derek@gucis.oz (Derek Austin) (03/20/88)
Please help the authors of the following survey by answering the
questions using your favourite text editor and then mailing the
results back to them at the address given below.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=========================
SURVEY ON HACKING
=========================
by
P.R. Morrison
Computing and Information Studies, Griffith University, Nathan, 4111, Australia)
ACSnet: pm@gucis.oz
ARPA: pm%gucis.oz@seismo.css.gov
CSNET: pm@gucis.oz
JANET: gucis.oz!pm@ukc
UUCP: {seismo,hplabs,mcvax,ukc,nttlab}!munnari!gucis.oz!pm
and
C. Sauer
(Computer Science Department, University of W.A., Perth, Australia)
AIMS
This survey is intended to discover different conceptualizations
of what hacking is, what motivations exist for these different
conceptualizations of hacking and what are the characteristics
of those who would class themselves (and others) as hackers under
such conceptualizations.
ASSURANCES
Please note that we are Australian academics (yes...such things
do exist) and have no affiliation with any intelligence or law
enforcement agency.
Complete anonymity of responses is assured. We are interested in
responses...not names. Indeed, if you wish to use conventional
mail to send your responses (to the first author) or any other
method to disentangle names and responses, then we would welcome it.
We undertake to provide the results of the survey using the same
channels we used to distribute it.
HOW TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY
Edit this file and add your responses to it as indicated.
Clearly, any item of the survey that is too sensitive should be
left.
When you have finished, send the finished survey to us using
your favourite mailer. Our address for completed surveys is:
ACSnet: pm@gucis.oz
ARPA: pm%gucis.oz@seismo.css.gov
CSNET: pm@gucis.oz
JANET: gucis.oz!pm@ukc
UUCP: {seismo,hplabs,mcvax,ukc,nttlab}!munnari!gucis.oz!pm
Please feel free to send this file to others whom you think might
be prepared to complete the survey and return it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Demographic Data
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
a. What is your age?
b. What is your sex? [m/f]
c. What is your nationality?
d. What is your country of residence/work?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Occupation
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
a. What is your current occupation?
b. What type of organization do you work for?
(e.g., Education, Public Sector)
c. In what department do you work?
d. How long have you been at your current post?
e. What is your current salary?
f. On a scale of 1-7 indicate how much/little you enjoy
your current occupation (bracket the appropriate no.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Dislike Like
very much very much
g. If you have engaged in a substantially different
occupation previously, what was it?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Computing Experience
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
a. For how long have you been using computers?
b. For what sorts of purposes have you used them?
c. How proficient do you feel with
(1) (large) mainframes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Not at all Completely
(2) minicomputers
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Not at all Completely
(3) microcomputers
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Not at all Completely
d. Which machine/s (manufacturer & model or series) have you used most?
(Give no more than three)
e. What is your preferred environment/operating system? Please explain.
[We acknowledge that this could be task dependent, but
we ask for just a general preference.]
f. What is your preferred programming language.
[Again, we realize this is dependent upon task and experience.]
g. Which programming language do you use most often?
h. Which networks do you use regularly?
i. How satisfactory do you find interacting with computers?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Not at all Very
j. What do you find most pleasurable about computing?
k. What do you find most frustrating about computing?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Educational background
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
a. What is your highest level of educational achievement?
b. Did you use computers at secondary school? [y/n]
c. Did you study computing at secondary school? [y/n]
d. Have you studied/are you studying computing in any
form at tertiary level (college or university)? [y/n]
If so, for how many equivalent full-time years?
e. Indicate which areas of computing or computer science
you have studied in formal courses at school, college,
or in commercial industrial courses.
f. What aspects of computing studied did you enjoy most?
Please give a score from 1-7 for each of the following
unless clearly inappropriate.
(0 = not applicable, 1 = enjoyable, 7 = not enjoyable)
Learning programming languages
Learning programming methodology
Using programming skills for myself
Using programming skills in assessment situations
Using data communications
Experimenting
Learning about computer science/Information systems
Systems analysis and design
Joint/group projects
Social/ethical aspects of computing
Operating systems
Problem solving
Hardware details
g. How long each week do you estimate you spend at a terminal, actually
interacting (as distinct from leaving it in the office switched on all
the time). Estimate in hours.
h. Are you involved in a network community? [y/n]
If so, what contributions do you make. (E.g., do you circulate/pass on
programs or tools, provide text for bulletin boards, act as a discussant,
support common network facilities, communicate with colleagues, OR are
you merely a passive observer?)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. DEFINITIONS
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
a. Provide your definition of hacking.
b. Under this definition, would you class yourself as a hacker? [y/n]
c. If no, how would you characterise yourself?
