The computer wizz in Die Hard 4
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That wasn't the one with Harrison Ford as the security expert was it?
Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.
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Most hacks require 3 things, a basic level of access, knowledge of a specific exploitable vulnerability of the target system, specialized tools (virus, trojan etc) tweaked to exploit the vulnerability. So if someone wanted to be a 'master' hacker in the Hollywood style they would need the memory of a chess grand master to know all the key vulnerabilities of every configuration of system they came across, they'd need access to a truly immense toolbox of preconfigured hacker tools, constantly updated to take advantage of the latest discovered weakness and they'd need basic access to pretty much any network. So you're looking for a semi-pro chess player working for a virus lab with access to a major internet backbone, then, maybe, just maybe Hollywood would be interested :) I worked in an office with a dual 2MBit connection to a major internet backbone in London some years a ago when that was bigtime. We left a Windows95 PC outside the firewall over 1 weekend and someone from Hong Kong managed to a) access it b) re-partition the hard disk without c) set it up with an encrypted file system on the new partition and reconfigure Win95 to serve porn from the encrypted filesystem to some network in the US, all without so much as a reboot and on Windows 95! :omg: So yeah these people are out there.
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage." Thucydides (B.C. 460-400)
Matthew Faithfull wrote:
Most hacks require 3 things, a basic level of access, knowledge of a specific exploitable vulnerability of the target system, specialized tools (virus, trojan etc) tweaked to exploit the vulnerability
It doesn't require a high level of sophistication to be a script kiddy. Search millions of computers for a specific vulnerability and take advantage using some automated tools. I suspect it is much more difficult to hack a specific network, which more often then not is what the Hollywood hacker is proposed to do.
MrPlankton
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So I watched Die Hard 4 the other day, It always seems to be a common occurance in movies that there is a computer wizz who can hack into any computer in a second, and get any information he/she desires. Now I know Hollywood loves to buff stuff up. But is there anyone in existence that could actually work as fast as that?
Mark Brock Click here to view my blog
The most outrageous thing of that kind was in Independence Day, where they accessed and hacked the computer of the frickin' alien ship. How stupid is that?!
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Matthew Faithfull wrote:
We left a Windows95 PC outside the firewall over 1 weekend and someone from Hong Kong managed to a) access it b) re-partition the hard disk without c) set it up with an encrypt...
I once left a Windows XP box on for one hour and came back to find it part of a bot-net attacking three different websites and sending odd files back to some Eastern European server. It was behind a firewall, had anti-virus installed but without Service Pack 2. Hollywood doesn't need hackers, they just need an un-patched Windows XP ;)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
You've just opened up a whole world of weekend pastime for me...:omg: when I get my new laptop, I'll have a spare I can leave 'lying around' for interest sake.
Semicolons: The number one seller of ostomy bags world wide. - dan neely
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The most outrageous thing of that kind was in Independence Day, where they accessed and hacked the computer of the frickin' alien ship. How stupid is that?!
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The most outrageous thing of that kind was in Independence Day, where they accessed and hacked the computer of the frickin' alien ship. How stupid is that?!
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So I watched Die Hard 4 the other day, It always seems to be a common occurance in movies that there is a computer wizz who can hack into any computer in a second, and get any information he/she desires. Now I know Hollywood loves to buff stuff up. But is there anyone in existence that could actually work as fast as that?
Mark Brock Click here to view my blog
It is hilarious. I watched the episode of CSI that was mentioned last week; the one with the "I'll throw together VB GUI to track the IP" or somesuch. Poor girl said it with such a straight face and then, when you see the screen, if she really designed, created, tested and deployed that in 5 minutes I want to start using VB! (No, not really)
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The most outrageous thing of that kind was in Independence Day, where they accessed and hacked the computer of the frickin' alien ship. How stupid is that?!
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So I watched Die Hard 4 the other day, It always seems to be a common occurance in movies that there is a computer wizz who can hack into any computer in a second, and get any information he/she desires. Now I know Hollywood loves to buff stuff up. But is there anyone in existence that could actually work as fast as that?
Mark Brock Click here to view my blog
Repost.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
The most outrageous thing of that kind was in Independence Day, where they accessed and hacked the computer of the frickin' alien ship. How stupid is that?!
This attitude is why all you guys get is to bitch about it, and Jeff got to ride that alien space craft... not to mention the cigar :laugh:
To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.
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The most outrageous thing of that kind was in Independence Day, where they accessed and hacked the computer of the frickin' alien ship. How stupid is that?!
Everyone knows you need a Vorlon trained Phycop with a level 12 rating , that is the only way you can confuse the bio-cyber brains of the Shadow vessels... shesh!! or ...maybe I'm getting my Sci-Fi hacks confused?...
MrPlankton
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So I watched Die Hard 4 the other day, It always seems to be a common occurance in movies that there is a computer wizz who can hack into any computer in a second, and get any information he/she desires. Now I know Hollywood loves to buff stuff up. But is there anyone in existence that could actually work as fast as that?
