Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!rayssd!galaxia!dave
From: dave@galaxia.zone1.com (David H. Brierley)
Newsgroups: news.sysadmin
Subject: Re: Security checkup
Keywords: security intruder self-help
Message-ID: <521@galaxia.zone1.com>
Date: 11 Oct 88 04:03:07 GMT
References: <167@carpet.WLK.COM> <1454@lznv.ATT.COM> <1834@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <307@mccc.UUCP> <2985@mipos3.intel.com>
Reply-To: dave@galaxia.zone1.com (David H. Brierley)
Distribution: na
Organization: Dave's Very Own Personal System
Lines: 30

In article <2985@mipos3.intel.com> woodstock@sc.intel.com (Nate Hess) writes:
>In article <307@mccc.UUCP>, pjh@mccc (Pete Holsberg) writes:
>>Could we stop calling those people who break in "hackers"?  Let's not
>>continue to support the public's gross misuse of that once-honorable
>>appellation.
>
>I agree.  As an alternative that I would like to see the media pick up
>on, how about "cracker"?

Why do we need to make up words to add to our already overburdened
language when there are many existing words that are perfectly
applicable for these people?  Instead of calling them "hackers", which
many of us regard as a title of some esteem, and instead of trying to
get the media to call them "crackers", which brings to mind someone that
is mentally unbalanced, how about choosing any of the words from the
following list:

criminal, hoodlum, thief, burgular, vandal, terrorist, etc.

Obviously, not all of the words apply in all cases.  For example, it is
stretching the point to call a teenager, who is just attempting to show
of to his or her friends and has no intention of causing harm to your
system or any of the information stored on your system, a terrorist.  On
the other hand, if you detect a break-in on your machine would you
assume that it was "just a kid" or would you assume that it was a
vandal/terrorist/industrial spy.  I know that I would assume the worst.
-- 
David H. Brierley
Home: dave@galaxia.zone1.com   ...!rayssd!galaxia!dave
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