Download From Youtube With Only 1 Word

It's now easy to download your favorite youtube videos and songs to your own PC to watch them without the need to go to youtube site every time you want to watch them. Just add the word "link" before the word "youtube" in any video link. For example, if the video you want to download is http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=bdCjaiXmUb0 you just add the word "link before the word "youtube" so the download link will be http://www.LINKyout ube.com/watch? v=bdCjaiXmUb0

Here is a video that explains that easy way:
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JOTgPiIkmBk

Try it and enjoy downloading all your favorite videos and songs from youtube.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Making orkut more accessible

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. We know that for visually impaired users, it can be difficult to navigate through orkut using a mouse to point and click on various links. In order to make orkut more accessible to all users, we recently added accesskeys for some commonly used links on orkut. With accesskeys, you no longer need to click your mouse to visit different pages on orkut. For example, if you are using IE, when you press "alt + s", the focus is moved to the "Scrapbook" link at the top of the page. Pressing "enter" will then take you to your scrapbook page.

Please note that different browsers use different control key combinations for accesskeys. On Netscape Navigator and Mozilla Firefox, "alt + shift + s" should take you directly to your scrapbook (you don't need to press "enter"). Similarly, if you hold down "alt+shift," simply press "h" for home, "p" for profile, "b" for friends, "c" for communities, "l" for logout. Almost all browsers support this feature, so please consult your browser manual to find the right key combination for your browser.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

orkut Super Users visit Google Office

On Apr 18, the Google office in Belo Horizonte hosted a special event for some VIP guests: the orkut super users from the Portuguese Help Group. By bringing together these orkut experts and enthusiasts, we got some critical feedback about orkut and learned more about how they sustain our help community. Here's what they thought about it:

"The invite was a surprise, a dream come true, which just shows how Google cares for its users and how it's always exceeding our expectations. The atmosphere in the office is so exciting that you don't want to find your way out. As if we were orkut ambassadors, we felt our voice was heard when brainstorming about suggestions and usability issues. We hope we have done a good job at representing millions of users who have orkut as their favorite website." Alexandre Luis Vignado

"This day became a historical landmark for me. I enjoyed every single moment, from printing my badge at the front desk to toasting with Googlers during TGIF. I had to pinch myself to believe that I was visiting the company responsible for the most successful social networking website in Brazil: orkut! The environment is so relaxing that you can easily forget there's hard work being done in each of those cubes. But Google doesn't forget it and does the best to reward its employees with massage, hammocks, and game rooms. And the treats in the micro kitchen, of course! Visiting a Google office is like visiting a Google product: fun and quality everywhere! As you can see from my impressions, I don't feel I myself worked hard on that day, event though I participated in brainstorming sessions for 7 hours. Those were magic hours when we felt part of the orkut team and did our best to speak for all those users we interact with in the Help Group. orkut just became more admirable and promising for me." Cesar JB

"The invite was a surprise that only the visit itself could beat. While taking a tour at the office, we met some engineers who were having a meeting around a team member's birthday cake, which they kindly shared cake with us. Nice start... Even after working hard at focus sessions for hours, we didn't want to leave, which was perfectly fine for those Googlers who stayed with us celebrating TGIF and playing foosball. Cool, sociable, and smart people work there – and we attest, they're NORMAL people. :-) It was also great to meet in person my partners in the Help Group, Cesar and Alexandre. This bonding time will just improve our teamwork spirit." Luiz Fernando

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Unlimited Time In Internet Cafe

Alright Ladies And Hostile Men, Were Gonna Learn How To Disable The Timer On The Computers On In Internet Cafe's. Alright Create A New Text Document, Than Type CMD In It, And Than Save It As a Batch File, And Than Run The New Batch File On Your Desktop. Than Command Prompt Should Open, Now You Type "cd\windows" to change the directory to Windows, than type in "regedit" to get to the registry editor gui, than navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Appevents>

software>classes> micr osoft>windows>current version>internet settings>policies>system" than on the right pane where it says Disable Taskmanager, right click on it, and scroll down to modify, and than change the value of it to "0", and than open Windows Task Manager By Holding Down These Keys, "CTRL+ALT+DEL/DELETE" And Than Disable The Internet Cafe's Timer, And WoohLAH, UNLIMTED TIME.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Google blacklist database

http://sb.google.com/safebrowsing/update?version=goog-black-url:1:1
http://sb.google.com/safebrowsing/update?version=goog-black-url:1:7998
http://sb.google.com/safebrowsing/update?version=goog-white-domain:1:19,goog-white-url:1:371,goog-black-url:1:7693,goog-black-enchash:1:15282
http://sb.google.com/safebrowsing/update?version=goog-black-url:1:7753
http://sb.google.com/safebrowsing/update?versio=goog-black-url:1:0000

