First, I was never in jail. Second, it takes a hackere to catch and defend against hackers...
Which would you perfer? A) Someone protecting your data who really knows how its stolen because hes been there and done it... so he KNOWS how to secure it?
or B)Someone who is reading the same books the crackers and scammers are reading about system security?
I stopped when I almost got caught... I made the same mistake most do... I got too cocky and attempted a purchase at the same store twice... by the second time the store owner had caught on.
Instead of turning me over to the cops, as he probably should have done... he made me pay back the money, in the amount of $800+, and write a formal appology to the owner of the credit card.
I realized that if I kept that up I would end up in prision... so I swore to myself that I would never attempt that again.
All total I probably netted a grand total of $10,000 worth of equipment, mostly computer parts, stero equipment, and such.
But I really must thank the shop keeper for giving the the oppertunity to redeam myself... its not easy for a 18 year old kid with no job to come up with $800 bucks in cash from his own pocket... and I had to sell / pawn many items which I really did care for to pay off that debt... I also had to work for 3 months to buy it all back from the pawn shop... so it was a continueing lesson.
As a former scammer and hacker turned security consultant... I have to say that it is surprisingly FREAKING EASY!!! to get someones CC numbers... from social engineering tactics, dumpster diving, or just slight of hand / eye tricks... its possible to get almost anyones card number these days.
Maybe not a single person as a target mind you, but valid card numbers none the less.
Once you get the card numbers youll also find that it is stupidly simple to make large purchases with them. Online buys can be made to drop houses for obscurity... and in person purchases can be made with a $300 3M card writer and a good inkjet printer and a bit of photoshop to create a physical card...
People NEVER verify the card holders name to the ID these days so having the actual card stolen from someone is just about as safe. (When they did attempt to ID me I would claim that I didnt bring my wallet, just the card and they would let me make a $599 purchase at best buy).
I commend him quick thinking and 'dumb luck' in your of your credit attackers... I have to say that if some people had been as vigilant I may have had their fate.
On the flip side of the coin, While I once had a stack of 50 valid and working credit cards obtained from one method or another... I now manage and secure online companies from attack and fraud using counter techniques which I used to skirt in MY efforts. I now have access to between 75 and 100K customer's information which Is locked down tighter than Fort Knocks if I do say so myself... not that this makes up for any of my past exploits, but to me, its a way of atoning.
When MS says that "an important factor is security" what their really saying is "We know the linux community will rigorusly test our product and find our bugs for us... when they do, we'll fix those bugs immidiately... or at least in a few months."
When I was 5 my father who worked at Texas Instruments brought home their prototype computer... yall might remember it... big beige monochrome monitor and a keyboard with a slot loading cartage bay for programs stored on pre-8bit Nintendo cartridges...
there was no on disk storage of any type...
Well, He showed me BASIC and LOGO on the system when I asked him what else it could do besides play games... and my biggest accomplishment was making it count to one Million.... which took 4 days to do.
When I was 6 I had gotten really good at LOGO and LOTUS coding and Texas Tech brought me, a 6 year old kid, into a programming class for a week to teach adults how to work the system.
My parents got a 486 when I was 12 and took a trip to the movies that next day.... so out of boredom I took the system apart in my bedroom.... my parents came home to their new $4800 computer laying in pieces...
In high school I got into hacking when I realized that there was more to the web than meet the eye... and once I rooted my first e-comm server I was hooked into hacking for the next 3 years...
I was able to apply my hacking knowledge to productive coding in my Senior year and got a job in CA working for a Dot Com making $95k / year... the Job lasted 2 weeks before the company went under... so I never really count that as a job, but it introduced me to real web design which is what I have done successfully for the last 7 years.
And to think, my trip into geekdom all started with a simple question... "Now what can I make it do?"
They have integrated support for VOIP and if you can chat you can talk assuming that the other party has a mic.
'Course, I think I loose my geek card or somthing for recomending somthing like yahoo over skype... but hey, it works... so long as you run Windows... I guess I lost my geek card along time ago.:)
My mother had gotten some downloader virus on her system, even though she swears she didnt open or agree to anything... she had 20 spyware apps...
I got them all removed and told her I was going to replace her browser... she threw a coniption fit... (she has this "change" issue when it comes to computers)
so I told her I wouldnt do anything to it...
I installed FF anyway, (remote connection at 3AM is kinda cool), and simply replaced the Icon and renamed the extention... I also downloaded a theme that makes it look alot like IE... I wonder how long until she notices...
where would the guy be if he had been able to buy a large, mineral rich, moster rich, and resource rich piece in Everquest back in the games early years?
what, 2.5 million sales since '99 and currently 450K active players with 250K new players per year?.... at $0.05 per squat on a camp site... thats $125,000... charge for camping, mining, sales, and land... you (in theory) could make some serious cash.
Now, Im not saying that this game is going to be the next EverCrack... but comon, you have to at least see the logic... even if it makes us cringe to think of the cluster of Falcon Northwest systems we could build for the same that he just "threw away".
