You Can Get in Real Trouble for Hacking!
Some kids
think they can't get into trouble for hacking computer systems and
that hacking big networks like the phone company, the military, or
NASA is harmless fun. But that's not true, as one teenager in
Boston found out recently.
The hacker
and some of his friends found a way to hack into a computer that
belongs to the phone company and that directs telephone traffic in
the Boston area. After he got into the system, the hacker decided
to reboot the computer, which basically made it crash. The first
time he did this, the hacker completely shut off phone service for
six hours to a regional airport so that the air traffic control
tower had an extrememly hard time communicating. The second time
he crashed the computer, he cut off phone service to about 600
homes.
The phone
company reported this to the United States Secret Service, which
investigated the case and identified all the kids involved.
Although the Justice Department does not prosecute juveniles very
often, the United States Attorney's Office in Boston charged the
ringleader of the group with several serious crimes.
Even though
the student won't go to jail, he did receive very serious
punishment: he lost his computer, must pay $5000 to the telephone
company, and must work in the community for free for 250 hours. He
will also be on probation for the next two years, and during that
time he is not allowed to use any computer with a modem. That
means, of course, that he is off the Internet and all other
networks.
DON'T
LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! If you think about it, it's pretty easy to
see why this student got into so much trouble. How would you feel
if you were one of the 600 houses that lost phone service? What if
you needed to call 911? How would you feel if you had been flying
into the airport that lost telephone service?
The best
way to stay out of trouble with computers is to imagine before you
do something how you'd feel if someone did it to you. You wouldn't
like it if someone opened your mail or looked into your bedroom
windows, and if you wouldn't do this either, don't hack into
computers.
Lots of
kids know enough about computers to hack into big networks, but so
what? It doesn't mean you're smart, it just means you don't mind
hurting other people--because it does hurt them. People are not
going to want to hire you to protect computers if you've been a
hacker. It's a question of trust, not skill.
If you like computers, don't use your brains to hack systems, invade other people's privacy, and take away their networks. Hacking can get you in a whole lot more trouble than you think and is a completely creepy thing to do. If you're so smart, use that computer to do great things!
