a) Artist
b) Hacker
c) Hero
d) None of the above,
Give reasons why You think so.
The First Hurdle Heuristic
3 days ago
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Third Question
Who is Kevin Mitnick?
a) Artist
b) Hacker
c) Hero
d) None of the above,
Give reasons why You think so.
a) Artist
b) Hacker
c) Hero
d) None of the above,
Give reasons why You think so.
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A) An artist.
ReplyDeleteExplanation:
An artist is someone, who has interest in X, mastered the X, perfected it, can teach it, explain it, but is actually great (the best form some point perhaps) just by doing this X.
(X can be: hacking, painting, acting, calculationg, social engineering, ect.)
A hacker is skillful person, who has abstract thinking and therefore is good in programming for example. Hacker is also good at technical and social engineering, assosiated usually with IT area.
A hero is someone who cannot calculate the cause and effect, but can take steps not predicted or calculated or otherway sanely explained. Usually is honored, popular, loved, does good, not for himself, but for someone else. Is put forward as an example, idol and rolemodel to all by those in power (masons, parents, chancellors, ect).
So saying hacker would be not enough (not just "yet another hacker"), saying hero would not be correct in all aspects (social engineering means understanding the cause and effect) and saying "none of the above" would be lie (he began as a hacker, but became artist in hacking).
(So the titles given should first be defined. Person to be given title should be first explored. And then you can give title).
I would offer an additional possibility - e) "a,b and c".
ReplyDeleteThis boils down to a difference of interpreting requirements. And testers should be open to multiple interpretations while they test.
Answer A - could be seen from Kevin's personal viewpoint. The 'work' he was doing was creative, innovative and artistic, from his viewpoint. Other hackers admired and appreciated what he did much as an art fanatic appreciates the art and artist. Also having read some bios about Kevin, he did teach some of his fellow hackers the "art of hacking" in order to learn their tips and tricks. He definitely perfected it by acquiring data and shutting down the phone company. Not an easy feat, even for the times.
Answer B - being seen as a hacker could be from his own view or from other hacker's, or even the public's, viewpoint. I read somewhere that you can't call yourself a hacker unless your are recognized as a hacker by the community of hackers. In addition, he was skilled programmer and recognized for his social engineering skills.
Answer C - he could be seen as a hero from other hackers or even people who just disliked the big companies that he was hacking. This hero definition would be seen more of as a folk-hero - liked by the like-minded, but abhorred by the general public.
I'd prefer not to pick any of the existing suggested answers. I suspect he's someone who's punishment exceeds his misdemeanor, who didn't fully understand the significance of his actions.
ReplyDelete