Inquire about his level of interaction with the engineers....
if he is one who wants to dictate exacting ways the staff should solve a problem, and wants his fingers in every piece of code... boot him.
if he is the type to tell the staff the problem and let them figure it out with no interaction in the code, boot him...
BUT, if he says he is willing to state the problem, provide working constraints, and allow the engineers to work within those constraints... then thats a keeper...
Too much control leads to lots of reworks.
Too little control leads to sloppy work.
Just the right amount of guidance leads to a productive staff and projects that finish on time.
right after I get done with Martha Stewart's class on "Ethical Business Practices" and the Enron seminar on "Increasing the Bottom Line by Manipulating Current Resources"
Ive always wanted one of these... as soon as this guy regains consciousness, Im going to get details, build my own, hook it up to my friends OC3 network (@isp), and repost to/.
Should this actually work, it could become the next net phenom.
We should all ban together and donate band-aids by the thousands for this guys server:P
To stop the Segway you MUST lean the unit back, now that does not mean that you have to lean back while being within a strait line to to the axel, simply that the unit itself must be leaned backwards.
To accomplish this takes a bit of skill, however, when done properly, it is possible...
Ill post a link to a video of me doing this... You will notice that the unit WILL stop within one second of initiating the stop. In the video I do not come to a complete and total stop, but I slow from about 12 mph to 1mph in about 1/2 a second.
After the unit has come to a stop, the rider is leaned forward to maintain his balance. Should the rider wish to stop completely, he would maintain his backwards stance.
To view this video, visit www.gyrogliderentals.com/stopping.mpg
Slashdot Mirror
No, but one of my exploits will be quoted in his new book :)
First, I was never in jail. Second, it takes a hackere to catch and defend against hackers...
Which would you perfer?
A) Someone protecting your data who really knows how its stolen because hes been there and done it... so he KNOWS how to secure it?
or B)Someone who is reading the same books the crackers and scammers are reading about system security?
I stopped when I almost got caught... I made the same mistake most do... I got too cocky and attempted a purchase at the same store twice... by the second time the store owner had caught on.
Instead of turning me over to the cops, as he probably should have done... he made me pay back the money, in the amount of $800+, and write a formal appology to the owner of the credit card.
I realized that if I kept that up I would end up in prision... so I swore to myself that I would never attempt that again.
All total I probably netted a grand total of $10,000 worth of equipment, mostly computer parts, stero equipment, and such.
But I really must thank the shop keeper for giving the the oppertunity to redeam myself... its not easy for a 18 year old kid with no job to come up with $800 bucks in cash from his own pocket... and I had to sell / pawn many items which I really did care for to pay off that debt... I also had to work for 3 months to buy it all back from the pawn shop... so it was a continueing lesson.
As a former scammer and hacker turned security consultant... I have to say that it is surprisingly FREAKING EASY!!! to get someones CC numbers... from social engineering tactics, dumpster diving, or just slight of hand / eye tricks... its possible to get almost anyones card number these days.
Maybe not a single person as a target mind you, but valid card numbers none the less.
Once you get the card numbers youll also find that it is stupidly simple to make large purchases with them. Online buys can be made to drop houses for obscurity... and in person purchases can be made with a $300 3M card writer and a good inkjet printer and a bit of photoshop to create a physical card...
People NEVER verify the card holders name to the ID these days so having the actual card stolen from someone is just about as safe. (When they did attempt to ID me I would claim that I didnt bring my wallet, just the card and they would let me make a $599 purchase at best buy).
I commend him quick thinking and 'dumb luck' in your of your credit attackers... I have to say that if some people had been as vigilant I may have had their fate.
On the flip side of the coin, While I once had a stack of 50 valid and working credit cards obtained from one method or another... I now manage and secure online companies from attack and fraud using counter techniques which I used to skirt in MY efforts. I now have access to between 75 and 100K customer's information which Is locked down tighter than Fort Knocks if I do say so myself... not that this makes up for any of my past exploits, but to me, its a way of atoning.
When MS says that "an important factor is security" what their really saying is "We know the linux community will rigorusly test our product and find our bugs for us... when they do, we'll fix those bugs immidiately... or at least in a few months."
Im going to need alot of pot to understand this one.
"This just in:: Man Walks On The Moon!"
ok, that sounds dirty... but I switched to FF because of the popup blocking, amoung many other features that I liked...
Today I was shocked to see my first popup ad for spyware removal...
Im thinking that this is the beginning of "A Very Bad Thing"
When I was 5 my father who worked at Texas Instruments brought home their prototype computer... yall might remember it... big beige monochrome monitor and a keyboard with a slot loading cartage bay for programs stored on pre-8bit Nintendo cartridges...
there was no on disk storage of any type...
Well, He showed me BASIC and LOGO on the system when I asked him what else it could do besides play games... and my biggest accomplishment was making it count to one Million.... which took 4 days to do.
