How to Be a Hacker and Not Get Caught!

Now you may think that this is going to be a step-by-step guide with tips on how to skate the long arm of the law… eh, not so much. While researching to write this article, I Googled “How to be a hacker” of course and there were so many sites out there with step-by-step guides, even a wikiHow page with suggestions. Side note on this wikiHow page, there was a very interesting ad placed in the middle of this posting; “Ready to be a Pastor?” (See below)

 It seems that either the advertising traffic director has a sense of humor or it is the internet’s way of telling me “don’t do it!”

As mentioned before, the internet is littered with tons of websites that give you the direction you need to be a hacker, and a few of the steps are no brainers. Step one: get a good computer. Step two: learn how to write code. Step three: think like a hacker. Step four: learn to hate authority. Step five: join a hacktivist group. Step six: be smart and don’t get caught.

There you go, that is how you become a hacker.

I found it very funny that most of the sites came with a disclaimer, “Hacking is a serious crime and can result in major penalties, even jail time.” This disclaimer reminded me of the old disclaimers at the beginning of the classic MTV show Beavis and Butthead. (see below)

It is amusing to me that there are websites out there that give directions to do anything malicious like how to build a bomb. Can someone please tell me how this is helpful to the society? Outside of knowing how to take down an enemy James Bond style, I do not see the point in these sites and moreover how these sites exist. I am not suggesting that we censor the internet, but something’s should just not be easily available to consume on the internet.  

To quote Snoop Doggy Dog, “Back to the lecture at hand.”

Learning how to become a hacker and not get caught is much like learning how to become a bank robber and not get caught. Looking at any successful criminal from history, most show power in numbers is a good thing, so that is something to consider. Let’s look at Bonnie and Clyde, according to Wikipedia these outlaws were suspects in 12 successful bank robberies between 1931-1934, several small store robberies, and the slaying of at least nine police officers. Granted they were brought down in a shootout with the police, They had a very successful run as criminals and people are still talking about them 80 plus years later.

What we can learn from stories like this is, it is very likely that criminals end up getting caught one way or another. Even the infamous Boston Irish Mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, who was on the run for nearly 20 years and was living under a complete alias on the other side of the country, was caught and brought to justice. Some reports even suggest that Whitey was an FBI informant that helped bring down the Italian Mob in Boston while he knowingly was running amuck of the City’s South Shore.

My suggestion… don’t become a hacker. If you are interested in coding and are a problem solver, put those interests to good use, take some classes at your local college or community college, and build a name for yourself in a positive light. Become a hacker attacker, instead of joining the dark hackers of the world.