And what you need to be one of them

Sep 17, 2007 10:09 GMT  ·  By

Perhaps you were wondering how people become hackers and where from they get the resources to do all that nasty stuff. Well, in case you really were asking yourself such questions, then this article is for you. Well, there is no such thing as a black-hatter school, or none that I've heard of. Hackers are usually people that have worked in the IT business, or people that have graduated in computer science, or in any case, they sure know a lot about computers and software.

Besides their basic knowledge, they also learn how to exploit vulnerabilities and how to write code for malware. Code writing is taught in schools as well, but teachers are never going to tell you how to create a Trojan. A little bit of self-tutoring along with chats on hacker-forums will turn a regular geek into a hacker. Now, there is the issue of going white or black hat. The newborn hacker will have to choose between making some money and sleeping at night or making huge piles of cash and running the risk of being busted at any time.

So, once you have the knowledge and you've chosen to be a black-hatter, you need hack tools. Now, if you're really smart and know a lot of... not going to tell you the program, because you might get stupid ideas, then you can write your own code for viruses. If you don't know enough code, then you can just buy a malware-creating kit on the web. Of course, "hand crafted" viruses are a lot stronger (PRG and Storm are illustrative examples in this case). After that, all you need to do is find a proper target, launch the attack and that's it - you're a cyber-criminal!

Becoming a black-hatter is a choice that you might regret. Just look at the news recently. All sorts of malicious users are getting caught. Some earlier than others, but those that escape the long arm of the law aren't too many. And even great hackers such as Escobar and the Iceman get caught, so, beginners will be nabbed a lot faster. Evil hacking is just not worth it, if you ask me?