Questions tagged [hacking]
Non-normative tag for questions relating to the use of information technology, typically in unintended manners.
98
questions
15
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2answers
6k views
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 ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Can Law Enforcement in the US use evidence acquired through an illegal act by someone else?
There are reports on the internet this morning that a group of people were able to hack Parler and download around 70tb of data from the servers before AWS ceased hosting the platform. There are ...
7
votes
3answers
1k 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 ...
0
votes
2answers
83 views
Publishing research obtained by violating Google's TC
I believe Google's Terms and Conditions prohibit bot scraping: that is, submitting lots of (automated) search queries in a short time.
This is enforced by mechanisms such as CAPTCHAs and IP ...
1
vote
0answers
54 views
Is using proxies to circumvent rate limit to scrape data legal in India?
I'm in India, and this is what the Indian Information Act of 2000/66F says on the matter:
Indian Information Act 2000/66F
Punishment for cyber terrorism.– Whoever,– with intent to threaten the unity, ...
0
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1answer
250 views
Is there any country where hacking back is legal?
Building on this unanswered question: Under what circumstances could laying hacker "traps" cause civil or criminal liability for non-law enforcement civilians?
I was wondering if there was ...
2
votes
3answers
195 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.
Am I the one to be blamed for finding a ...
1
vote
3answers
170 views
Is unintentional one-time bug abuse illegal?
Concrete examples :
Someone making API requests through a banking platform, withdrew many times in succession, and through some miracle bug they all went through.
Someone unaffiliated with a ...
-2
votes
1answer
82 views
What happens after bugs are found in a private residence? [closed]
I have evidence of being spied on by complete nobodies and weirdly threatened malicious people on the web so I have a bug sweep coming up. What should I do after the technician finds hidden cameras ...
-1
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2answers
100 views
Which kind of lawyer does a hacking and spying victim need? [closed]
In the event that someone hacks your devices in order to let people on the internet spy on you every day, which kind of lawyer do you need to attack the situation? Based on what's being done and how ...
0
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0answers
90 views
Is it illegal to refuse to fix a hacked website?
Suppose there's a website or a server that has been hacked. There is no personal data stored anywhere, so there hasn't been a real data breach, because basically there's no valuable data to steal at ...
1
vote
0answers
129 views
Under what circumstances could laying hacker “traps” cause civil or criminal liability for non-law enforcement civilians?
The answer to If a hacker is infected as a result of their actions, is the victim liable? that explained laying a trap to injure someone could go either way depending on the severity of the injury and ...
5
votes
1answer
180 views
If a hacker is infected as a result of their actions, is the victim liable?
If a hacker gained unauthorized access to a computer network, downloaded a virus that was on a computer and infected their own system, would the victim of the hacker be liable for damages?
Does it ...
2
votes
3answers
435 views
Is CNN Chris Cuomo right about Clinton's emails: “it's different for the media”?
In 2016, CNN reporter Chris Cuomo, said about Hillary Clinton's hacked emails:
Also interesting is remember...it's illegal to possess the stolen documents. It's different for the media. So ...
0
votes
1answer
134 views
how much would a hacker be fined for using others online money?
how much would a hacker be fined for using others online money? (according to international law)
Let's say for using $10,000, $1,000, $100, or $10.
1
vote
2answers
100 views
How can I safely provide a free online service?
I am developing a website for secure sharing credentials. Similar to https://www.cloak.sh/ .
How can I protect myself and hopefully eliminate all my liability, while still providing a service "...
0
votes
1answer
559 views
Is it legal to sell cracked gaming accounts?
A coworker recently said they have a small side business in which they were selling cracked gaming accounts.
Is this legal?
It sounds very illegal, but I haven’t found anything definitive on Reddit ...
0
votes
2answers
74 views
If a website receive an attack by an Hacker, who is evanutally liable for the data breach?
I'm trying to create a very general example, i know there are surely hundreds of variables that must be analyzed but even just some general considerations from who had some experience can be useful ...
36
votes
3answers
30k views
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?
-1
votes
2answers
108 views
Can I get in trouble for someone else using my code for bad?
I don't know if this is the right place to ask this but oh well. I wrote some proof of concept code that can do stuff to computers on my school network if the user has admin privileges. If I publish ...
-1
votes
3answers
678 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
94 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
108 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
116 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
203 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 & ...
1
vote
1answer
119 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
89 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
93 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 ...
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vote
3answers
2k views
Can a hacker be arrested without investigating his computer?
So I would first like to state I'm not asking this because I'm trying to find out how much evidence it would take for law enforcement to arrest me (I'm not a hacker).
From what I've gathered, law ...
18
votes
1answer
503 views
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
161 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
777 views
Is it illegal to hack twitter accounts and websites belonging to ISIS?
In particular, ISIS twitter accounts, networks, and propaganda sites.
Would the US government condone such cybercrime? Would they even encourage people to try? I have heard stories of ISIS defaming ...
7
votes
3answers
1k 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
153 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.
0
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0answers
46 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
votes
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.)
6
votes
2answers
252 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
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2answers
115 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
votes
1answer
75 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% ...
0
votes
1answer
138 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
74 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 ...
0
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2answers
98 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
178 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 ...
1
vote
3answers
293 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
60 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?
0
votes
1answer
2k views
Is it illegal to create and sell a exploit of a zero-day vulnerability?
The definition of an exploit:
A software tool designed to take advantage of a flaw in a computer system, typically for malicious purposes such as installing malware.
The definition of a zero-day ...
16
votes
2answers
38k views
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
138 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
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1answer
87 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
151 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 ...