(e.g., casual user, programmer etc.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Motivations
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
There appear to be mixed views as to what hacking is, and who can
legitimately be called hackers. We do not wish to enter into
details here but broadly speaking, there seems to be a pejorative
sense of hacking which pertains to malicious behaviour such as
system break-ins, system crashing and vandalism, and a
nonpejorative sense which pertains to expertise in program or
system fine-tuning and exploratory, creative programming.
a. Which of the following would come closest to your *primary* view of
the motivation of hacking in its *pejorative* sense? [Select One by
placing an 'x' next to it]
Ethical ignorance on the part of the hacker
Anti-social motives of the hacker
Personal gain for the hacker
Corruption of the hacker
Ease of perpetration of the act
Vengeance against something (Company?) or someone (Boss?)
"Higher" motives (e.g., political/religious beliefs)
The potential magnitude of the monetary reward
A fantasy or game attitude on the part of the hacker
Simply an application of computers to customary criminal behaviour
Detail any motivation not listed here that you would prefer to endorse
b. Which of the following would come closest to your
primary view of the motivations for hacking in its nonpejorative sense?
[Select One]
Programming provides absolute control of a machine
Exactness and logicality of programming is attractive
"Community" of the system/network is rewarding
Computers provide hackers with a social substitute for people
Hacker subculture reinforces and motivates hacker behaviour
Hacking can create new environments or different
computer-based "micro-worlds" which engross the hacker
Hacking involves exploration, learning and challenge
Detail any motivation not listed here that you would prefer to endorse
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Frequency of Hacking in its Pejorative Sense
[Optional]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In this section, we are interested in any experiences you may
have had of hacking (in the pejorative sense). Please do not
answer with respect to circumstances you have merely read about
in newspapers, but second-hand experiences repeated on the
network are of interest. Please also note that we are only
interested in assessing the incidence of hacking in its
pejorative sense. We are not interested in case details or
individuals.
a. Do you know somebody who has broken into someone else's files? [y/n]
b. Do you know anybody who has ever attempted to change
the contents of somebody else's files? [y/n]
How many people?
How many instances?
c. Have you followed any of the debates about hackers
and hacking over the last two years? [y/n]
If so, which ones? Please give brief comments.
d. Do you use hacker jargon yourself? [y/n]
Do you understand hacker jargon?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Never Often
e. Provide a list of behaviours that you think
characterise hacking in its pejorative sense.
(There may be multiple pejorative senses.)
f. Provide a list of behaviours that you think
characterize hacking in the non-pejorative sense.
(There may be multiple non-pejorative senses.)
g. Have you ever deliberately broken into anybody else's
protected files (program, data, or text files)? [y/n]
h. If not, have you even thought of doing so? [y/n]
i. Have you ever tried and failed to break in? [y/n]
j. Have you ever attempted to make changes to somebody else's file? [y/n]
If yes, please give a brief description.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Test Cases
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
a. For each of these software items do you think it is wrong for *you* to...
Respond [y/n]
$50 $500 $1000
Game Word Processing Accounting
Package Package
Accept a suspected bootleg copy
Accept a known bootleg copy
Ask someone else to make a copy
Copy it for yourself
Copy it for others (free)
Tell others how to copy it
Sell copies to others
b. For each of the following systems do you think it is wrong for *you* to...
Respond [y/n]
Defence Bank Medical
Sub-Contractor's Records Records
System System System
Search for and find
(on a Bulletin-Board
system, for instance)
a dial-up number
Call the system and
get a system prompt
Attempt to satisfy the
prompt by trying a
password
Successfully log into
the system
Look around the file
structure (without
reading file contents
or executing any programs)
Defence Bank Medical
Sub-Contractor's Records Records
System System System
Read some text files
Run a program
Alter some text by
"prettying" it up
Alter some text by
corrupting parts of
it
Alter a user's program
to improve it
Alter a user's program
to prevent it running
Alter a system program
to improve it
Defence Bank Medical
Sub-Contractor's Records Records
System System System
Alter a system program to
prevent it running
Acquire a super-user's or
system administrator's
password
Bring the system down
(temporarily)
Erase the system's entire
file structure
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Survey Details
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
a. How long did it take you to complete this survey?
b. Did you complete it in one editing session?
c. If not, how many sessions did it take?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The End.
Thank you for your time!
Please send your completed survey to:
ACSnet: pm@gucis.oz
ARPA: pm%gucis.oz@seismo.css.gov
CSNET: pm@gucis.oz
JANET: gucis.oz!pm@ukc
UUCP: {seismo,hplabs,mcvax,ukc,nttlab}!munnari!gucis.oz!pm