How can somebody use computer hacking skills to do good?

1. 59

   BLynd Logykposted 10 years ago

   How can somebody use computer hacking skills to do good?
   
   So many people try to steal credit card numbers or bank information, but are there ways to use the same skills for good?

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2. 79

   CuAllaidhposted 10 years ago

   absolutely ethical hackers, or white hat hackers exist. Usually they are employed by corporations to try and find the holes in their security so they can stop black hat hackers (the bad guys) from accessing the computers on their system.

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   1. 59

      BLynd Logykposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah but that's lame. I meant do real good, like fight ISIS or save lives or something.

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   2. 79

      CuAllaidhposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      there is a woman in Texas (IIRC) who uses falsified ID's to get into AlQueda chat rooms to expose them.... she's managed to turn a few terrorists in... another does similar tricks to catch pedophiles.

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   3. 80

      Ghaaz Bposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It's not lame, it's just not as exciting! Consider that all your private information relies on those white hats being as good as the black hats, which is rarely the case since black hats have many more "opportunities".

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3. 83

   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   Some would argue that the group 'anonymous' are good guy hackers. But that largely depends on your political leanings. For example, they hacked the KKK's twitter profile and released names of members. Which is either a violation of privacy or a blow to bigotry, depending on how you look at it.

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   1. 59

      BLynd Logykposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I vote "blow to bigotry" lol.

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   2. 80

      Ghaaz Bposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      True. I listed them as #10 on my recent hub "10 hackers that drastically changed the world". I would be weary about calling them a "group", though.

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4. 80

   Ghaaz Bposted 10 years ago

   Julian Assange, Aaron Swartz, and many more have contributed to the subculture of hacktivists in recent years. Look up Wikileaks, stop SOPA, and anonymous.
   
   The most mainstream place to find other hackers and put your skills to good use is DEFCON, an annual hackers convention in Las Vegas. You can also find anonymous hackers on 4chan or the deep web (accessed through Freenet or Tor), and if you know where to look, you'll find the most skilled hackers on IRC chatrooms.
   
   I'm sorry I can't elaborate more or hyperlink to information, you'll have to look all this up yourself, whatever strikes your interest.
   
   A place you could start is my hub about 10 hackers that drastically changed the world.

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