They trawl the dark alleys of the Internet looking for the tiniest of cracks to slip into company systems or PCs, for information, personal gain, money, vandalism or just to prove their prowess by outwitting network and systems administrators. Others write malicious viruses that wreak havoc as they make their way around the Net. While some slip in and out unseen, others leave flamboyant traces of their exploits.
Who are hackers and why do they 'hack'?
Security specialists have been trying to answer this one by analysing hacker behaviour.
The term 'hacker' is probably one the most misunderstood, usually associated with just about anything 'evil' from Web site defacements to Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. But a peek into the Hacker Jargon Files reveals an entire subculture - a world full of not just hackers, but crackers, lamers and phreakers - each with their own behaviour, mannerisms and lingo.
Out of this hacker world emerged some of the most well known faces in the tech world today - like Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux), Steve Wozniak (founder of Apple) and Kevin Mitnick (legendary hacker).
The word 'hacker' refers to the 'good guys' -- the ones that don't wreak havoc or steal credit card numbers. Some follow what is known as a Hacker Ethic. Others don't have a destructive agenda and sometimes blur the lines between what's ethical and legal and what's not.
Probably one of the best insights into the 'conscience of a hacker' can be found in the legendary Hacker's Manifesto, written by 'The Mentor', who belonged to hacker group 'Legion of Doom'. Most hackers swear by this manifesto.
Hackers and their groups
Some, mostly crackers up to no good, work alone; but a large number of hackers work in groups and go by aliases like The Mentor or Neuromancer.
Most hackers are in it for the thrill. They thrive on exchanging ideas with likeminded people. For many it's a 'social thing' - they hang out together, share information among themselves or with others, which is why you'll find group sites full of information intended to increase the knowledge of new hackers. Occasionally they get together at hacker conferences to discuss issues among the community.
Though just the few famous groups who helped shape the history of hackerdom are in the limelight, there are thousands of hacker groups all over the world - Russian, Chinese, Swedish, German, Israeli, Pakistani and Indian too.
Some groups have an agenda or support a cause. They indulge in 'hacktivism' against what they think are tyrannical governments that suppress freedom, anti-child porn, etc.
Here's a look at some of the most active groups online today.
Cult of the Dead Cow (cDc)
One of the oldest and most active hacker groups around, cDc was started in 1984 in Texas by Grandmaster Ratte' and Franken Gibe. The group has had many hacker members over the years. Today, it has about 24, all from the US except for Canada-based Oxblood Ruffin, an ex-UN official and journalist who is cDc's 'foreign minister'. Count Zero, A Dwarf named Warren and Tweety Fish are other prominent members. The group also has a blog featuring updates about their activities.
So what does the cDc do? They're mostly against Internet censorship. From time to time, they release software, like a Trojan horse programme called Back Orifice 2000, a tool that gave network administrators sleepless nights. The motive behind this was to lay bare the weak security of Windows.
To demonstrate how exclusive cDc is, Oxblood said in an interview, "It's easier for Sinead O'Connor to get a date with the Pope than for anyone else to get into the cDc".
Hacktivismo
An autonomous group within the cDc, Hacktivismo is specifically against Web censorship. They are currently trying to help Chinese Internet users evade their government's censorship. Many cDc members are also active in Hacktivismo. The group recently released Camera/Shy, a free programme that helps encrypt online content thereby enabling people to trade banned content from behind national firewalls. Peekabooty is another software that can bypass firewalls allowing its users access to forbidden or blocked URLs.
Hacktivismo probably features on the Chinese government's 'most hated' list. But this doesn't deter the hackers who press on in their support for total freedom on the Net.
L0pht
L0pht Heavy Industries or L0pht (pronounced 'loft') is one of the most significant hacker groups, along with cDc and the Legion of Doom. Current members include founder Brian Oblivion and others like Dr Mudge, Space Rogue and Dildog. This group also opposes Net censorship. L0pht's 'research' included breaking into the most challenging systems and then posting the findings online. They developed Back Orifice 2000 in collaboration with cDc. In fact some of L0pht's members are also part of cDc.
Their unorthodox methods have drawn the attention of the US government. They were even called to testify before a US Senate committee and actually drew praise for what they were doing. Having recently merged with @Stake, a computer security development group and consultancy, to form the company's R&D division, they will operate as security consultants.
Get a detailed profile of L0pht here.
Other noted groups include the Germany-based Chaos Computer Club, one of the oldest in Europe. It was founded by Wau Holland and Steffen Wernery who masterminded some of the most notorious hacks, breaking into German as well as NASA systems. The CCC is still active at various hacker conferences and at its own camps. Another group that deserves a mention is the Legion of Doom, though they aren't active anymore. When they disbanded some members went on to form a computer security firm. Others wound up in jail.
Cyber warfare!
Political tension between countries has found a new outlet - the Net. Infowars are being fought between hackers of countries at war. DoS attacks and defacement of government sites are common.
Cyberwarfare between India and Pakistan has reached quite a height. There are several Pakistani groups of which 10 are known to be very active. They include the G-force and the Pakistani Hackerz Club (PHC). Their agenda: to draw attention to the Kashmir issue. To achieve this, defacements and attacks are carried out not just on Indian sites but also those of the US, UK and Israel. India Cracked documents such site violations.
While the G-force claims to have done 2,600 defacements, around 179 between 2000 and 2001 have been recorded. Another group, the Muslim Online Syndicate (M0s), claims to have brought down over 500 sites. These groups' targets are sites like the Indian Science Congress, VSNL, Army In Kashmir, etc. The PHC usually leaves behind its logo and Kashmir slogans and/ or pictures. In this CNN report, M0s members say they secretly take control of a server, then deface the site only when they "have no more use" for the data or the server itself. The group gained access to Indian servers through a US-based ISP with whom they allegedly had links.
G-force is known to have members in the US. M0s has about nine active members, all between 16 and 24 years age group.
Hacker alliances
Many pro-Islamic hacker groups have joined forces to carry out digital attacks against countries like India, UK and USA. The Anti India Crew (AIC) established in July 2001 and the World's Fantabulous Defacers (WFD), a Pakistani alliance of 12 member groups, have been formed recently. The AIC is responsible for 422 attacks to date, 77 of them on Indian sites while the WFD has carried out attacks on 445 sites since November 2000 leaving messages protesting India's presence in Kashmir and also pro-Palestinian messages. The AIC occasionally works with the WFD.
Indian hacker groups aren't active on the defacement scene, though a recent 'W32.Yaha.E worm attack' last month by Indian hackers put the Pakistani Government site out of commission for a few days.