Hacking by Solis Tech: How to Hack Computers, Basic Security and Penetration Testing (2014)

Chapter 13: Concept of Free Access in Hacking

It may come as a surprise but hackers also have their own set of ethics. There are 5 general principles or tenets that great hackers follow regardless of what “colors” may be. These are sharing, decentralization, openness, world improvement, and free access to computers.

Free access to computers

This is one of the firm beliefs that hackers – and non-hackers alike- are trying to uphold. Access should be unlimited and total, extending from access to computers and to other things that can help an individual learn about how things are in the world. That’s accessibility to information that everyone should be privy to.

Computers are vital to hackers. It’s like the legendary Aladdin’s lamp they can control and use as vessels to further their learning, skills, and other personal goals. A computer is like an artificial limb that helps hackers live a life that is more focused, with direction, adventurous, and enriching. Even a small computer can be used to access vast amounts of power and influence all over the world. And this exhilarating experience is something that hackers from all over the world wish everyone to tap into. It isn’t purely for malice and spreading terror and inconvenience to others. It is a rich ground for creativity and for contributing to the advancement and innovation of technology that can ultimately benefit people from all over the world. For instance, hackers may make internet access more available to people, even in remote places without having to pay exorbitant amounts or be at the mercy of large corporations. Hackers live by the idea that people, regardless of age, sex, race, education, and economic should be able to have access to computers as a means to see, learn and understand more about the world.

For hackers, access to information is crucial. The skills and capabilities are developed by building upon pre-existing systems and ideas. The access enables hackers to take systems and applications apart, fix them, or improve upon them. These also help in learning and understanding how things work and what can be done to improve efficiency and function. Access is only not for the benefit of hackers (whatever color they may be). It also is a very important driving force in the expansion and faster improvement of technology.

Free access to information

This concept is directly related to the desire for full, unlimited access. Information should be accessible to enable hackers to work on, fix, improve and reinvent various systems. Also, free exchange of information enables the expression of greater creativity. People can convene and share their ideas that can help in improving or advancing systems. Systems can also benefit from less restrictive information flow, which can be referred to as transparency. The reference to “free” access is not a reference to the price. It is understood that some information may have to be paid for certain prices, based on how valuable they are and how many people have access to it. “Free” in this context refers to unrestricted access.

Decentralization

Mistrust of certain authorities happens for several reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that authorities, and some certain laws, can restrict access. In some places, certain authorities, laws, and regulations make it almost impossible for hackers to operate. This blocks free access to information, and at times, the free exchange of ideas. This led to one of the fundamental beliefs of the hacking world that bureaucracies are a flawed system that impeded growth and advancement. Whether it exists in universities, corporations or in government, it is a huge roadblock in the road to progress.

A Few More Issues

One of the other attractions of the hacker community is its embracing character. They do not judge other s based on age, ethnicity, education, sex, position and other similar categories that the rest of society follow. What matters most is one’s hacking skills and achievements. Hackers do not discriminate, which makes their community very attractive for people who have the skill but are cast aside by governments, corporations, etc merely because of what they are (e.g., sex, race, education, social positions, etc). Anyone can be a hacker and be a good one at that. It does not have to be based on any other criteria than on skills, creativity and getting results.

That being said, hackers from all walks of life from all over the world are welcome in the community. The only thing required in order to be a part of the community is the willingness to share and collaborate. Hacking culture has survived for this long despite having to go underground for most of the time and dodging other people (e.g., authorities, corporations, governments, etc) because hackers are willing to share and collaborate. This becomes ever so true when times are tough.

The ultimate determinant is the hacking skills. This fosters faster advancement in terms of hacking and in software development. For example, a 12-year old kid has been accepted by a hacker community, when all other non-hacker students have rejected him. This kid proved to be very talented, contributing significantly to technology and software development.

Appreciativeness

Hackers are not all about destroying systems and leaving them in unusable, unredeemable tatters. They recognize there is beauty and art in programming and computer use. Innovative techniques coming from creative minds that were given the right opportunities can help in advancement, progress, and improvement. Hackers can help improve existing applications, create better applications, and point out vulnerabilities that can help make cyberspace a more attractive and more fun environment in which to work.

Beauty and art are not just in the output, results, or applications; these can also be found in the program codes. It is not just a string of binary, characters, and literals; it is carefully constructed, artfully arranged, and finalized to produce a symphony. A redundant, unnecessary cyclically written code is considered a poor, sloppy, and unprofessionally constructed program.

The most efficient and most valuable program is one that performs complicated tasks and produces reliable and efficient results or actions with a few instructions. It should also save as much space as possible. In today’s world, the less space required to run a program, the more desirable and sought after it becomes. And hackers come in very handy for this purpose by pointing out vulnerabilities, redundant or unnecessary files or codes that slow down programs. In fact, in the early days of hacking, they had some sort of “game” or race on how much space can be saved from programs.