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Customize Internet Explorer Title bar

Customize Internet. Explorer Title bar tip:

This tip won't make your computer any faster but may help personalize your computer experience. Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet. Explorer\Main. In right hand panel look for string "Window Title" and change its value to whatever custom text you want to see.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

PhotoAttack Online Application By Google

Bring your friends' photos to life! Attack them with fun animations, ambush them with flying kisses, throw a snow ball, ninja kick them, send them some puppy love, and more. There are tons of different ways to make a friend smile. With cool new attacks being added often, the fun never stops.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

A little trick about Firefox.

When u type url in firefox address bar u have to type whole address but by the help of this trick u have to put only main address
if you are suppose to type http://www.yahoo.com just type yahoo and press ctrl+enter and firefox will add .com

for .net = shift + enter
for .com = ctrl + enter
for .org = shitf + ctrl + enter


PS: This Trick Works Only In Firefox Not in IE.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Increase DSL Speed

This tweak is for broad band cable connections on stand alone machines with winXP professional version - might work on Home version also. It will probably work with networked machines as well but I haven't tried it in that configuration. This is for windows XP only, it does not work on win2000.

I use 3 Com cards so I don't know how it works on others at this point. It does not involve editing the registry. This tweak assumes that you have let winXP create a connection on install for your cable modem/NIC combination and that your connection has tcp/ip - QoS - file and print sharing - and client for Microsoft networks , only, installed. It also assumes that winxp will detect your NIC and has in-box drivers for it. If it doesn't do not try this.
In the "My Network Places" properties (right click on the desktop icon and choose properties), highlight the connection then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK
1. From the windows XP cd in the support directory from the support cab, extract the file netcap.exe and place it in a directory on your hard drive or even in the root of your C:\ drive.
2. next, open up a command prompt window and change directories to where you put netcap.exe. then type "netcap/?". It will list some commands that are available for netcap and a netmon driver will be installed. At the bottom you will see your adapters. You should see two of them if using a 3Com card. One will be for LAN and the other will be for WAN something or other.
3. Next type "netcap/Remove". This will remove the netmon driver.
4. Open up control panel / system / dev man and look at your network adapters. You should now see two of them and one will have a yellow ! on it. Right click on the one without the yellow ! and choose uninstall. YES! you are uninstalling your network adapter, continue with the uninstall. Do not restart yet.
5. Check your connection properties to make sure that no connection exists. If you get a wizard just cancel out of it.
6. Now re-start the machine.
7. After re-start go to your connection properties again and you should have a new connection called "Local area connection 2". Highlight the connection then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK.
8. Choose connection properties and uncheck the "QOS" box
9. Re-start the machine
10. After restart enjoy the increased responsiveness of IE, faster page loading, and a connection speed boost.

Why it works, it seems that windows XP, in its zeal to make sure every base is covered installs two separate versions of the NIC card. One you do not normally see in any properties. Remember the "netcap/?" command above showing two different adapters? The LAN one is the one you see. The invisible one loads everything down and its like your running two separate cards together, sharing a connection among two cards, this method breaks this "bond" and allows the NIC to run un-hindered.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Hack Is Back - Add More Than 1000 Friends on Orkut

Thanks to Orkut's New Feature - Manage Friends, members having over 1000 friends can accept friend requests. This is a possible bug since members having reached the limit cannot add more friends. You can always invite others to add you and then accept their request.

How others can add me as their friend?

It is evident that you cannot send an add request if you have reached the 1000 friends limit. You can always request others to add you though.

Here are the step by step instructions which they should follow:

• Navigate to the Orkut Invite page - http://www.orkut.com/Invite.aspx

• Enter email addresses to add as friend
  
• Enter the Captcha
• Submit

How Do i Accept Friend requests - I Have Reached The Limit?

• Just choose the category and click yes to add as your friend. :o)

Note: Don't expect this bug to stay forever. This can be fixed anytime. On a positive note, this bug may no longer be a bug in future. Orkut is planning remove the friend limit in near future.

