ermined hackers may also obtain addresses from information tables used to route electronic mail messages from one computer to another (Holderness 23). Once the hacker enters a system, the line between authorized and unauthorized use becomes less evident. On the NIH computer, for instance, there is a directory of files named "public." If the hacker tries to extract information from such a file, however, the message: "Please do not be here appears." When people choose to ignore such messages, they violate the law.
Perhaps one of the reasons that hacking has become a major problem is that it carries little risk. Very often, no trace of the unauthorized entry is left behind. Such break ins may be perpetrated against government, business, or university facilities. These crimes can involve tampering or vandalism. Hackers have also been known to introduce viruses and other anomalies into computer systems. According to one research company, hacker attacks on U.S. workplace computers increased from 339,000 in 1989 to 684,000 in 1991. Moreover, as increasing numbers of personal computers become networked, their potential for unauthorized intrusion will only mount (Flanagan and McMenamin 184).
As a group, hackers comprise a relatively diverse population. Many are young, white, male computer jocks. Some are kids who are only curious. As William Ardent, counterintelligence agent at the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground, maintains, "Most hackers I know never really wanted to violate the law, and would be thrilled that someone might respect them enough to pay for their services" (Holderness 23).
On the other hand, as with any group, the hacker population does have its unsavory individuals. For example, stunt hackers are nothing but full time hoods who crash and occasionally trash supposedly secure computer networks. Perhaps what is the most offensive about stunt hackers, however, is that they inflict harm on others for ...