hackers

Blackmail in the Digital Age

April 3, 2014

in -Updates, 10.1 Online Outlaws: Computer Crime

Hacker wearing a hoodieBlackmail isn’t just for low-life con artists anymore. Digital extortion—demanding ransom in return for not doing damage to critical computer systems—has become increasingly common in recent years. This Huffington Post has details.

huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/28/hacker-blackmail_n_5048853.html

Tagged as: crime, hackers

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Is Privacy History?—Snowden’s Message

January 2, 2014

in -Cross Currents, 10.3 Security, Privacy, Freedom, and Ethics, 10.5 Human Questions for a Computer Age, 7.4 No Secrets: Computers and Privacy

Edward SnowdenEdward Snowden made a decision that changed the world. By leaking top secret government documents to the press, he revealed that US surveillance of private and public citizins goes far beyond what most of us had previously imagined. Because of those leaks, people all around the world are asking important questions about the balance between privacy and security in a free society. In a chilling statement to the BBC, Snowden claimed that he’d accomplished his mission by raising those questions. What do you think?

theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/24/edward-snowden-channel-4-christmas-day-message

Tagged as: government, hackers, privacy, security, surveillance

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Cyber Security: When Does Defense Become Offensive?

February 16, 2013
Thumbnail image for Cyber Security: When Does Defense Become Offensive?

In his state of the union message President Obama explained that he was issuing executive orders to deal with cyber threats to government and business. He also encouraged congress to enact legislation. But the problem may require a more aggressive approach that’s complicated by the fact that our information infrastructure is mostly owned by private businesses.

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How to Avoid a Personal Digital Meltdown

August 21, 2012
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Wired writer Mat Honan recently lost just about everything he had stored on his computer and in the cloud. This NPR story suggests five things you can do to avoid his fate.

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No Longer Anonymous?

June 21, 2012
Parmy Olson on The Daily Show

The secret global Internet subculture known as Anonymous has generated plenty of headlines, but most people don’t know much about it. Journalist Parmy Olson’s book, “We Are Anonymous”, reveals how the organization works and how it is evolving. In this light-hearted interview with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show she talks about what she learned writing the book.

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Hacktivism: Hacking for a Better World?

March 5, 2012

One of the biggest tech trends isn’t a new gadget or tool; it’s a relatively new way of using gadgets and tools as agents of change. This article in CBC News explains why and how “hacktivism” is becoming an important—and potent—force in our world. http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/02/06/hacktivism-.html

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Can a Botnet Bring Down the Internet?

October 5, 2011
Computer Circuitry

For three years a worm called Conficker has been wiggling its way into computers around the world, creating a massive botnet that has the potential to wreak havoc on the Internet. In this chilling NPR interview, author Mark Bowden explains to Fresh Air’s Terry gross how this little-known worm threatens our networks, our livelihoods, and […]

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Spy vs. Spy in a Digital World

August 10, 2011
Chinese hacker illustration

The war against hackers has become a global war of economics and politics. This in-depth Vanity Fair article takes a penetrating look at the grossly underreported impact of Chinese hackers on the US economy.

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