HACKERS SPEAK OUT! DOWNLOAD THE VIDEOS!

Luckily for hackers, there is a community, and quite a strong one. With the aid of their national quarterly, 2600, they exchange ideas, post meeting places and discuss their findings. Although the Internet is the only real home the hacker ever needs, the elite still converge for their annual convention, HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth).

This year’s soiree, named H2K, will be watched by the entire world. With recent attacks such as the “ILOVEYOU” virus and “denial of service” attacks on major sites (now major U.S. companies), the stakes have risen and the government trigger finger is getting itchy. It was the year 2000 that the world learned how dependent on technology our economy had become. It started with the fiasco known as Y2K, and the problems haven’t slowed down since.

Hacker attacks, email viruses and computer glitches aside, won’t be the only stories making headlines this year. What started as a euphoric high for the tech industry has become a bellyaching reality. Our inflated market, spurred by naïve investors and unproven business plans, is now obligated to keep its promise of a “new economy” afloat. Desperate companies began merging left and right, and countless dotcoms imploded. File sharing applications, such as Napster, have now threatened traditional business models.

Needless to say, this is the year the world woke up to the digitally dependent world. Most hackers can only smile and say, “I told you so.”

When the UnderGround decided to snoop around the HOPE conference, we had already learned to ignore the talking heads. We know better than to listen to politicians, and this time we ignored the hacker politicians as well. The hacker world is so esoteric, most press won’t (or can’t) touch the real issues. The government is no help, either. They’ve already decided the best way to tackle cyber problems is to either ignore it or make decisions quietly, with as little debate as possible.

Just like the hackers themselves, we’re driven by curiosity and paranoia. Before we asked the tough questions, we thought, “Who can we trust?” The answer was obvious: Hackers themselves. Let’s see what they had to say about today’s hottest topics...

The infamous martyr of hackers everywhere, Kevin Mitnick, was one of the first to feel the full wrath of the federal government. He spent time in prison without a trial, and his punishment was the equivalent of a hacker’s death: Complete isolation from anything computer related. But the clouds have parted for Mitnick. A judge recently decided that he could earn a living in the computer world, provided he doesn’t use them directly.

Was his probation ever fair? Do the new guidelines go far enough?

Ever since the MPAA and RIAA realized hackers were ripping and distributing songs, movies, videos, etc., they’ve launched a crusade against the hacker community, suing anyone or anything that gets in their way.

Will they ever keep file sharing under control?

A lot of people (politicians especially) think they’ve got hackers all figured out...

Are hackers misunderstood?

When your hobby frequently requires you to break or bend the law, a certain paranoia can develop.

Have you ever suspected that the feds were after you?

Hackers aren’t just a group of ordinary hobbyists. They have a unique view on our world and the information that fuels it.

If you were to write a hacker manifesto, what would be your first rule?

Now that Kevin Mitnick has become a household name (sort of), it’s only a matter of time before Hollywood gets a hold of him.

If you were to make a movie about Kevin Mitnick, who would you cast in the lead role?

For most of us that can’t program a VCR, hacking seems like a hobby from hell.

Why do you hack?