[iwar] [fc:An.Internet.outlaw.goes.on.record..Pleasant.Hill.student.tells.of.his.'hacktivism']

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2002-02-25 21:20:37


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Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 21:20:37 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [iwar] [fc:An.Internet.outlaw.goes.on.record..Pleasant.Hill.student.tells.of.his.'hacktivism']
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An Internet outlaw goes on record  Pleasant Hill student tells of his 'hacktivism'

Sam McManis, S.F. Chronicle, 2/25/02
<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2002/02/24/MN182931.DTL">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2002/02/24/MN182931.DTL>

Pleasant Hill -- His cyber-pseudonym was "Pimpshiz," and he was one of
the hottest hackers on the Internet, notorious to authorities and
something of a virtual legend to young, disaffected computer users and
Napster nerds everywhere.

This so-called hacktivist would worm his way into Web sites and replace
home pages with his pro-Napster, anti-recording industry manifesto.
Pimpshiz nailed NASA, silenced the Communications Workers of America,
infiltrated the Army Material Command, even managed to mute musician Don
Henley's site. He went global, too, attacking such venues as the
Bibliotheque Nationale de France and the International Bank of
Indonesia.

All told, Pimpshiz hacked into 200 Web sites two years ago with his
"Save Napster Hack Attack," considered harmless online graffiti to
supporters but decried by authorities as damage to valuable property.
Pimpshiz would make his Napster case in florid prose, and then kindly
inform the site's system administrators that he'd be happy to show them
how to "patch the vulnerability in this server."

And, always, Pimpshiz would end the screed by adding the winking kicker,
"Hi, Mom!"

Who was this hacker with the curious nom de Net?

Oh, just your typical 17-year-old high school student from Pleasant
Hill.

Earlier this month in Contra Costa Juvenile Court, Robert Lyttle, now
18, was sentenced to probation and ordered to make financial restitution
to the sites he defaced. His career as Pimpshiz ended abruptly in
December 2000, when federal and local investigators raided his home and
seized his computers. His arrest made international news, particularly
in the computer press. He pleaded guilty last November to two of the 11
counts against him.

Lyttle's case was the first prosecuted by the year-old high-tech unit of
Contra Costa district attorney's office. Dodie Katague, the assistant
D.A. who prosecuted Lyttle, was barred by a judge's orders from talking
about the case against Lyttle, but he said, "We're probably going to see
a lot more" of this type of case.

The erstwhile Pimpshiz, however, is talking. Or, rather, typing. Lyttle
consented to his first postconviction e-mail interview about his career
as a hacker, the motivation behind his pro-Napster attacks, his
philosophy of Web security and the notoriety he's received in the online
world.

And -- get this -- Lyttle now has started a cyber-security company,
SubSeven Software, from his Pleasant Hill home. He is barred from using
the Internet as part of his probation, but is allowed to communicate via
e-mail.

"I don't regret one second of this experience," he writes. "(But) not
being able to use the Web is extremely difficult. It's the stupidest and
most irrelevant court restriction ever. . . . It's like taking away a
person's TV."

When not studying for the GED test or attending classes at Diablo Valley
College, Lyttle spends most of his time programming software. He says
his life really hasn't changed much, day to day, though it might be
seriously affected if forced to pay more than $100,000 in restitution.

"I've always used my knowledge for good instead of evil,' Lyttle writes
in response to a question about his motives. "I was a programmer and
entrepreneur before I began the hack attacks. I plan on providing the
public with tools to help simplify their lives. My notoriety has
definitely paved new paths in my life. However . . . false myths
surround me at times. This is only normal because of the image of
hackers the media feeds the public."

Hackers as an oppressed group? That's his spin, anyway.

"All hackers aren't outlaws," he writes. "The public widely likes to see
them as this, but the truth is quite the opposite. Sometimes hackers
have to be faceless, because that's the only way they can expand their
knowledge without being hassled by unjust laws . . . "

Rather than punishing hackers, Lyttle maintains, authorities should use
them to solve gaping holes in seemingly secure sites.

"An average special agent compares nowhere close to a hacker," Lyttle
writes. "Whether the government realizes it or not, they have hackers
working for them. . . . A hacker will strive to do what he wants to do,
which is to learn. When new standards are made, new rules are broken and
obstacles circumvented."

Lyttle believes hacking attacks will proliferate, not abate, if
authorities crack down. He writes that "it's extremely hard to live a
legal life on the Internet." Hackers get a visceral thrill from breaking
into secure sites, he says. It's the latest form of adolescent
rebellion.

"I got into computers at age 13," Lyttle writes. "I remember the first
time I hacked into a computer. It was around 2 a.m. on a school night.
The feeling of breaching intelligence was undeniable. It was the best
I've ever felt, kind of like proving your teacher wrong in front of the
entire class."

Lyttle's contention that hackers do no harm -- and actually prod systems
administrators to improve security -- is met with scorn by authorities.

"That's very typical of juvenile hackers," Katague said. "I can't speak
of this case, but they usually have that superior belief of themselves.
They all think they are white-hat hackers out to expose flaws in the
system. But they know the damage they can do."

Lyttle, for sure, knows. And he's hardly remorseful.

"Downloads (of his anti-hacker software) have skyrocketed beyond my
expectations, sales gain daily," he writes, "so I guess my notoriety has
helped me."

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