[PLUG] ATTBI to Comcast switch
Matt Chorman
matt at legalizefreedom.org
Fri Jun 13 19:09:02 UTC 2003
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven A. Adams" <stevea at nwtechops.com>
To: <plug at lists.pdxlinux.org>
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 6:31 PM
Subject: Re: [PLUG] ATTBI to Comcast switch
> What you state here is almost all speculation and generalization mixed
> with some facts that may or may not be relevant to the original thread
> reply. As I said before, I see the feasibility of the argument but in
> the absence of any evidence that script-kiddies are bored suburbanites
> that hang on cable networks, that this generalization somehow pollutes
> cable networks making these networks technically inferior to DSL, I
> remain skeptical. Now if someone could present meaningful, quality,
> numbers that prove this theory I would be a little less on the fence
> about the subject.
There are no hard numbers. No studies, no facts, no figures. Just educated
guesses. What I do know is that most of the warez and self-proclaimed
hackers that I see trolling newsgroups and forums are uneducated and
immature. This does not mean they are teenagers, but it does imply this.
Most, but not all, adults I have known and worked with are too scared of the
repercussions to do anything illegal - plus most of them are too busy with
their "lives" to attempt this. The few hardcore adult "security experts" I
know don't bother with the average joe unless the average joe crosses them.
This is a generalization based on experience.
I finally found something though - I did not want to send this empty handed.
No hard numbers, but information submitted to the government of New Zealand
by the Internet Society of New Zealand - who better to come up with numbers?
This is reinforced by numbers from the FBI. Apparently the parliament was
having the same skeptical issues as yourself. This is a snippet from this
document -
http://www.internetnz.net.nz/public/working-group-reports/wg-internet-surveillance/iswg010317letter-ageinfo-SelectCtte.html
<-----start snippet----->
"LETTER TO LAW AND ORDER COMMITEE, PARLIAMENT, NEW ZEALAND.
...
The Internet Society of New Zealand, Inc (ISOCNZ) was pleased to have the
opportunity last Thursday to make an Oral Submission on the Crimes Amendment
Bill #6. We appreciated the fact that the Committee members had obviously
thoroughly read our Submission and had penetrating questions to ask.
During our Oral Submission we felt it important to flag that a percentage,
possibly significant, of offenders under the proposed legislation will fall
into the under-16 and under-18-year-old categories and that therefore the
ability of the legislation to deal with such offenders will need to be
considered. Anecdotal evidence suggests that "hackers" start "exploring" in
their mid-teens through to their early twenties, and while some may continue
longer, many give it up once they get a "real life" with the pressures of
their job, and associated responsibilities.
In response to the request for documentation on the age-groups of people who
maliciously interfere with computer systems, our team has spent considerable
time searching for documented studies. We have to report that we have not
found evidence of any formal studies to back up the widely quoted anecdotal
evidence. This may be a useful area for the Select Committee to research.
I attach two documents sourced on the Internet which reinforce the anecdotal
evidence. The first is an FBI Congressional Statement (1) and the second a
report from Dorothy Denning (2) who is a well respected computer security
writer"
<-----end snippet----->
Proof enough? :-p
M
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