[Techtalk] Where do we learn this stuff?

[jenn at simegen.com]

jennyw wrote:

> Yeah, but then why leave html files with what would be defacements in the
> document root of a couple of Web sites? mafia.html was in the root of one,
> and bedul.html in the root of another. I've seen these particular
> defacements before on other sites ...

Skript-Kiddie-ness and not knowing the script did that?
A twisted sense of amusement?
I don't know.

> Anyway, I'm going to try to get my hosting company to reset the machine.
> We'll see what happens ...

What do you mean by reset? If you mean just pressing the reset button, that
is unlikely to fix anything and MAY run a trojan horse the intruders MAY 
have installed under some init.d-triggered process.

> So, where do you guys learn all this stuff, anyway? I suppose you might get
> paid for it or something ...

Why:
Heh. In part, some of us get paid for it. 
In part, some of us run sites of our own - like, say, Linuxchix.org - and
don't want them hacked.
In part, it's fun.
In part, it's part of the process involved in doing stuff we find fun. 
(Me, I don't like the security part of it. I want to be able to build 
my sandcastle without worrying about bullies on the beach. But I can't,
so I learn enough security to get by - and rely heavily on Dancer.)

Where:
Mailing lists like this one.
Web sites like http://www.oreillynet.com/
Books with titles like 'Linux Security Tricks and Techniques'
Each other.
Other geeks we know.
(and hopefully not) by being cracked into.



Jenn V.
-- 
     "Do you ever wonder if there's a whole section of geek culture
             you miss out on by being a geek?" - Dancer.

jenn at simegen.com     Jenn Vesperman     http://www.simegen.com/~jenn/