Thesis (M.A.)--Villanova University, 2006. / Communication Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Seminario Para Optar al Grado Académico de Licenciado en Comunicación Social / El autor no autoriza el acceso a texto completo de su documento / Nuestra época se ha visto marcada por un ascendente proceso de globalización en el área de las comunicaciones. La rápida ampliación de las posibilidades de acceso a la comunicación vía Internet se ha constituido en el principal agente de este proceso. Por esto, consideramos que es muy importante poner atención a las relaciones comunicacionales que esta red genera. El hacker se instala en este contexto, nace y se desarrolla dentro de Internet, dedicado a investigar sistemas, obtener, intervenir o borrar información circulante a través de esta red.

La cyberdélinquance constitue un phénomène indissociable du monde numérique, depuis les premiers hackers recherchant la compréhension des mécanismes innovants de communication, jusqu'aux pirates informatiques majoritairement voués désormais à la criminalité. L'évolution et l'état actuel de ce phénomène déterminent, dès lors, un véritable questionnement sur la réalité sociale du pirate informatique responsable des faits de cyberdélinquance. En effet, comment l'appréhender et en atteindre la connaissance ? Afin d'en dégager les clés de compréhension, ces interrogations sont abordées par l'étude qualitative de cet acteur social responsable des actes de malveillance informatique. Cette recherche porte spécifiquement sur l'identification des processus de construction des significations sociales du pirate informatique. Nous répondrons principalement à cette question : peut-on parler, non pas d'une image sociale normalisée, mais plutôt de l'existence de plusieurs images sociales du pirate informatique ? Afin d'en permettre une étude compréhensive, l'objet sera décliné via le cadre de référence du concept de "monde social". L'analyse porte en premier lieu sur la représentation sociale de la cyberdélinquance, en déterminant son image construite. Un second moment est consacré à l'approche communicationnelle du contexte social de la cyberdélinquance, déclinant l'image médiatique dominante quant aux significations du pirate informatique. Enfin, afin d'anticiper la représentation sociale en construction du pirate informatique, une dernière partie se consacrera à une approche intégrée possible des images sociales du pirate informatique, via différents mondes sociaux de la cyberdélinquance. Ces trois clés de compréhension visent à mieux comprendre le phénomène de la cyberdélinquance et ses acteurs principaux, en construction socialement, à travers une dimension interculturelle / The cyberdelinquency constitutes an inseparable phenomenon from the numerical world, since the first hackers seeking comprehension of the innovating mechanisms of communication, to the recent computer pirates being posed as true criminals. The evolution and the current state of this phenomenon determine a true questioning on the social reality of the computer pirate responsible for the facts of cyberdelinquency. Indeed how to arrest it and attain knowledge ? To clear the keys of it of understanding, these questionings are approached by the qualitative study of this social actor responsible for acts of computer spitefulness. This research carries specifically the identification of the building processes of the social signification of the computer pirate. We'll answer mainly this question : can we speak, not of a normalized social picture, but rather the existence of several social pictures ? To allow an understanding study, the object will be declined via the reference frame of the concept of "social world". The analysis concerns firstly the social perception of cyberdelinquency, by determining its constructed picture. A second instant is dedicated to the communicative approach of this social context of the cyberdelinquency, declining the media picture predominant as for the signification of the computer pirate. Finally, to anticipate social perception in building of the computer pirate, a last party dedicates itself to a possible integrated approach of social pictures of the computer pirate, via different social worlds of the cyberdelinquency. These three keys of understanding aim at determine the phenomenon of cyberdelinquency better and his main actors, in building socially, across an intercultural dimension

This research explores hacker motivation, demotivation and task selection through the lenses of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and General Deterrence Theory (GDT). The research also explores how context surrounding individual and task characteristics affects a hacker’s decision making process in selecting a hacking task. To build a solid foundation on which to understand and combat threats to information systems, researchers need to look past the technical issues of data security and explore why hackers do what they do. This research addresses this gap by understanding why hackers identify and assess hacking tasks. It is hoped that by investigating the motivations of these highly skilled Information Systems (IS) users, new insights into how to avoid becoming a hacker target might be developed. Participants in this study were individuals who self-identify as hackers. They completed a survey to validate the proposed model and answered open-ended questions to provide further insights. The quantitative data was analysed using Structured Equation Modelling; classical content analysis was conducted to examine the qualitative data. This research was successful in identifying the role of TRA and GDT in hacker task selection. The research confirmed the importance of mastery, curiosity, and task complexity in a hacker's evaluation process and provided enticing clues for further research into the role of task complexity in a hacker’s task evaluation process. The research also confirmed that subjective norms play an important part in shaping behavioural intentions towards engaging in a hacking task. Additionally, a clear linkage was identified between perceived certainty of sanction and behavioural intention. Contributions of this research to both academia and practice are outlined as well as potential limitations and areas for future research. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This research explores hacker motivation, demotivation and task selection through the lenses of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and General Deterrence Theory (GDT). The research also explores how context surrounding individual and task characteristics affects a hacker’s decision making process in selecting a hacking task. To build a solid foundation on which to understand and combat threats to information systems, researchers need to look past the technical issues of data security and explore why hackers do what they do. This research addresses this gap by understanding why hackers identify and assess hacking tasks. It is hoped that by investigating the motivations of these highly skilled Information Systems (IS) users, new insights into how to avoid becoming a hacker target might be developed. Participants in this study were individuals who self-identify as hackers. They completed a survey to validate the proposed model and answered open-ended questions to provide further insights. The quantitative data was analysed using Structured Equation Modelling; classical content analysis was conducted to examine the qualitative data. This research was successful in identifying the role of TRA and GDT in hacker task selection. The research confirmed the importance of mastery, curiosity, and task complexity in a hacker's evaluation process and provided enticing clues for further research into the role of task complexity in a hacker’s task evaluation process. The research also confirmed that subjective norms play an important part in shaping behavioural intentions towards engaging in a hacking task. Additionally, a clear linkage was identified between perceived certainty of sanction and behavioural intention. Contributions of this research to both academia and practice are outlined as well as potential limitations and areas for future research.

This study examines how a couple of Swedish daily newspapers construct the hacker network Anonymous, with an aim to discuss its possible effects. The question was: In which ways is the network Anonymous constructed in a few Swedish newspapers?                       26 articles from four chosen newspaper were analysed, but because of many similarities in content, only 10 were chosen for deep analysis. With Fairclough's model of critical discourse analysis as chosen method, constructions varying from the images of heroes to villains were found as a result. The most common construction was that of Anonymous as a threat, which was most often exaggerated compared to what actions were actually described in the texts. In the secondly most common discourse, "guilty by association", Anonymous would be mentioned in a context, like in the report of a crime, without any apparent reason. Though labelled with other words, what the texts often described were actions that lived up to the criteria of civil disobedience, but in a digital context. Some texts described a protest movement that might get more legitimized, or continue as a guerrilla group. In some cases Anonymous were given power by getting their messages repeated without criticism, most likely accidentally since their usual silence might make the journalist jump when suddenly contacted directly. In other cases they were deliberately smeared, and constructed as a mischievous and powerless bunch of nerds. Opinions differed, but from the texts could be concluded that Anonymous is the first Internet based protest movement of its kind. How their identity develops may make or break the possibilities for future online protest movements and civil disobedience acts. In which direction they progress isn't the topic of this study. But what possible effects the newspapers constructions of Anonymous might have on that progress is of high interest. The discussion's theoretical base is that the journalistic content has an effect on its audience, and an effect on the construction of identity, both collective and individual. The media further have power, to some extent, over their audience as well as over their subjects.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2006. / Description based on contents viewed Jan. 29, 2007; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-96).

En la presente investigación se evalúa el impacto tecnológico, social y comunicacional que las acciones de los hackers poseen en el contexto de la sociedad de la información. Hasta ahora, se trata de un tema escasamente tratado por los estudios sociales, los que si bien han abordado el fenómeno que implica el cambio sociedad, lo han hecho privilegiando las transformaciones a nivel general que la economía, la política o la sociedad han experimentado. En este caso el objetivo es analizar a los hackers a partir de las categorías que demarca la construcción social de la tecnología (grupo social relevante, flexibilidad interpretativa, esquema tecnológico, mecanismo de cierre) a fin de ubicar los usos y dinámicas colectivas que están promoviendo en la internet, el medio de comunicación e información más relevante para el acceso y desarrollo de la sociedad de la información.

Thesis advisor: Richard Spinello / Thesis advisor: Stephen Pope / The information revolution is the single most important change in society since the printing press. At no other time has our society benefited from nearly limitless access to information and communication, and the changes brought on by this access have changed, and are changing, society in fundamental ways. Our homes, our workplaces, and our democracy have all been transformed by information and communication technologies.However, our ethics have not kept pace with our technological progress, and the immense changes brought by this this revolution have posed some equally immense moral questions. Indeed, there has been an almost total lack of religious discourse regarding the problems which have arisen out of the information revolution. This thesis is an attempt to change that.The thesis itself is structured as a series of essays on four key problems:1. Intellectual Property, as it relates to Scripture2. Information Ethics, the novel moral theory arising from Computer Ethics3. Robotic Ethics, especially the ethics of robotic warfare4. Hacker Culture, and its implicit spiritualityEach of these essays attempts to tackle one of these key problems, and demonstrate how a religious perspective illuminates some aspect of it. As befits a thesis from a Jesuit, Catholic university, most of the essays are drawn from a Catholic, Christian perspective. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology Honors Program. / Discipline: Philosophy Honors Program. / Discipline: Theology.

Lam, Kwok Tai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-66). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction to Network Security via Efficient IP Traceback --- p.10 / Chapter 1.1 --- Motivation --- p.10 / Chapter 1.2 --- DDoS Attacker Traceback Problem --- p.11 / Chapter 1.3 --- Document Roadmap --- p.13 / Chapter 2 --- Background --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1 --- Probabilistic Edge Marking Algorithm --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Probabilistic Edge Marking Procedure --- p.15 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Attack Graph Construction Procedure --- p.17 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Advantages and Disadvantages of Algorithm --- p.19 / Chapter 3 --- Attacker Traceback: Linear Topology --- p.22 / Chapter 3.1 --- Determination of Local Traffic Rates --- p.23 / Chapter 3.2 --- Determination of Minimum Stable Time tmin --- p.25 / Chapter 3.3 --- Elimination of Attackers --- p.26 / Chapter 4 --- Attacker Traceback: General Topology --- p.30 / Chapter 4.1 --- Determination of Local Traffic Rates --- p.30 / Chapter 4.2 --- Determination of Minimum Stable Time tmin --- p.33 / Chapter 5 --- Simulations --- p.36 / Chapter 5.1 --- Simulation 1 - Correctness and robustness of estimating the min- imum stable time tmin --- p.37 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Simulation l.A - Influence on tmin by different packet arrival processes --- p.37 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Simulation l.B - Influence on tmin by different packet arrival processes under MMPP --- p.38 / Chapter 5.1.3 --- Simulation l.C - Influence on tmin and variance of traffic rate estimation by different pthreshold --- p.39 / Chapter 5.2 --- Simulation 2 - Factors which influence the minimum stable time tmin --- p.40 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Simulation 2.A - Influence on tmin by different length of the attack path --- p.41 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Simulation 2.B - Influence on tmin by the relative posi- tions of the attackers --- p.42 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Simulation 2.C - Influence on tmin by different ATR and different length of the attack path --- p.43 / Chapter 5.3 --- Simulation 3 - Extension to General Network Topology --- p.45 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Simulation 3.A - Influence on tmin by different ATR and different diameter of the network topology --- p.45 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Simulation 3.B - Influence on tmin by different number of attackers --- p.46 / Chapter 5.4 --- Simulation 4 - Extension to Internet Topology --- p.47 / Chapter 5.4.1 --- Simulation 4.A - Influence on tminby different diameter of the network topology --- p.49 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- Simulation 4.B - Influence on tmin by different number of attackers --- p.50 / Chapter 6 --- Experiments --- p.51 / Chapter 6.1 --- Experiment 1: Simple DoS Attack --- p.53 / Chapter 6.1.1 --- Experiment l.A - Influence on tmin by different types of DDoS attack --- p.54 / Chapter 6.1.2 --- Experiment l.B - Influence on tmin by different length of the attack path --- p.55 / Chapter 6.2 --- Experiment 2: Coordinated DoS Attack --- p.55 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- Experiment 2.A - Influence on tmin by the relative posi- tions of the attackers --- p.56 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- Experiment 2.B - Influence on tmin by different number of attackers --- p.58 / Chapter 7 --- Related Work --- p.59 / Chapter 8 --- Conclusion --- p.62 / Bibliography --- p.64

Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed February 22, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 192-201).