apon doing so they promptly prosicuted him and had him imprisoned. So I'd be wary of any "open hacking" competition. You dont see Ford running hotwiring competitions.
When I first read the title, I thought it was "Get Paid For Crack?"
Where where?
Sigh.
Nothing like a good joke to start out my day:
"The servers are updated with fairly current Windows patches, so this is not necessarily an easy task."
hahahahahah
From the FAQ:
Q4: How do I know you aren't working for the man?
A: We're not, we promise.
From their FAQ:
You should be able to complete the goals easily without the need to break any laws...[in] about 5 hours
Sounds like this is more of a "target-rich environment" where they expect the dedicated hacker to succeed, and they want to study means/methods, rather than a "our box is unbreakable" type challenge. I think they'll be writing a lot of $250 checks--which explains also why the sum is low.
--
$tar -xvf
Corporate Technologies USA, Inc. is offering hackers $250US and up as part
In the real world, a "consultant" would be charging $250 AN HOUR, at a bare minimum.
Wake up and smell the coffee, dudes. They're using you as slave labor.
Complete anonymity? An interesting idea. Let's talk about the practical ways you could "guarantee" somebody else's anonymity on the internet while still having the contest? I tried to make a list, but all I came up with pretty much amounted to "Dump all the logs." Which obviously makes it really difficult to study the attack patterns.
Obviously, the best way to remain anonymous is not to break into other people's networks, invited or otherwise. I mean, are they really going to destroy their data if the FBI calls? That would definitely be illegal (and unwise in our current "terrorism-freak-out") and publicly pre-meditated, at that.
If I had the kind of skillset these people are obviously recruiting for, I would be extremely leery of participating in this "competition." But I don't, and would have no interest.
"Lenny! Tell Mr. Burns I went home to work on the contest!"
Who did what now?
Just do not try to hack it, or at least try not to succeed. That way M$ will think that their servers are safe and the REAL fun can begin.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
How about saying what it does, so I wouldn't have to reinstall wmp? (for those who haven't clicked yet, it nukes wmplayer.exe)
Yeah yeah, don't click on a slashdot link etc, but still...
Hacking is much like tresspassing in that you are only guilty if you don't have permission from the rightful owner. For example, if you pick my lock and break in my house, you are guilty of breaking and entering and tresspassing, and will go to jail if caught. However, if I lock my self out of my hose, you are a locksmith and you pick the lock to let me in, then I invite you in for a beer, you've comitted no crime since you did everything at my behest.
Same goes for computer access. You are perfectly legal in hacking a system PROVIDED you have permission. If it belongs to you or if the rightful owner has gtiven you permisson, go nuts. It is only a crime when you do it without permission.
Well, they are explicitly giving you permissoin to hack their boxes if you want to play their game. Thus, no problem. Given the publicised nature of this, even if they decided to try and perjur themselves later and claim you did it without permission, it would be easy to prove otherwise (then they'd go to jail for falesly accusing you of a crime).
The servers are updated with fairly current Windows patches, so this is not necessarily an easy task. --Is this meant to reflect most Windows systems out there, without the most recent updated patches? The difficulty is part of the point. The Project is studying how hackers think, called cognitive research, in an effort to better understand how future IDSs might identify the target of an attack during it's early stages. --BS. Why didn't they choose a Unix system? Or a Linux System? I think they are just trying to prove a point other than "researching" how hackers "think". It's pretty obvious. Why don't people just come clean about their intentions? The Project guarantees complete anonymity for those that want to participate without pay, or complete privacy protection to those that choose to get paid." --Well, NOW should I really believe that? I am pretty sure if FBI or CIA are "interested in your hacking skills" your privacy is toast. Think b4 you act. Is it worth for a dirty $250? I don't think so. Over all, I think a lot of people will be getting paid (or arrested for hacking)
The phaomnneil pweor of the hmuan mnid. Fcuknig amzanig eh!
And they think that this will reveal how hackers think.
So, what we end up with is a bunch of people getting paid a little bit of money to mess with statistics. How many are going to use obvious techniques, just to skew the results in a 'nobody thought of this so it must be safe from exploit' way?? How many are going to have a grand time hacking into their real system just for fun?
And for that matter, how many dumb wanna-bes are going to end up sharing their IP address with a company that might just duly record them, along with the name that they're writing the check out to, and hand it over to other investigators, saying, "Hey- these are the hackers who applied"?
