Hackers meet, share knowledge

By Mia A. Aznar

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

COMPUTER protection companies may have painted a bad picture of hackers, but local hackers hope to change the public’s perception of them.

Dax Labrador, founding director of the Root Convention held in Cebu over the weekend, said not all hackers are “bad guys.”

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Because hacking seems to have a negative connotation in the Philippines, Labrador and his group hope to encourage local hackers to use their knowledge and abilities to do
good.

He said holding regular national conferences for hackers like the RootCon serves as a venue for them to gather, share what they know and learn from one another.

Last Saturday’s conference was the first in the Philippines, but Labrador said they hope to hold more annual conferences, like in other countries.

Exhausting limits

Jason Valiente, a member of the core group, explained that hacking is using a thing beyond what it is meant for.

“Hacking itself is exhausing limits, given the equipment that you have,” he said. He cited as an example a fork, which most people see as a utensil to eat. Hackers, he said, see endless possibilities for the uses of forks, like electricity conductors and other things.

They have also coined a different term for those who use their knowledge to destroy or steal information.

“Crackers use their knowledge to exploit and break systems. Hackers tell you how to improve things,” Labrador said.

Valiente added that hackers secure websites and help vendors improve their products.

He noted that improvements made on gadgets are after recommendations from hackers.

“Hackers are talented people. They find ways to improve on things. Not all hackers are bad guys,” Labrador said.

The group invited foreign speakers to talk about topics like Internet protocol security and console security, saying gamers are also vulnerable to break-ins.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on September 15, 2011.