HACK ATTACK

[Sandy Sandfort]

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                          SANDY SANDFORT
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C'punks,

Was I the only one who saw ``Hack Attack'' on the Discovery 
Channel?  The promos were typically sensationalistic.  `In cyber- 
space, there is no privacy.'  `Teenage hackers can read, change
or destroy your computer files.'  `No one is safe.'  Yada, yada,
yada.

Phyber Optik was interviewed in prison.  A number of events were
illustrated using `dramatic re-enactments.'  Cop types told scary
stories that, more often than not, ended with a statement like,
``The meltdown was caused by a programming error, but it could
just have easily been done by a malicious teenage boy in his
bedroom.''

They did do a fair job of defining and distinguishing the terms: 
`hacker,' `phreaker' and `cracker.'  However, I don't recall ANY
mention of encryption as a means of protecting privacy.

Anyone else see it?


 S a n d y

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