I'm guessing that anyone who's willing to take the money but isn't up to a level where they can really accomplish anything is going to eventually get caught playing with someone else's network- i don't pay enough attention to hackers in the news, so i'm not up to speed on whether this constitutes admission of previous (potentially criminal) activity or not... but if the company has a list of people who registered to 'contribute,' to the effort, they could then give the list to anyone, right?
Somehow, the only way that this could look funnier to me is if they had to enter the system, install kazaalite, upload copyrighted music files to it, and make them available for download. At which point the RIAA would step in and prosecute, creating a net loss of approximately $14,750.00USD for the hacker.
Scenario two is the same, but they have to upload Gigli, and set it to play in a continuous loop until the machine explodes in a desperate move of self-preservation. (And the MPAA would be prosecuting.)
That is... if the hacker were dumb enough to give their real name and use their own (and static) IP address....
"I'd say 'Have a good time,' but arson is still illegal.
According to the FAQ
Q23: I'm too busy to do this right now, but I'd like to do it later. How long is this study going on?
A: We anticipate the study to be wrapping up at the end of 2003, but we will probably be done recruiting by mid-year at the latest, so don't wait too long. Sorry, no reservations accepted.
I'll go digging at archive.org now to find out how long they've been up.
Any sufficiently advanced libertarian utopia is indistinguishable from government.
Isn't what they are asking the similar to that of the HoneyPot project? If they are using software you have to install to 'watch' your scripting/program use (which you later upload), then monitoring the server as well... then what's the point?
-- M
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
We're doing research like this at the Ecommerce Research Group at the Australian National University. We're focusing on software piracy, trying to work out why people do it if they don't then sell their cracked software (and could be using their coding skills in the workforce).
Our biggest problem has been getting crackers to participate. Most are so skeptical and wary that they are reluctant to take the survey (which we designed specifically so respondents don't have to admit to doing anything illegal).
Our second biggest problem has been getting the people who have elected to participate to take it seriously. It seems many respondents just treat it as a joke.
It's an interesting problem.
"You can justify anything by putting it in quotes, adding a famous name and making it a sig" - Albert Einstein
Here is a more detailed version:
/log.txt" which will pipe everything from STDOUT and STDERR to a plain text file (adjust the logfile path to wherever you want). Hit CTRL+D when you are all done to close the logging. Check man script to learn more.
1. We will contact you by e-mail within 72 hours to let you know that we have received your application. This is not an automated mailing, it is a real response from a human being.
2. We will review your application within one week of application and decide if we will invite you to participate. You will again be personally notified, this time by e-mail or telephone, of our decision.
3. If you are not chosen to participate, we will tell you why, and we will destroy all records of your application and our communications with you. The only information we will keep is a paper list of who applied and was rejected, and why.
4. If you are chosen to participate, you will be sent more info on the wargame research project.
5. You will need to prepare yourself by following the instructions, and schedule a time with us to complete your hack. We will send you all of our direct contact information so you can talk to us directly to answer any questions that you might have.
6. If you intend to use any Windows box(es) during your hack, you will need to download the free demo version of the CamTasia screen recorder program (15.4MB) from our FTP server [ anonymous login to ftp.hackerwargame.org ] or from the author's commercial website if you prefer. Install the program ahead of time, and play with it a bit to ensure that you know how to use it. It's very simple, and the defaults will work, but you can optimize your output and file size by turning off hardware acceleration and setting your desktop resolution to 800x600 at 16bpp color. We don't recommend recording at 24-bit or 32-bit color since this will result in very large files in the Gig range rather than a few MB.
7. If you intend to use any *nix box(es) during your hack, you will need to start off by running the command "script -a
8. If you intend to use a Apple/Mac during your hacks, you're kind of on your own regarding how you're going to produce logs for us, but Snaps Pro X works well under OS-X, and a plain text file with a LOT of typing might work.
9. Prior to the hack, you will need to get your computer(s) ready for the hack. This includes downloading any tools you intend to use, checking your internet connectivity, and letting us know what IP address(es) you will be coming from. If you receive dynamic address(es) you can notify us of your address just before the actual hack time. To make it easier, you can also get a free account with a free dynamic IP tracking service like NO-IP.com (or any other that you prefer) which will give you a domain name that tracks your dynamic IP address, which we can use to set you up in our IP filter.
