Questions tagged [hacking]
Non-normative tag for questions relating to the use of information technology, typically in unintended manners.
82
questions
1
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1answer
84 views
Legality of Cyber Attack on illegal foreign website
I live in a country where website that provides pornography, illegal drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling, etc are forbidden (in Indonesia). But foreign websites (ex. from western countries) on those ...
2
votes
1answer
83 views
Is it legal to disclose a technical vulnerability publicly that might cause a monetary loss to millions of people?
I'll cite an example that came to my mind to crisply explain the essence of my question. It might contain some extreme assumptions not rooted in real world examples.
Computer scientist John Doe who ...
0
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0answers
56 views
Is it legal to create and sell a tool to modify config files for games
I've recently discovered an oversight in a popular games config file system that allows you to use an item even if you haven't yet unlocked it, this is a multiplayer game where players are expected to ...
3
votes
1answer
184 views
Are we legally liable for negligence if a breach in a 3rd party happens due to us giving extra visibility to a vulnerable system?
TL;DR - Found a dangling DNS record that was pointing to an IP address we don't own, the server found on that IP address was running a vulnerable piece of software. Wondering if attackers found & ...
2
votes
2answers
83 views
Am I liable for problems caused by unendorsed software modification on my products?
Imagine the following hypothetical.
My firm produces electronic controllers for a variety of products. Let's focus, say, on a commercial washing machine.
We design the electronics and develop the ...
0
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0answers
45 views
Is selling IOS game hacks illegal through some platform?
so basically we have a website and we sell monthly subscriptions. The website has a lot of different game hacks and some tutorials for hacking. So, the question is, is this completely illegal? because ...
1
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1answer
86 views
Would it be legal to change the functionality of your own software to do something apparently malicious if fullly documented?
This topic came up when discussing the infamous left-pad disaster from awhile back. To give a brief summary the author of a small package hosted on the npm repository that numerous other packages had ...
4
votes
1answer
133 views
When is a permission required to attack a system?
Never attack something you don't have a permission for!
This is one of the golden rules of penetration testing, yet it's surprisingly unclear. What exactly counts as an attack, and when do I need ...
3
votes
1answer
93 views
Is reverse engineering for research legal?
I want to look at the code of a certain app, without modifying it. Is that fine accordingly to EU laws ? Btw, sorry if I posted this in the wrong place.
7
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3answers
436 views
Bypassing website's paywall by modifying HTTP request headers
Recently I see some debates about bypassing paywalls by modifying browser's HTTP request as stated on ghack.
Most paywalled websites allow users to read a certain number of free articles before ...
0
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0answers
38 views
Is the NSO Group guilty of computer crimes?
The NSO Group is the company (based in Israel but American-owned) which appears to be responsible for the software used to penetrate WhatsApp.
The case seems to have a lot of parallels with the ...
12
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3answers
9k views
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.)
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2answers
80 views
Legal issues of searching for software vulnerabilities
What are the legal issues about finding zero-day vulnerabilities (i.e. previously unknown vulnerabilities in a program/website) and what is the standard legal practices before trying to find them if ...
0
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1answer
73 views
What should happen if I ask Proxy / VPN provider about their service illegal use against me? [closed]
Let's say I am running a website that somebody is trying to hack, from the logs I got that he is using mostly VPN servers of X company.
So, even if the VPN company adverts themselves for being 100% ...
6
votes
2answers
196 views
Hacking devices to unlock features: Legal or not?
There are 2 models of multimeter, A and B. Physically they are absolutely identical, yet model B has some functions unlocked, that are locked in model A. B costs about $400 more than A. If one tampers ...
1
vote
1answer
62 views
US extradition or domestic prosecution of US based foreign cyber crime?
I’m a cybersecurity professional familiar with the extradition of foreign cyber criminals to the US. But what if the situation were flipped? Given the following scenario what would likely happen?
US ...
1
vote
1answer
96 views
how are companies like metasploit and trustedsec and rapid7 legally protected?
rapid7 and trustedsec develop professional penetration testing software rapid7 also sells a pro version of metasploit...my question is that if someone uses their software illegally how are those ...
0
votes
2answers
86 views
Does a EULA protect the developer [closed]
I have a simple question...If a client asks a developer to develop a penetration testing / security related software and that he is ready to accept the EULA which comes with the software...does that ...
1
vote
1answer
43 views
law about ethical hacker using pirated software or gadgets?
Is there any law if a ethical hacker is invited to our company and he used pirated software?
Can we take any legal action or its normal in this field?
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0answers
54 views
Is it illegal in Pakistan to hack somebody's website?
Here's the situation: I have a personal blog website and a database of registered users to go with it. Last night I received an email from a person from Pakistan saying he has gained access to my ...
2
votes
1answer
125 views
Evil Wifi Terms of Service [duplicate]
It's a well know fact that very few people read the Terms of Service when accessing a public WIFI network. The internet is full of hilarious stories like:
22,000 people agree to clean toilets for ...
1
vote
3answers
218 views
Can a website that passively promotes illegal activities be legally shutdown?
I've seen a couple of clearnet websites that have been around for years that, although not directly, do create and promote a type of community where most of its members sell and buy stuff such as ...
7
votes
2answers
285 views
Are publicly available password dumps legal under GDPR
When a company gets breached by hackers, often the contents of their databases will make its way onto the internet. Sometimes this will include obviously personal information such as email contents or ...
2
votes
0answers
378 views
Is it illegal to perform wifi hacks on your own home network using tools like WiFiPhisher, Aircrack, and Wireshark?
Apologies if this has been asked countless times. I've seen it a few times around here however they usually pertain to someone having written permission. And I don't...
Or if someone could post a ...
0
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1answer
402 views
Is is illegal to hack websites in a country considered to be an enemy of my country?
