Issuu

Nicholas Hernandez/The Avion Newspaper

Honors Series Hosts Charlie Miller, the “Good Guy Hacker”

Keenan Thungtrakul Senior Reporter

What’s Inside

The first full week of classes started with quite a buzz. On the windy night of Jan. 20, students and members of the public packed the IC Auditorium to hear renowned computer hacker Charlie Miller speak about how "if you can build it, I can break it." Miller worked for the National Security Agency for five years and is one of the most proficient hackers on Earth. Do not panic. Miller's a "good guy" hacker. He will protect you from those hackers who turned to the dark side. He is the equivalent of a Jedi Master. He exposed vulnerabilities in Apple's iOS devices that got him kicked off the development team. While some big companies like Apple and Microsoft are reluctant to admit it, other tech companies are turning to hackers such as Miller to try and expose weaknesses in their computer systems so that the

engineers can then work to strengthen them, increasing security for the company's network infrastructure. Some companies even pay for hackers to find bugs in their systems. The big boys are a bit hesitant. We know there is a reason for this. A serious data breach would cost millions of dollars in repairs. Plus, the company's clients will start worrying whether their personal information stored on the company servers has been compromised. Identity theft is a real problem, and anyone can become a victim. Hackers like Miller are hired to try and prevent these breaches, competing against the engineers who claim they can create "unbreakable" computer systems. Sooner or later a loophole will be found, and if one comes up, the engineers have more work ahead of them. So, why do cybercriminals try to hack into computer systems? Miller gave two primary reasons: mak-

Study Abroad Spotlight:

ing money or proving a point. Politics is no exception. The suspected hacking of the Democratic National Committee during the convention phase of the recent election may have been intended to prove some political point. Who knows? Either way, there will always be some motivation for a "bad guy" hacker to want to compromise technology. You see in Hollywood films and TV shows of computers going crazy after they have been hacked, but this is not an accurate representation of hacking; it is more subtle. Hackers can gain control of your computer through either of two primary means: malware or exploits. Malware includes an array of villains that include viruses, spyware, adware, backdoors, Trojan horses, the list goes on. Exploits are malicious scripts that hackers use once they get into your system. They allow them to take over your device and make it do

something that you may not want it to do, or execute ransomware that will "kidnap" your files until a sum of money is paid for a key to open the "vault" that has the ransomed files. A big part of Miller's lecture centered around the integration of computer software into cars. Those of us who have 2010 or later car models can attest to this. We all want great features on our cars that will make life easier for us day to day. Car companies often include these features in their advertisements, especially forward emergency braking and parking assist. With self-driving cars getting ready to test the roads, concerns are mounting as to whether hackers can compromise those cars and force an accident. Well, in Miller's view, the concerns are valid, but car companies are doing all they can to make sure any new features are secured as best as possible. In short, any new fea-

Rolex 24 Race Photo Gallery

ture that has a car communicating with the outside world can mean a new loophole for a proficient cybercriminal waiting for an unlucky victim. Miller included in his presentation an anecdote where he describes how he and a friend worked to hack into the computer systems of Chrysler brand vehicles. One vulnerability he found was present in a broad range of cars, even a sporty Dodge Viper. Part of the reason why car companies have massive recalls is because of vulnerabilities in their cars' electronics. Multiple computers talking to each other, and if a hacker can get in there, he or she can order the vehicle to either display some distracting image on the navigation screen or disable certain components. Worse, cars that come with Internet capability are also subject to the vulnerabilities present in the cell company whose towers allow the car to provide Internet service. It goes

“Split” Review

to show that it is partly our fault that we have created this string of new ways for bad hackers to screw up our lives. We integrate computers into our cars to add more features and boost sales, but we open up a new realm of cyber security issues that needs to be addressed. Software in cars is updated less frequently than phones, tablets, or laptops, which means a larger window for possible hacking. How can you protect your car from these risks? Make sure to disable any connectivity features you do not use and regularly update your software. Hacking is like art, you learn through training, trial, and error. It is a double-edged sword. It can mean heightened security for tech companies or a whole new field of crime. It's up to us which side we choose, but in the end, we must consider the consequences of our actions, no matter what the circumstance.