10. At your arranged date and time, you will need to synchronize all of your computer's times to our network so that we can match up logs. We will give you a webpage where you can do this easily, or you can use any standard NTP utility since our network is synchronized at Stratum 2 to the US Atomic Clock. You will then begin your hack by sending us an e-mail to a specific address telling us that you are starting. You will be notified of the wargame's IP address prior to your scheduled hack time.
11. During the hack, you will log which goal you are attempting to accomplish. This can be done quite simply by typing, for example:
10:21:42.15>echo SQL goal
SQL goal
10:21:42.15>
in a DOS box or on the *nix console. Note that your command prompt needs to show the time so we can synchronize our logs. On *nix this is done by setting PS1=$t> and on Windows boxes by typing prompt $T$G
It will also be helpful if you kept a notepad or plain text file open in which you can write notes, paste information that you have gathered, etc. The more loggi
The lunatic is in my head
Um, perhaps we shouldn't be modding people up who throw up links that remove software from other people's machines maliciously.
:)
I know, I know "only losers use IE", but last time I checked, there's no crime for using IE, and something like half of Slashdot uses it.
Perhaps we can have people post something like "hey, this is a cool link, it will delete media player from your system if you click here (don't say I didn't warn you)". Instead, we get something modded up that is far worse than that insipid goatse.cx picture.
Real way to make us look like a bunch of idiots.
And no, I'm not sitting here fuming at my own stupidity; Opera has no problem with that link at all
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
With Windows, you don't own anything, MS still retains legal rights. Thus, MS owns the computers, or at least the software, and can press charges for violation of the DMCA, because they didn't give permission.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Interesting. Seeing as many security tripwire programs shut out an IP as soon as they get suspicious, I can't see how this would replicate a realistic programming environment. One of a cracker's most important tools is being able to attack from unexpected (spoofed or rerouted) IPs. To come from every direction, as it were.
This reminds me of a similar study on Unix use I was in, that studied how people navigate a directory tree in a Unix shell and find relevant files and information quickly. The catch? No pipes or multi-command lines. But pipes are how a knowledgeable Unix user does things - the system is built up around it. So basically, the artificial limitations of the study cripple the performance of the participants.
-3Suns
~~~~
The Revolution will be Slashdotted
Seriously... its been touched on but its a very important point. Users are the weakest link in any system. To ignore this element and the way cracker commonly exploit it, is to skew your research from the get go.
This company seems to be a bit on the er...amateurish side. Checking out their website, I see that they apparently sell Axxis webcams as though it was some kind of high-end technology, and would love to sell me what looks like "Intranet in a can." Waaaaa hoo. Besides, while I don't go for the typical "it's not in Silicon Valley so it can't be for real" attitude, they are in Fargo, North Dakota. I don't think you have to be in the Valley to be serious, but jeez...it's as if it were meant to be parody!
For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
Why, there's no telling who would fall for such a seductive sales pitch!
"Hackers, we'll give you $249.95 to display all of your best-kept secrets to our packet dumper so we can build it into our IDS product and nail your pasty white asses when you try it with our clients later! Buy now!"
Oh, crap. Was my sarcasm filter on?
trustedworlds.net - gaming, security, and the gunk that lives in between
Seriously.
I saw "Get Paid to Crack" and thought it was "Get paid for Crack"
paid for crack. really. *click*
Tell that to Randal Schwartz. Because he did not obtain permission for each individual action, he was convicted of Computer Crime. You can email his perl bot for more info.
Beware people with benevolent intentions, as they usually become malevolent when they realize 1) you are smarter than they are, 2) they bought an insecure product, 3) they fear you. While this contest may be on the up and up, the information they are seeking is worth far more than $250 and could easily turn into criminal investigations whether they intend them to or not.
If someone can get my library records without my knowledge, sniffing some packets is child's play.
Someone asked if I had patched against MSBlast; I said yes, I installed Linux.
And immediately assumed it was the daily/weekly Verisign or SCO article. My mistake... though I suppose cracking might apply to an RIAA article instead.
Just think how many people you could pretend to be, with 250 bucks per identity you could clean these guys out.
I just think some ppl will open up an IRC channel where you can post your goals & your exploits/methods. easy way to make money... and it doesn't really help the study since everyone is using the same methods and such... of course you can only sign up once with your real address... but hey... inform your non-geek friends they will be getting 10% of the check if you can use their address & IP to bounce off. I'm a bit sceptic about how they'll react to such "abuse" of their system...
The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness.