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DEFCON's Latest Challenge: Hacking Altruism
jfruh writes: A casual observer at the latest DEFCON conference in Las Vegas might not have noticed much change from last year — still tons of leather, piercing, and body art, still groups of men gathered in darkened ballrooms furiously typing commands. But this year there's a new focus: hacking not just for the lulz, but focusing specifically on highlighting computer security problems that have the potential to do real-world physical harm to human beings.
Wouldn't want a Bluetooth vulnerability to crash the Ex-VP's heart.....
I've always enjoyed having a computer that's off and not even connected to the network, and watching people trying to hack my computer, while I'm fake typing and clicking. They seem to wonder what I'm doing and walk around to try to get a glimpse of my screen....
If you're helping fix something that could cause real world harm, it's an investment in your own safety.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
As information technology rapidly invades every aspect of our lives it makes sense that the number of vulnerability disclosures that help people's day-to-day lives would increase.
Why, thank you.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Not to worry, lots of other styles in attendance as well. Wikipedia only has one photo of attendees, and it happens to be this one.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Nerds in t-shirts and glasses, now that's what I expected ... the whole leather thing threw me a little.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
I put on my robe and wizard hat.
Damn straight, wizards have a THAC0 off the charts, even at high levels. And by that time your elf better has some elven mail on or, well, he's ...
erh...
I mean, good one!
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Well, we keep saying that, hoping to at least attract the weird chicks, but ... all it does is attract a bunch of weird dudes that wanna beat us up... it's just like high school all over. :(
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
"Hacking Altruism" makes it sound like you're trying to exploit people's sense of altruism for some other goal.
"Altruistic Hacking" captures the idea that you're hacking for the benefit of other people.
...When "lulz" is acceptable as a real, albeit informal, english word.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
by evolution. That's why you feel better about yourself when you do something "for" "someone else".
Damn, suddenly I was a lot more interested in attending ... who doesn't like disco-bondage headgear, leather, and steampunk?
Yes honey, I have to go to Vegas for work. No, I really do need my steampunk goggles and leather chaps, it's for, um, safety. Yes, for safety. Have you seen my cape?
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
looks down Hmmmm ... I'm not wearing any henna now, and my hair is my natural color, and I no longer have an eyebrow ring ... but really, this has been nerd chic since I was in junior high school, which is really only a subset of shabby punk from the 70s.
Or as I like to call it, clothing.
Mmmmm .... Skyrim ...
ZOMG, I 4m teh hax0r!! Or, as my wife puts it ... " hey dork".
Let's be honest here, this isn't exactly new.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
And no I don't mean out of badges or the venue is full.
If you want to do something Altruistic start by giving the grey hats and assorted 0-day hoarding outfits you work for the one finger salute.
Instead of continuing to make money working symptoms of security problems actually do something meaningful to address underlying cause especially if it means certain implosion of your industry.
From reception of Keith Alexander it became crystal clear my friends have grown up and too many have become hypnotized pay checks.