This Article Was Published At Orkut Plus

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Impersonation + Obscene Pics + Vulgar Posts in Orkut Forums gets a Youth Arrested

To make it simple - If any loser on orkut is harassing you by faking your identity or associating Obscene pictures against your name or is posting vulgar messages or your real phone number on orkut forums, then you can get them arrested and believe me they deserve nothing less.

DNA - India :

Chandigarh police on Thursday arrested a youth on the charge of posting obscene material, including pictures, on a woman’s profile on Orkut without her knowledge, a police spokesperson said here.

Jatinder Singh Marok, a process executive in tech firm in Mohali, was arrested under section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, after the girl lodged a case against him.

The girl, who is also a resident of Mohali, was getting telephone calls from men after her profile with pornographic photos of some other girl, but carrying her name and phone number, appeared in the profile section of Orkut, police said. The girl then approached the cyber crime cell of the Chandigarh police. Marok was arrested after the police painstakingly collected digital evidence, said the police. The accused is being interrogated - read more

Useful Links

• What to Do When Someone Makes Your Fake Profile and Shares Wrong Info?
• Report impersonation on Orkut

This Article Was Published At Orkut Plus

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Upload Multiple Images - Awesome New Feature

If you always wondered uploading 100 pics on orkut would consume an hell lot of time then here is some fantastic news. Orkut has introduced a new feature which allows you to upload multiple pics in a single click. So no more clicking, choosing and uploading individual images.

How to Upload Multiple Pics in One Click?

• Navigate to this page (http://www.orkut.com/PhotosUpload.aspx?uid)
• Follow the instructions written over there.
• Now, You will be redirected to your album page.
• Click on add photos option and you will experience this cool new feature

Note: Does not work in Firefox. Use Internet Explorer to Use This Feature

This Article Was Published At Orkut Plus

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Enter Moive's Name & Get That

dis is an advanced custom search engine of google..
made by someone

got frm one of the communty..

just enter the name of movie and download it..
choice is urs whether u want to download through torrent or direct download sites..

hxxp://movieden.googlepages.com/

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Orkut User Happiness Survey - Tell Them What You Think of Orkut?

Orkut User Happiness Survey - Tell Them What You Think of Orkut?

Orkut is requesting your valuable feedback. They are now conducting an orkut user happiness survey . You can participate in the survey by navigating to this link and tell them what you think of orkut.

Participate - Orkut User Happiness Survey

This Article Was Published At Orkut Plus

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Find Any CD Key From Google

ok, this is a little trick that i usually use to find cd keys with google.


if your looking for a serial number for nero (for example) goto google.com and type nero 94FBR and it'll bring it up

this works great in google

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

Quite simple really. 94FBR is part of a Office 2000 Pro cd key that is widely distributed as it bypasses the activation requirements of Office 2K Pro. By searching for the product name and 94fbr, you guarantee two things.

1)The pages that are returned are pages dealing specifically with the product you're wantinga serial for.

2)Because 94FBR is part of a serial number, and only part of a serial number, you guarantee that any page being returned is a serial number list page.


I hope this trick help you finding your ccd keys easily

Enjoy :)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

orkut trends: Who sends scraps?

When orkut launched, we had no idea that scrapbooks would be the primary way members would interact. Billions of scraps later, we've learned that scraps are a huge hit, and have added ways to make them even more fun by enabling you to add videos, photos and HTML.

We've been wondering (and perhaps you have too): Which orkut users are scrappiest? In our recent sample, members from the island nation of Grenada had the highest scrap counts at an average of 1877 scraps. Of the biggest orkut nations, Pakistanis came in first, followed by Americans, Indians, and Brazilians. (All of these statistics are based on current scraps that have not been deleted by the recipients.)

Women receive just under half (48%) of all scraps. Women from the Cayman Islands receive the most, followed by those from the British Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, San Marino, and the Northern Mariana Islands. (What is it about those islanders?) Albanian women had the fewest scraps (81) -- still a pretty substantial number when you think about it.

On the male side, islanders still rule: men from Grenada averaged a whopping 2569 scraps each. Here's the full chart:

Country (gender)	Scraps received	Scraps received (women)	Scraps received (men)
Grenada	1877	557	2569
Cayman Islands	861	1093	715
Pakistan	758	717	779
United States	423	249	578
India	345	443	301
Brazil	267	272	263

Who's sending these scraps? The scrappiest users hail from Pakistan, followed immediately by Madagascar and the Central African Republic. Among women, the most scraps come from Jamaica, then Madagascar, followed by the nation of St. Pierre and Miquelon. Among men, Pakistanis sent the most, then Qatar.

And what are people saying in scraps? Some messages occurred again and again. Out of a sample of 1,000,000 short scraps, the following were among the most common:

scrap	# of occurrences
hi	1131
oi [hi]	689
ok	298
parabens [congratulations]	273
.	187
hello	184
=]	146
vlw [thx]	135
^^	133
blz [ok]	132
=)	124
:)	117
[:p]	115
=D	115

Not only was the word "hi" common, it also appeared frequently followed by extra "i"s. For example, "hiiiiiiiii", "hiiiiiiiiiiiii", and "hiiiiiiiiiii" each occurred more than 90 times in our 1,000,000 scrap sample.

Until next time, our 46th most popular scrap: "bye"!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

How To Search Google For Confidential Files On The Internet

Google hacking is considered to be divided into 2 distinct categories. The first category is called ethical Google hacking, which means that people who conduct these hacking ventures on Google only aim to improve the quality of their searches in terms of results. For instance, there are additional syntax and character strings that can bolster the chances of your Google searches to provide you with the results you need.

On the other hand, unethical hacking is the process of entering private networks or sites on the Internet and offline in order to access confidential information and the like. The data that is retrieved from hacking into these sites and networks are then used for criminal activities. These criminals oftentimes use the confidential information they gain to extract passwords, banking details, credit card accounts, and even personal data that can be used to further support their criminal activities.

There is a Google hack that makes use of the filetype syntax followed by any file format directed towards a domain extension as well as the particular type of information. For instance, you can do a search on Google for all file types related to the data you want to acquire by keying in: filename:xxx site:yyy zzz where xxx is the file extension, yyy the domain extension, and zzz the type of information. In more general terms - if you wanted to have access to the confidential documents of any government, you can key in filetype:doc site:gov confidential.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Find Orkut Files thru Google Now!!

Well here is one more update about orkut. Now you able to find profile from Google also. Seems Orkut doing really hard work in these days. Setting Under Privacy Settings.

ScreenShot:

Enjoy more Orkuting (-:

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

How Hackers Work

Introduction to How Hackers Work

Thanks to the media, the word "hacker" has gotten a bad reputation. The word summons up thoughts of malicious computer users finding new ways to harass people, defraud corporations, steal information and maybe even destroy the economy or start a war by infiltrating military computer systems. While there's no denying that there are hackers out there with bad intentions, they make up only a small percentage of the hacker community.



Hackers from around the world gather at camps to
practice their hobby and trade tips.

The term computer hacker first showed up in the mid-1960s. A hacker was a programmer -- someone who hacked out computer code. Hackers were visionaries who could see new ways to use computers, creating programs that no one else could conceive. They were the pioneers of the computer industry, building everything from small applications to operating systems. In this sense, people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were all hackers -- they saw the potential of what computers could do and created ways to achieve that potential.

A unifying trait among these hackers was a strong sense of curiosity, sometimes bordering on obsession. These hackers prided themselves on not only their ability to create new programs, but also to learn how other programs and systems worked. When a program had a bug -- a section of bad code that prevented the program from working properly -- hackers would often create and distribute small sections of code called patches to fix the problem. Some managed to land a job that leveraged their skills, getting paid for what they'd happily do for free.

As computers evolved, computer engineers began to network individual machines together into a system. Soon, the term hacker had a new meaning -- a person using computers to explore a network to which he or she didn't belong. Usually hackers didn't have any malicious intent. They just wanted to know how computer networks worked and saw any barrier between them and that knowledge as a challenge.

In fact, that's still the case today. While there are plenty of stories about malicious hackers sabotaging computer systems, infiltrating networks and spreading computer viruses, most hackers are just curious -- they want to know all the intricacies of the computer world. Some use their knowledge to help corporations and governments construct better security measures. Others might use their skills for more unethical endeavors.

In this article, we'll explore common techniques hackers use to infiltrate systems. We'll examine hacker culture and the various kinds of hackers as well as learn about famous hackers, some of whom have run afoul of the law.