Mark Brock Click here to view my blog
N S A
“If we are all in agreement on the decision - then I propose we postpone further discussion of this matter until our next meeting to give ourselves time to develop disagreement and perhaps gain some understanding of what the decision is all about.”-Alfred P. Sloan
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So I watched Die Hard 4 the other day, It always seems to be a common occurance in movies that there is a computer wizz who can hack into any computer in a second, and get any information he/she desires. Now I know Hollywood loves to buff stuff up. But is there anyone in existence that could actually work as fast as that?
Mark Brock Click here to view my blog
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d@nish wrote:
Avoid Google. Use Blackle
This has to be a scam. I bet they are raking in serious cash on AdSense for people gullible enough to believe it. Modern-day LCD displays use a backlight shone through the LCD matrix, which is on regardless of what the pixels are showing. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it actually takes a minimal charge to dim each pixel, thus it would actually use more (although surely not noticably so, compared to the backlight) to display a black screen than a white one. Admittedly CRTs are different, but who uses those anymore? ;)
“Time and space can be a bitch.” –Gushie, Quantum Leap {o,o}.oO( Looking for a great RSS reader? Try FeedBeast! ) |)””’) Built with home-grown CodeProject components! -”-”-
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d@nish wrote:
Avoid Google. Use Blackle
This has to be a scam. I bet they are raking in serious cash on AdSense for people gullible enough to believe it. Modern-day LCD displays use a backlight shone through the LCD matrix, which is on regardless of what the pixels are showing. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it actually takes a minimal charge to dim each pixel, thus it would actually use more (although surely not noticably so, compared to the backlight) to display a black screen than a white one. Admittedly CRTs are different, but who uses those anymore? ;)
“Time and space can be a bitch.” –Gushie, Quantum Leap {o,o}.oO( Looking for a great RSS reader? Try FeedBeast! ) |)””’) Built with home-grown CodeProject components! -”-”-
From http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd.htm[^]: If we apply an electric charge to liquid crystal molecules, they untwist. When they straighten out, they change the angle of the light passing through them so that it no longer matches the angle of the top polarizing filter. Consequently, no light can pass through that area of the LCD, which makes that area darker than the surrounding areas. ... Note that our simple LCD required an external light source. Liquid crystal materials emit no light of their own. ... Most computer displays are lit with built-in fluorescent tubes above, beside and sometimes behind the LCD. A white diffusion panel behind the LCD redirects and scatters the light evenly to ensure a uniform display. ... ...if we carefully control the amount of voltage supplied to a crystal, we can make it untwist only enough to allow some light through. By doing this in very exact, very small increments, LCDs can create a gray scale. Most displays today offer 256 levels of brightness per pixel.
“Time and space can be a bitch.” –Gushie, Quantum Leap {o,o}.oO( Looking for a great RSS reader? Try FeedBeast! ) |)””’) Built with home-grown CodeProject components! -”-”-
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I loved the fact that a dialog on the aliens' screen popped up with an animated skeleton head laughing. I mean, he didn't just write the virus he actually provided a GUI :laugh:
I remember an episode of Mutant X where they planted a virus in the bad guy's lab, and they had a GUI effect of windows exploding into lots of pieces as the underlying applications were supposedly destroyed. Mutant X: A great show to watch while trying to figure out whether self-defenestration or self-inflicted gunshot wound is the way to end the stupidity.
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Sorry, no idea how to send her money but I'm more than a little curious about why she needs it. I thought UK had "free" nationalized health services? I'm not being snide or insensitive - I really want to know why this is not being taken care of by the national system.
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d@nish wrote:
Avoid Google. Use Blackle
This has to be a scam. I bet they are raking in serious cash on AdSense for people gullible enough to believe it. Modern-day LCD displays use a backlight shone through the LCD matrix, which is on regardless of what the pixels are showing. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it actually takes a minimal charge to dim each pixel, thus it would actually use more (although surely not noticably so, compared to the backlight) to display a black screen than a white one. Admittedly CRTs are different, but who uses those anymore? ;)
“Time and space can be a bitch.” –Gushie, Quantum Leap {o,o}.oO( Looking for a great RSS reader? Try FeedBeast! ) |)””’) Built with home-grown CodeProject components! -”-”-
I just use Stylish to make my Google pages dark. They look nicer that way anyway. It's also nice to be able to cut my login screens down to two boxes. I mean really... do I need to read about Gmail's great features every time I sign in? No, they're why I already use it! Same for every other login page out there. That's why I love the integrated logins on sites like this. :P
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d@nish wrote:
Avoid Google. Use Blackle
This has to be a scam. I bet they are raking in serious cash on AdSense for people gullible enough to believe it. Modern-day LCD displays use a backlight shone through the LCD matrix, which is on regardless of what the pixels are showing. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it actually takes a minimal charge to dim each pixel, thus it would actually use more (although surely not noticably so, compared to the backlight) to display a black screen than a white one. Admittedly CRTs are different, but who uses those anymore? ;)
“Time and space can be a bitch.” –Gushie, Quantum Leap {o,o}.oO( Looking for a great RSS reader? Try FeedBeast! ) |)””’) Built with home-grown CodeProject components! -”-”-