When I was 6 I had gotten really good at LOGO and LOTUS coding and Texas Tech brought me, a 6 year old kid, into a programming class for a week to teach adults how to work the system.
My parents got a 486 when I was 12 and took a trip to the movies that next day.... so out of boredom I took the system apart in my bedroom.... my parents came home to their new $4800 computer laying in pieces...
In high school I got into hacking when I realized that there was more to the web than meet the eye... and once I rooted my first e-comm server I was hooked into hacking for the next 3 years...
I was able to apply my hacking knowledge to productive coding in my Senior year and got a job in CA working for a Dot Com making $95k / year... the Job lasted 2 weeks before the company went under... so I never really count that as a job, but it introduced me to real web design which is what I have done successfully for the last 7 years.
And to think, my trip into geekdom all started with a simple question... "Now what can I make it do?"
They have integrated support for VOIP and if you can chat you can talk assuming that the other party has a mic.
:)
'Course, I think I loose my geek card or somthing for recomending somthing like yahoo over skype... but hey, it works... so long as you run Windows... I guess I lost my geek card along time ago.
My mother had gotten some downloader virus on her system, even though she swears she didnt open or agree to anything... she had 20 spyware apps...
:P
I got them all removed and told her I was going to replace her browser... she threw a coniption fit... (she has this "change" issue when it comes to computers)
so I told her I wouldnt do anything to it...
I installed FF anyway, (remote connection at 3AM is kinda cool), and simply replaced the Icon and renamed the extention... I also downloaded a theme that makes it look alot like IE... I wonder how long until she notices...
Shell be so pissed
err.. I mean Everquest...
where would the guy be if he had been able to buy a large, mineral rich, moster rich, and resource rich piece in Everquest back in the games early years?
what, 2.5 million sales since '99 and currently 450K active players with 250K new players per year?.... at $0.05 per squat on a camp site... thats $125,000... charge for camping, mining, sales, and land... you (in theory) could make some serious cash.
Now, Im not saying that this game is going to be the next EverCrack... but comon, you have to at least see the logic... even if it makes us cringe to think of the cluster of Falcon Northwest systems we could build for the same that he just "threw away".
OMG!!! Quick, mortgage the house honey, were gonna be rich!
This is going to get at least ONE slashdotter killed....
Great photos though.
I would love a mac shell sitting on my MacDaddy Rig.
The best dogs Ive ever had have all come from shelters and pounds...
the only time I ever had a problem with a dog, he was from a breeder.
OK, IM OUT OF INVITES...
but send me an email and ill put you on the list the next time I have them.
email: codeninja@gmail.com to be put on the list
if you want an account, I have 5 to give out...
codeninja@gmail.com
Inquire about his level of interaction with the engineers....
if he is one who wants to dictate exacting ways the staff should solve a problem, and wants his fingers in every piece of code... boot him.
if he is the type to tell the staff the problem and let them figure it out with no interaction in the code, boot him...
BUT, if he says he is willing to state the problem, provide working constraints, and allow the engineers to work within those constraints... then thats a keeper...
Too much control leads to lots of reworks.
Too little control leads to sloppy work.
Just the right amount of guidance leads to a productive staff and projects that finish on time.
I have an unlimited amount of storage and bandwidth....
Contact me, Ill host it...
info@gyrogliderentals.com
right after I get done with Martha Stewart's class on "Ethical Business Practices" and the Enron seminar on "Increasing the Bottom Line by Manipulating Current Resources"
Until you buldoze your home page :)
Still, you have to give the guy credit for creating such an interisting hybrid.
Ive always wanted one of these... as soon as this guy regains consciousness, Im going to get details, build my own, hook it up to my friends OC3 network (@isp), and repost to /.
:P
Should this actually work, it could become the next net phenom.
We should all ban together and donate band-aids by the thousands for this guys server
To stop the Segway you MUST lean the unit back, now that does not mean that you have to lean back while being within a strait line to to the axel, simply that the unit itself must be leaned backwards.
To accomplish this takes a bit of skill, however, when done properly, it is possible...
Ill post a link to a video of me doing this... You will notice that the unit WILL stop within one second of initiating the stop. In the video I do not come to a complete and total stop, but I slow from about 12 mph to 1mph in about 1/2 a second.
After the unit has come to a stop, the rider is leaned forward to maintain his balance. Should the rider wish to stop completely, he would maintain his backwards stance.
To view this video, visit www.gyrogliderentals.com/stopping.mpg
For me to upgrade my box in anticipation for Doom 3 and HL2.
I havent upgraded in 3 years, and these games will kill my athlon 1800 GeForce 440mx system.
Im looking into the Athlon FX53 and a gig or two of DDR mem with the new PCIX cards and boards that are coming out...
With any luck, I will be able to play these games and their followers at the highest settings for the next few years to come...
Its either that or update once or twice a year to be able to run the new apps.