Hackers and Crackers
Many computer programmers insist that the word "hacker" applies only to law-abiding enthusiasts who help create programs and applications or improve computer security. Anyone using his or her skills maliciously isn't a hacker at all, but a cracker.
Crackers infiltrate systems and cause mischief, or worse. Unfortunately, most people outside the hacker community use the word as a negative term because they don't understand the distinction between hackers and crackers.



The Hacker Toolbox

The main resource hackers rely upon, apart from their own ingenuity, is computer code. While there is a large community of hackers on the Internet, only a relatively small number of hackers actually program code. Many hackers seek out and download code written by other people. There are thousands of different programs hackers use to explore computers and networks. These programs give hackers a lot of power over innocent users and organizations -- once a skilled hacker knows how a system works, he can design programs that exploit it.



The ILOVEYOU Computer Virus was a malicious program
that plagued computers worldwide and caused millions of dollars in damages.

Malicious hackers use programs to:

* Hack passwords:There are many ways to hack someone's password, from educated guesses to simple algorithms that generate combinations of letters, numbers and symbols. The trial and error method of hacking passwords is called a brute force attack,meaning the hacker tries to generate every possible combination to gain access. Another way to hack passwords is to use a dictionary attack, program that inserts common words into password fields.
*Infect a computer or system with a virus: Computer viruses are programs designed to duplicate themselves and cause problems ranging from crashing a computer to wiping out everything on a system's hard drive. A hacker might install a virus by infiltrating a system, but it's much more common for hackers to create simple viruses and send them out to potential victims via email, instant messages, Web sites with downloadable content or peer-to-peer networks.
* Log keystrokes: Some programs allow hackers to review every keystroke a computer user makes. Once installed on a victim's computer, the programs record each keystroke, giving the hacker everything he needs to infiltrate a system or even steal someone's identity.
Gain backdoor access: Similar to hacking passwords, some hackers create programs that search for unprotected pathways into network systems and computers. In the early days of the Internet, many computer systems had limited security, making it possible for a hacker to find a pathway into the system without a username or password. Another way a hacker might gain backdoor access is to infect a computer or system with a Trojan horse.
*Create zombie computers: A zombie computer, or bot, is a computer that a hacker can use to send spam or commit Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. After a victim executes seemingly innocent code, a connection opens between his computer and the hacker's system. The hacker can secretly control the victim's computer, using it to commit crimes or spread spam.
*Spy on e-mail: Hackers have created code that lets them intercept and read e-mail messages -- the Internet's equivalent to wiretapping. Today, most e-mail programs use encryption formulas so complex that even if a hacker intercepts the message, he won't be able to read it.

Hacker Hierarchy
Psychologist Marc Rogers says there are several subgroups of hackers -- newbies, cyberpunks, coders and cyber terrorists. Newbies are hackers who have access to hacking tools but aren't really aware of how computers and programs work. Cyberpunks are savvier and are less likely to get caught than a newbie while hacking a system, but they have a tendency to boast about their accomplishments. Coders write the programs other hackers use to infiltrate and navigate computer systems. A cyber terrorist is a professional hacker who infiltrates systems for profit -- he might sabotage a company or raid a corporation's databases for proprietary information [source: Knittel and Soto]



Hackers Culture

Individually, many hackers are antisocial. Their intense interest in computers and programming can become a communication barrier. Left to his or her own devices, a hacker can spend hours working on a computer program while neglecting everything else.

Computer networks gave hackers a way to associate with other people with their same interests. Before the Internet became easily accessible, hackers would set up and visit bulletin board systems (BBS). A hacker could host a bulletin board system on his or her computer and let people dial into the system to send messages, share information, play games and download programs. As hackers found one another, information exchanges increased dramatically.

Some hackers posted their accomplishments on a BBS, boasting about infiltrating secure systems. Often they would upload a document from their victims' databases to prove their claims. By the early 1990s, law enforcement officials considered hackers an enormous security threat. There seemed to be hundreds of people who could hack into the world's most secure systems at will [source: Sterling].

There are many Web sites dedicated to hacking. The hacker journal "2600: The Hacker Quarterly" has its own site, complete with a live broadcast section dedicated to hacker topics. The print version is still available on newsstands. Web sites like Hacker.org promote learning and include puzzles and competitions for hackers to test their skills.

Super Phreak
Before computer hackers, curious and clever individuals found ways to manipulate the phone system in a phenomenon called phreaking. Through phreaking, these individuals found ways to make long distance calls for free or sometimes just played pranks on other telephone users.