I know that Hacking is illegal in any country. my question is this "is it illegal to hack enemy country website ?" e.g i lived in Pakistan, let say i hacked Indian Govt websites. is this illegal ? if ...
1
vote
1answer
81 views
What happens to the developer studio of a game that makes an exploit possible on a console?
Often with consoles to be able to softmod them, some legitimately acquired game is required that provides an exploit such that the whole console can be modded, possibly resulting in the owner ...
2
votes
1answer
203 views
Is using method below against the eula of pubg?
I made a generic tool/application to terminate the foreground window on windows systems.
It is written in c++. It uses functions from windows.h:
HWND foo = GetForegroundWindow();
GetWindowText(foo,...
0
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1answer
108 views
Dealing with a Hacker
I run a small online entertainment business, recently a teenager has been hacking into our systems and causing numerous problems. After talking with him, and his refusal to cooperate, we have decided ...
0
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0answers
109 views
Can a software developer/company be held liable for illegal acts done with their software?
If a software developer(s) / company creates software that can be used for hacking purposes but has "Terms of Use" that state it can not be used for an illegal activity. Can the creator(s) be held ...
1
vote
2answers
122 views
Is it legal to buy a vulnerability without using it against users?
Is it legal in the United States to buy a vulnerability in a well-known software but without using it in the wrong way? like exploiting it against users.
1
vote
1answer
185 views
Will a site get into trouble if it's users use it's resources for unethical/unhealthy things on the internet?
Take the site 10minutemail.com for example. What if someone uses the temporary email and logs into somewhere on the internet and does something illegal. When the investigations happen, the email will ...
0
votes
1answer
115 views
Is a Hacking EULA legal?
So I often watch my web server traffic. At least a quarter of the time, it's someone attempting to break in. Either by ssh or by attacking my directories and login panel.
My question is, if I ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
Exploiting online video games illegal, a tort, or allowable under the law?
Recently a news story came out about "Manfred", a hacker who makes a living exploiting bugs in online video games to make in-game currency (or items) which he then sells to other gamers. Here is a ...
0
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2answers
628 views
What legal consequences could an employee face who sabotages a company website?
A disgruntled employee who left our company a few weeks ago linked an external file that edits the DOM of our website for people who are not logged in and not on our IP Address (which prevented us ...
17
votes
1answer
2k views
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 ...
2
votes
2answers
170 views
Can academics break the law with their research?
Are there any U.S. or U.K. laws that prevent academic research papers or journals from being published? Can academics outline the methodology of illegal activities?
For example, could a computer ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
Is it legal to bypass location restrictions on web sites?
Some web sites refuse to offer content to connections which appear to them to be coming from certain countries (or all countries but one, or offer different content based on the apparent location of ...
0
votes
2answers
68 views
Regulations of Tempest protection of buildings
Tempest devices could via intercepting from far away the electro-magnetic waves coming out from one's computer detect what one does on the computer. Employing the Faraday cage principle, one could ...
2
votes
2answers
261 views
In the United States (Michgan) is it legal to publish IP Addresses that were trying to hack my web server?
I have a private web server that gets attacked a lot (brute forces, nmap scans). I would like to compile a list of the IP addresses that were trying to hack my server and publish them on my website. ...
2
votes
3answers
128 views
Can I use a workaround I developed to bypass the internet filter at work?
I found a workaround (by writing some code) to bypass the internet filter at work.
Is that considered hacking? Or perhaps violating the company's rules.
I don't recall signing anything when I got ...
3
votes
2answers
986 views
Is cracking software with server emulators illegal?
Let's say I have a program that needs you to login with a paid account in order to use it, and it sends authorization data to a server (username and pass) using this example link (I show example ...
4
votes
1answer
135 views
Privacy on stolen laptop
On slashdot.org the following case was discussed: A owns a laptop, and has software installed that allows to log into the laptop remotely. B steals the laptop, and uses it to log into their Facebook ...
2
votes
1answer
107 views
Does attempting to hack into a system constitute a cybercrime by itself?
If someone tries to attack or gain unauthorized access to a given system but fails eventually, could that person get arrested for the mere attempt?
I know laws differ from one state/country to ...
1
vote
1answer
204 views
Can confession stories be used as evidence in court?
I would like to tell my story that contain things that may or may not be illegal. I planned to upload it to youtube for educational and entertainment purposes. I'm afraid though that I might be ...
0
votes
2answers
222 views
Is it illegal to bypass user agreement window?
I have a download page with many files. If a user clicks on the download button of a file, then a window with user agreements shows, and you can only download the file by pressing the I agree button, ...
2
votes
1answer
279 views
Is it legal to replace something's firmware?
I'm a software/hardware hacker and I am wondering about how legal it is to replace the firmware of something. This something can be
a car
a chinese quadcopter
a phone
a Canon EOS 5D
a (connected) ...
1
vote
1answer
790 views
Does the “German Hacking law” deny the opportunity to do private penetration testing?
Would the possession of a Rubberducky Stick or an Pineapple router get you in trouble (even if you don't have evil intentions) with the new German anti-hacking law?
-1
votes
3answers
269 views
How to respond to a user requesting deletion of their online account
My website occasionally receives requests from users asking for their account to be deleted. The website itself is a dating site that stores messages between users, personal information they add to ...
4
votes
2answers
170 views
Is it legal to publish personal information obtained in public?
Lets say I built a device using some software like NFCProxy or a hardware/software kit like Proxmark3 and just stood in middle of a sidewalk with a high amount of foot traffic and I passively captured ...
2
votes
0answers
297 views
Legal to share malware code/sell malware products?
I program / rewrite (from security analysis / reverse engineering) different kinds of malware software as a hobby.
Those include some pretty malicious things like ransomware extortion viruses, banking ...
