MY THOUGHTS ON BEING A HACKER

A hacker is someone who understands how the world works. It’s about knowing what happens when you type “google.com” and press Enter. It’s about knowing how your computer turns on, about memory training, A20, all of that. It’s about modern processors, their caches, and their side channels. It’s about DSi bootloaders and how the right electromagnetic faults can be used to jailbreak them. And it’s about how Spotify and Widevine and AES and SGX work so you can free your music from the shackles of DRM.

But being a hacker is so much more than these things. It’s about knowing where to find things. Like libgen and Sci-Hub and nyaa. Or where to get into the latest IDA Pro group buy. Or which trackers have what and how to get into them.

It’s about knowing how to bypass email verification. How to bypass SMS verification. How to bypass that stupid fucking verification where you hold your driver’s license up to a webcam (thank you, OBS virtual camera!) Having an actual threat model not just paranoia. Knowing that you’re not worth burning a 0day on, but reading indictments to learn from others’ mistakes.

It’s about knowing how to negotiate your salary (or equity). It’s about knowing why things at the supermarket cost what they do. Or how that awful shitcoin keeps pumping. And why that dogshit startup got assigned that insane valuation. And understanding who really pays for it in the end (hint: it’s you).

My point is, it is not just about computers. It’s about understanding how the world works. The world is made up of people. As much as machines keep society running, those machines are programmed by people–people with managers, spouses, and children; with wants, needs, and dreams. And it is about using that knowledge to bring about the change you want to see.

In my Opinion that is what being a hacker is all about.

|=—=[ Closing Thoughts]

If someone tells you hacking is dead, it is because they are not involved in real hacking. They might have been. They might want to be. And that has nothing to do with their technical knowledge or ability. It just is. And if anyone tries to speak for all hackers, or for all hacking, they don’t.

Tag me….