2600 Magazine_ The Hacker Quarterly - Digital Edition - Summer 2011 - 2600 Magazine [34]
New Stuff
Dear 2600:
Before I delve into the main point of my letter, I'd like to say two things. The first thing is that I've long admired the articles and letters printed in 2600 and find them to be both informative and interesting to those of hacker mindset. Secondly, I'd like to preface by expressing my hope that this letter does not come off as a shameless advertisement or self serving, and I'd simply like to expose readers to a possible site of interest. The site in question is 1337-chan.org, an image-board with a posting style very similar to other popular forums like 4chan, 7chan, etc. I decided to write because I was inspired by both my own desire to see the site prosper and gain a dedicated community, but also to give hackers (and other tech-minded individuals) a simple and accessible way to discuss their practice. I found this second reason especially important after reading a recent 2600 letter where a reader asked for such an outlet. Sharing of ideas is key to hackers who yearn for knowledge and I feel that being able to share information in real time within the framework can be a very useful tool. To wrap up, thank you very much for reading (and hopefully publishing) this letter, and thank you for any and all future support.
(Side note: The "1337" in 1337-chan is not used to infer we're "31337 h4X0rs," but only to meet the "number_chan" theme. In reality, we just love the topic and would enjoy sharing knowledge in the community.)
Shadow
Admin at 1337-chan.org
And now, the community will judge you. We wish you luck.
Dear 2600:
Long time reader and fan here. I'm working to promote the OWASP AppSec USA 2011 conference, where we'll be celebrating our tenth year as an organization. Would it be possible to get the following listed in the Hacker Happenings page of the next issue of 2600 ?
OWASP AppSec USA 2011
Minneapolis Convention Center
Minneapolis, MN
www.appsecusa.org
OWASP is a nonprofit and keeps the price as low as possible for conferences (e.g., AppSec USA 2011 is $335.75-$385.75 for non-students at the moment), but one thing of note is that students get in for $75 with student ID and proof of enrollment, and so I was hoping that would fit the criteria of not being ridiculously expensive. Everyone's welcome, especially students and people who support open contribution.
Adam
It’s a bit pricey for the general public to qualify for the Hacker Happenings page but it’s an event worthy of note so we’ll help you spread the word here. It takes place September 22-23, incidentally.
Meetings
Dear 2600:
I'm looking for a person who can hack into an email account. I was thinking about attending the meeting in Philadelphia at 30th Street Station, and asking around at the meeting for someone who could help me. I just wanted to make sure that the meeting still takes place. Are there any other details I need to know about finding the meeting place? Do you think that I will be successful in finding someone while there who can help me? Thank you for your anticipated help.
Sherlock Holmes
The meeting still takes place at these coordinates but you’re not likely to be successful in your quest as stated. Why? Because this is almost precisely how the mass media and lawmakers view hackers - as individuals who spend their time breaking into other people’s email accounts, changing grades in school, transferring money to their bank accounts, stealing identities, launching missiles, releasing chemical agents into the atmosphere, and not paying for music. We’re rather sick of it. In fact, asking such a question at a gathering of hackers just might be the final straw and, since we’re so dangerous, there’s no telling what we might do when enraged. But here’s an idea. Why not go to the meeting and ask for advice on how you can protect an email account from the sort of person who would want to break