When caught -- either by law enforcement or corporations -- some hackers admit that they could have caused massive problems. Most hackers don't want to cause trouble; instead, they hack into systems just because they wanted to know how the systems work. To a hacker, a secure system is like Mt. Everest -- he or she infiltrates it for the sheer challenge. In the United States, a hacker can get into trouble for just entering a system. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act outlaws unauthorized access to computer systems [source: Hacking Laws].

Not all hackers try to explore forbidden computer systems. Some use their talents and knowledge to create better software and security measures. In fact, many hackers who once used their skills to break into systems now put that knowledge and ingenuity to use by creating more comprehensive security measures. In a way, the Internet is a battleground between different kinds of hackers -- the bad guys, or black hats, who try to infiltrate systems or spread viruses, and the good guys, or white hats, who bolster security systems and develop powerful virus protection software.



Hackers work together to create "mashups" of
Yahoo applications at Yahoo Hack Day 2006.

Hackers on both sides overwhelmingly support open source software, programs in which the source code is available for anyone to study, copy, distribute and modify. With open source software, hackers can learn from other hackers' experiences and help make programs work better than they did before. Programs might range from simple applications to complex operating systems like Linux.

There are several annual hacker events, most of which promote responsible behavior. A yearly convention in Las Vegas called DEFCON sees thousands of attendees gather to exchange programs, compete in contests, participate in panel discussions about hacking and computer development and generally promote the pursuit of satisfying curiosity. A similar event called the Chaos Communication Camp combines low-tech living arrangements -- most attendees stay in tents -- and high-tech conversation and activities.

Hackers and the Law

In general, most governments aren't too crazy about hackers. Hackers' ability to slip in and out of computers undetected, stealing classified information when it amuses them, is enough to give a government official a nightmare. Secret information, or intelligence, is incredibly important. Many government agents won't take the time to differentiate between a curious hacker who wants to test his skills on an advanced security system and a spy.

Laws reflect this attitude. In the United States, there are several laws forbidding the practice of hacking. Some, like 18 U.S.C. § 1029, concentrate on the creation, distribution and use of codes and devices that give hackers unauthorized access to computer systems. The language of the law only specifies using or creating such a device with the intent to defraud, so an accused hacker could argue he just used the devices to learn how security systems worked.



Concern about hackers reaches up to the highest levels of
government. Here, former Attorney General
Janet Reno testifies about hacker activity.

Another important law is 18 U.S.C. § 1030, part of which forbids unauthorized access to government computers. Even if a hacker just wants to get into the system, he or she could be breaking the law and be punished for accessing a nonpublic government computer [Source: U.S. Department of Justice].

Punishments range from hefty fines to jail time. Minor offenses may earn a hacker as little as six months' probation, while other offenses can result in a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail. One formula on the Department of Justice's Web page factors in the financial damage a hacker causes, added to the number of his victims to determine an appropriate punishment [Source: U.S. Department of Justice].

Other countries have similar laws, some much more vague than legislation in the U.S. A recent German law forbids possession of "hacker tools." Critics say that the law is too broad and that many legitimate applications fall under its vague definition of hacker tools. Some point out that under this legislation, companies would be breaking the law if they hired hackers to look for flaws in their security systems [source: IDG News Service].

Hackers can commit crimes in one country while sitting comfortably in front of their computers on the other side of the world. Therefore, prosecuting a hacker is a complicated process. Law enforcement officials have to petition countries to extradite suspects in order to hold a trial, and this process can take years. One famous case is the United States' indictment of hacker Gary McKinnon. Since 2002, McKinnon fought extradition charges to the U.S. for hacking into the Department of Defense and NASA computer systems. McKinnon, who hacked from the United Kingdom, defended himself by claiming that he merely pointed out flaws in important security systems. In April 2007, his battle against extradition came to an end when the British courts denied his appeal [Source: BBC News].

Hacking a Living
Hackers who obey the law can make a good living. Several companies hire hackers to test their security systems for flaws. Hackers can also make their fortunes by creating useful programs and applications, like Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Page and Brin worked together to create a search engine they eventually named Google. Today, they are tied for 26th place on Forbes' list of the world's most wealthy billionaires [source: Forbes].



Famous Hackers

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple Computers, are both hackers. Some of their early exploits even resemble the questionable activities of some malicious hackers. However, both Jobs and Wozniak outgrew their malicious behavior and began concentrating on creating computer hardware and software. Their efforts helped usher in the age of the personal computer -- before Apple, computer systems remained the property of large corporations, too expensive and cumbersome for average consumers.



