Yahoo Hacker 'Mafiaboy' Eight Years On 183
An anonymous reader writes "Eight years ago Mafiaboy (Michael Calce) knocked Yahoo offline. Today he he works as a legitimate security consultant and has just published a book documenting his criminal career and offering advice on how people can protect themselves from people like him on the Internet."
Re:But i thought... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:But i thought... (Score:3, Insightful)
Today he he works as a legitimate security consultant
I believe the problem word here is "legitimate"... If one has that large of a gap in judgement, most "legitimate" employers won't hire you. And that's the way it should be.
Re:7 years ago two planes flew into the Twin Tower (Score:3, Insightful)
When you put it in perspective, Mafiaboy's exploits are pretty minor compared to the damage wrought by the reaction to the terrorism of 9/11.
Is there a something similar to Godwin's law for 9/11? I don't really see the connection to this article here.
Re:7 years ago two planes flew into the Twin Tower (Score:5, Insightful)
Every time I fly, I am reminded just how much we lost in the years following that day.
Not worth the time (Score:5, Insightful)
The excerpt [mafiaboybook.com] reads like a pre-teen love story.
I downloaded and then I pressed enter
I installed and then I was online
And thats chapter 5, what the hell does he write about (being all of 9 years old) for the first 4 chapters?
This won't qualify as proper fish wrapping.
Re:But i thought... (Score:1, Insightful)
If one has that large of a gap in judgement.. ...When he was 15. Everyone does crazy stuff when they are 15. I know I did. Didn't you?
Re:Once again (Score:2, Insightful)
Actually, crime does pay... until you get caught. And according to the US justice and political system, if you have made the right friends and spent some of your money in the right places (campaigns) then even if you do get caught, crime continues to pay. Just remember to forget how many houses you have.
Yeah, go ahead, mark this troll, but it's true.
excerpts.... (Score:5, Insightful)
"I had heard you could download versions of even the most popular games for free. This was a type of "warez"--pirated software."
"I realized it was a common occurrence and that it was called punting. Someone knocked me offline by hitting me with so much data that my connection was severed. These punters seemed to have a huge amount of power over others on AOL."
"I wanted to punt someone. Badly. That's when my real hunt for AOL hacking tools started."
"I slowly learned how things worked. I eventually began to modify the applications to meet my needs. This is how kiddies become hackers."
Jesus H Christ! People buy this crap?
/., though I predict we will all get a good laugh off it.
One thing is for certain, the target audience is not to be found on
Re:But i thought... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:But i thought... (Score:3, Insightful)
It's natural to excuse your own behavior by claiming everyone else does it too. Doesn't make it true.
No, not everyone does "crazy stuff" when they are 15. Many know better.
Re:What I always wanted to ask... (Score:2, Insightful)
No, actually you were wrong. There are many, many bright people who have the ability to do what you did - far more than you realize. The difference was that they had something that you lacked - the moral judgment not to go breaking into other people's systems, and instead to do something productive with their abilities.
It's like a bunch of teenaged burglars thinking they're "special" because they can do something their peers don't do - break into houses and steal the belongings. But the truth is that almost anyone can become a burglar, provided they choose to do so. It's just that most people make better choices with their lives.
Re:But i thought... (Score:4, Insightful)