The life of a Pakistani hacker is much harsher than anyone would think

Mar 3, 2012 13:31 GMT  ·  By

Life is not easy for Pakistani citizens, not to mention for hackers who want to make a difference in the world by protesting against violent governing regimes and injustices.

However, the harsh conditions won’t make them give up and this week’s hacker featured in our Hackers around the world series proves it. Hitcher, a current member of the Pakistan Cyber Force (PCF), shared some interesting things about the life of a Pakistani hacker.

Unlike other countries, where hacktivists launch operations against their own governments, you’ll see that Pakistani hackers are patriotic, rarely going after local institutions.

Softpedia: The first question is a simple one, but the answers that we get are always interesting. What is the significance of your hacker name? Where does the name Hitcher come from?

Hitcher: Hitcher comes from Hitchhiking stranger, but I use this nick name before hacking as my game name.

Softpedia: When did you start hacking? And also tell me your current age if that’s possible.

Hitcher: At the age of 17 I started hacking. Now I am 21.

Softpedia: Why did you start hacking? What determined you to become a hacker?

Hitcher: Before I enter the hacking world, I heard a lot about hackers from my friends / mates and teachers that they are bad Guys of Cyber world, known as criminals. But I think “why people call them like that?” so I start exploring on them and my explorations attracted me on their side.

I started hacking with social engineering and did intranet spoofing in my University and Hostel, and hacked a lot of IDs.

But later on I thought that’s not what I want to do, so I explored more and learned more stuff related to hacking. In the meanwhile I found many black hat hackers, but they were “hacktivists.”

I got guidance from them and later on that was the environment which guided me on this path. As most of the rulers of countries misuse their power and want such a system which only supports their kind of people.

They keep the public blind and deaf and their polices don't harm them, they just hit the public hard. As every action has reaction, I and my kind of hackers are just a reaction. We are nightmare for them and will remain so until they stop acting like that.

My first hack was on an official site in France to protest against France Government banning Hijab on Muslim women, as Hijab is right of Muslim women.

That day onwards I hacked for cases and protests against every unjust law and act. I hacked many government sites of India, US, Canada, Brazil and China. Top IT companies of India, Israel and Manchester in England.

I hacked more than 4,000 sites to spread the message.

Softpedia: I see that you are a hacktivist. Were you always a hacktivist? Were you ever a white hat or a pure black hat?

Hitcher: You can call me all of those because most of time I hack for a case. That’s what makes me hacktivist, but I never hacked my own country’s sites.

I helped them by informing about what the bugs in their sites are, which makes me a white hat. I am black hat for many countries and organizations, so can you call me all.

Softpedia: Please share some more details regarding your hacking experiences.

Hitcher: My hacking motto is: I work for truth, justice and to spread the message, especially to expose the reality.

I do not work for fame or for money and I always wish to unite all the hackers to raise their voices against lies. My mission is to free Palestine and Kashmir and I will not go down. Freedom is the goal. End the occupation.

I am anti-Israel, anti-US, anti-India and anti-NATO policies. I am the voice of innocent.

I am a former member of ZCompany Hacking Crew (ZHC) who hacked 96k official main pages. Currently I am a member of Pakistan Cyber Force (PCF).

Softpedia: Tell me more about your life, besides hacking. How was it for you when you were growing up? What made you become a hacker?

Hitcher: Besides hacking I am a good athlete. I love to play squash and football, but from last two years my routine is too busy due to my work studies and also due to being in hacking world.

So my life is too limited now and when I was a child I never thought that I will be become a hacker. That just happened suddenly.

Softpedia: How is the life of a hacker in Pakistan? How about the life of a regular citizen?

Hitcher: Life in Pakistan condition-wise is really hard compared with other counties because we hardly get our basic facilities. The place where I live has more than eight hours load shedding daily and during winter season the gas load shedding also started. We hardly survive in such conditions.

So in meanwhile, these are the conditions for hackers to carry out hacking and compete with rest of the world, but still we are doing our best job.

Softpedia: How do authorities see hackers in Pakistan?

Hitcher: In Pakistan there is National Response Center for Cyber Crimes (NR3C) which is under the Federal Investigation Agency to deal with cybercrimes, but most of the time this department is in a sleep mode.

When they wake up they get their guys in line. One week ago they arrested about 23 hackers from different cities and still the search is going on.

Strange thing to notice is that in the past the hackers who were arrested were charged of hacking own Pakistani sites, but now this policy seems to be changed because most of Pakistani hackers and hacking groups do not hack their own country’s sites.

And if some hackers start hacking their own Pakistani sites, they get messages from other Pakistani hackers to stop it because that’s our own cyber space. So, Pakistani hackers rarely go for own country’s sites.

That’s why most of hackers think cyber police will not arrest them, but from last week many hackers were caught and I don’t know what’s behind that. Maybe some Interpol treaty is right.

Softpedia: Are you ever afraid of the consequences? Are you ever afraid of getting caught by police?

Hitcher: No hacker will answer “yes” to this question because in this field if you are afraid of being caught, then you can’t carry on hacking in the real meaning.

Softpedia: Do you think you'll ever quit the hacking business?

Hitcher: Can’t say anything about that. It’s like a drug that you can’t quit.

Softpedia: Where do you see yourself in a few years? What are your plans for the future?

Hitcher: I will be doing my best to keep my pace double. Yeh, I have plans, but I can’t share them here.

Softpedia: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Hitcher: WE NEVER FORGET OUR ENEMIES & WE WILL NEVER FORGIVE

This message is for the United States and NATO countries:

US and NATO forces are involved in organized butchery of the human race since their inception.

They overthrow governments of sovereign nations and they undermine, threaten, refuse to recognize and seek to destroy democratically elected governments like those in Gaza, Palestine.

They support dictators as long as they are fulfilling US, EU & NATO interest in the region like they did in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

In Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya they are killing men, women & children indiscriminately! And for what? Certainly not to protect civilians, as they will have you believe, rather to steal the natural resources of said nation and to install a puppet regime who they can dominate for their own ends.

You speak of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, but you remain silent in the face of people that desire to seek freedom to exist - unless those people are Israeli Zionists!

Hypocrisy of this magnitude will bring the chickens home to roost and not peace and security as is your mantra!

That’s why I will say, “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw?”