Hackers

Thanks to a nifty little program called Back Orifice (available free for download off the web), your basic See Spot Run-level hacker can breach many a system running Windows NT or other versions of Windows and take over the mouse and keyboard of the computer, modifying and/or deleting unprotected files at will. In this thought-provoking Frontline episode, correspondent Linden MacIntryre visits with hackers (including members from the group that created Back Orifice--the Cult of the Dead Cow), security experts, and worried authors, all of whom agree that computer security is easily circumvented and that we've barely seen the tip of the iceberg in high-level breaches, particularly--some interiewees warn--from terrorists. The other area of consensus is that the general public only hears about a handful of high profile cases involving adolescent males who take down Amazon.com and Ebay or cost the country several billion dollars with a love bug virus replicated endlessly through email, while corporate America is keeping somewhat silent about the successful attacks ("when there's blood in the water, the sharks get excited") by older, professional crime hackers who are not out to impress their girlfriends but rather skim money off the top of company bottom lines. Beyond the doomsday scenarios, Hackers also serves up thoughtful dialogue on whether hackers are a boon or a bane, the dangerous lack of regulation in the software industry, and the need for greater awareness and responsibility at the individual PC user level. In fact, last November's highly publicized discovery of a flaw in Microsoft's Passport system (with its e-commerce "e-wallet" service boasting 2 million users) reminds us that this is an issue which affects all of us--government, business, and citizens. A timely overview of a hot topic, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)