Steve Jobs, co-founder of
Apple and pioneer hacker

Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, is another famous honest hacker. His open source operating system is very popular with other hackers. He has helped promote the concept of open source software, showing that when you open information up to everyone, you can reap amazing benefits.

Richard Stallman, also known as "rms," founded the GNU Project, a free operating system. He promotes the concept of free software and computer access. He works with organizations like the Free Software Foundation and opposes policies like Digital Rights Management.

On the other end of the spectrum are the black hats of the hacking world. At the age of 16, Jonathan James became the first juvenile hacker to get sent to prison. He committed computer intrusions on some very high-profile victims, including NASA and a Defense Threat Reduction Agency server. Online, Jonathan used the nickname (called a handle) "c0mrade." Originally sentenced to house arrest, James was sent to prison when he violated parole.



Hacker Kevin Mitnick, newly released from the Federal
Correctional Institution in Lompoc, California.

Kevin Mitnick gained notoriety in the 1980s as a hacker who allegedly broke into the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) when he was 17 years old. Mitnick's reputation seemed to grow with every retelling of his exploits, eventually leading to the rumor that Mitnick had made the FBI's Most Wanted list. In reality, Mitnick was arrested several times for hacking into secure systems, usually to gain access to powerful computer software.

Kevin Poulsen, or Dark Dante, specialized in hacking phone systems. He's famous for hacking the phones of a radio station called KIIS-FM. Poulsen's hack allowed only calls originating from his house to make it through to the station, allowing him to win in various radio contests. Since then, he has turned over a new leaf, and now he's famous for being a senior editor at Wired magazine.

Adrian Lamo hacked into computer systems using computers at libraries and Internet cafes. He would explore high-profile systems for security flaws, exploit the flaws to hack into the system, and then send a message to the corresponding company, letting them know about the security flaw. Unfortunately for Lamo, he was doing this on his own time rather than as a paid consultant -- his activities were illegal. He also snooped around a lot, reading sensitive information and giving himself access to confidential material. He was caught after breaking into the computer system belonging to the New York Times.

It's likely that there are thousands of hackers active online today, but an accurate count is impossible. Many hackers don't really know what they are doing -- they're just using dangerous tools they don't completely understand. Others know what they're doing so well that they can slip in and out of systems without anyone ever knowing.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!

Security Update for Internet Explorer Crippled

Microsoft Corp. confirmed today that it is investigating reports that a security update for Internet Explorer issued last week has crippled some users` ability to get on the Web with the browser.

Users started posting messages to multiple Microsoft support newsgroups almost immediately after Microsoft released the MS07-069 security bulletin on Dec. 11, saying that they were unable to connect to the Internet, either because IE refused to open or because when it did open, it could not reach various sites.

"About 60% of the time, I would get an `Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and must close` dialog," reported Bill Drake on the Windows Update newsgroup. Others echoed those comments on IE-specific forums, noting that both IE6 and IE7 balked at loading, or while loading, some pages, particularly home pages, on both Windows XP and Windows Vista machines.

Harold Decker, operations manager at San Diego-based Gold Peak Industries NA Inc., started fielding calls from users last Wednesday morning as soon as people hit the office. "I stopped everyone who hadn`t installed the update from installing it, after four PCs out of 14 had the problem," said Decker, who manages a total of 35 Windows XP SP2 machines. "We`re a pretty plain shop; all our systems run Windows XP SP2 and IE6," said Decker. "But some kept crashing. It seemed limited to the window that was opened, and changing the home page to something simple, like a blank page, gave a better success rate."

Decker cited numerous brand-name sites that workers at Gold Peak couldn't reach without crashing IE, including Federal Express` and Lowe`s Home Improvements.

Microsoft said it is on the case. "Our customer service and support teams are investigating public claims of a deployment issue with Microsoft Security Bulletin MS07-069," Microsoft`s Mark Miller, director of security response, acknowledged in an e-mail. "If necessary, Microsoft will update the Knowledge Base article associated with MS07-069 with detailed guidance on how to prevent or address these deployment issues," Miller added.

Other users on the support forums weren`t much help, except to suggest uninstalling last Tuesday`s security update. That`s what Decker did. "We uninstalled [MS07-069] and have had no problems since then," he said.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates!