Questions tagged [hacking]

Non-normative tag for questions relating to the use of information technology, typically in unintended manners.

While other uses of the word hacker exist that are related to computer security, such as referring to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks, they are rarely used in mainstream context. They are subject to the longstanding hacker definition controversy about the term's true meaning. In this controversy, the term hacker is reclaimed by computer programmers who argue that someone who breaks into computers, whether computer criminal (black hats) or computer security expert (white hats), is more appropriately called a cracker instead. Some white hat hackers claim that they also deserve the title hacker, and that only black hats should be called "crackers".

Canonical answers:

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Is it legal for BMW owners to enable heated car seats without paying the subscription fee?

Its been recently reported that: BMW is now selling subscriptions for heated seats in a number of countries — the latest example of the company’s adoption of microtransactions for high-end car features. A monthly subscription to heat your BMW’s…
JonathanReez
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Is it legal to crack MD5 hashes?

I saw a website that involves programming problems. One problem asks to write a program that finds a string whose MD5 hash is given. Is it criminal to crack the MD5 hash by finding those strings?
guest
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Have draft SCOTUS opinions been leaked before?

A draft opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson has been leaked. Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy has claimed: It is totally unprecedented for a draft opinion to be leaked. Is it unprecedented, or have draft SCOTUS opinions been leaked before?
Geremia
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What consequences could there be for Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;-- when he grows up?

I think it's obvious that Little Bobby Tables's mom has broken the law. Let's assume this is his legal name and does not break any naming laws; it's still probably illegal, because she obviously gave him that name with intent to harm computer…
Someone
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Liability for damages in the U.S. for finding and disclosing "0-day" computer exploit

In the IT/Programming security world, usually people contact the vendor/owner of a particular software if they find a bug or security vulnerability and give them time to patch it before releasing the bug or vulnerability for public…
Digital fire
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Is it legal to publish email that someone sent to me?

I'm not asking whether it is ethical - that would be a totally different question. I'm asking whether it is legal? In my book - in my way how I interpret consensual reality - once I press SEND button it is transmitted via email client, via email…
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Clean Hands doctrine and Plausible Deniability

There is a question on the Superuser forum wherein a bad actor is trying to trick someone into connecting to an access point, presumably so they can sniff information. They are doing this by setting up an access point with a very similar name to…
davidgo
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Can disrupting an online video game be illegal?

Imagine for example, a person makes an online game unplayable by flooding the game with bot accounts, winning games through cheating etc, but the person doesn't steal any data and they aren't violating copyright either since they are just sending…
eternalstudent
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Is it legal to hack a hacker back (in the US)?

I was wondering if it's legal to do what most people call a "hack back." Suppose someone tricked you into downloading software onto your computer that was designed to steal your data, but it was advertised as an online security software. Then you…
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Ethical Hacking

How is Ethical Hacking (Certified Ethical Hackers) defined by U.S. law? Is there any law which protects an Ethical Hacker for helping to find out bugs and security loopholes in online/digital services being used by a corporation/government…
Victor Juliet
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How do laws against computer intrusion handle the modern situation of devices routinely being under the de facto control of non-owners?

Current versions of Microsoft Windows will automatically update themselves. That's usually great, but they also are designed to update themselves even if the owner of the device wants them to not do that. I could send them a certified letter…
interfect
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What parts of cracking (tampering with the copyrighted software) are actually illegal?

I would like to know whether software cracking is considered illegal broadly (in the way that drugs are, for example, broadly illegal in many western countries), or is it a more complex question. I am most interested in legal state in western…
John Z.
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Can it be illegal to press f12 in a web browser?

There is a case in the news where a journalist identified a security issue in the web site of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that exposed 100,000 social security numbers. He did this by viewing the source of the page,…
User65535
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If I accidentally leaked my school's IP address and someone attempts a DDoS attack on my school am I at fault?

I found my schools IP address and if it accidentally got out and my school got a DDoS attack am I liable for damages? (I'm in Colorado if that helps.)
user25581
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Is it illegal to download passwords in bulk from the dark web to make a password checking tool to help people?

I remember some password managers like Google's would give me a warning about passwords that have been compromised. My question is this. How is Google or any company able to see that the password I have chosen matches one that has been…
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