Clandestine Communication: Part 3 - UR what U-IS (Scene 1, the UnSeen; Ex-Posers)

CyberSecure: OxMeMoronic(?) An Oxymoron is, of course, a contradiction in terms, a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposing meanings, a self-contradiction...used in the context of "Clandestine Communication"', more specifically in the context of "cyber" and "security" side-by-side as a way to bring your/my attention to the fallacy of thinking that when we click on a site, even with assurances, that it is completely secure, that we ourselves remain out of sight, unseen, that in such cases we R only kidding ourselves. We become the moron. If recent history is our teacher and an increase time on the internet is our classroom, then we oughta be advanced placement students, eh? Probably in some subjects, including the ease with which we have learned to access info, as well as the methods for doing so (e.g., search engines). But what about our lessons in "internet safety"? Just when will it be...

"Safe to go out, and IN..." Like "Into this site"; when can we feel secure in our own homes, as in 'walled in', as in "Fire Walls"? Who's out there looking out for us and, on the other hand, who's looking in on us...simultaneously? Right here, in the (relative) safety of this blog site, for you friendly followers, I shared how, even in the earlier stages of this, after the internet was made available to the masses, there were "public service" announcements on various media outlets, attempting to rivet our attention to the "good, bad, and the ugly" possibilities that could eventuate...right in our own homes, just outside of our awareness, even behind our backs, such as in "How would you feel if you found out there were 1,000 strangers in your daughter's bedroom?" 😟. While we were not naive, we could be caught by surprise, especially if under informed...And then, just when we were starting to catch on, after being forewarned, so as to go in and out (of the web, the net, whether at home, in our car, traveling afar) safely...

Enter the Hackers, Disrupters, the "Pushers!": As with many monikers, the term "Hacker" (starting in the early 60's, think "Woodstock", protests, anti-establishment...😎!) started innocently enough, a benign, even favorable status among us who were just starting to get our feet wet with tech (I wish I had kept my first calculator my parents purchased for me just prior to heading off to college in the early 70's, which would not fit into those ubiquitous phone pockets in modern/"urban" clothing; would bring a "pretty penny" given the current retro movement, eBay pricing). Those who could 'push' the little computer beyond its limits, and the associated computer system beyond its designed capacity, emerging out of the early intelligent labs of such esteemed institutions as M.I.T. But, of course, where else, what else would we expect from a place where "Tech" is "Institutionalized", an institution who also brought down the house via card counting ("Bringing Down the House", 2003)?  Early accomplishments of hackers who came to us like the Robin Hoods of their day, included hacking into phone systems, giving US almost unlimited, 'free' access (until the BIG telephone GUYS caught on, and before the government finally caught on to THEM and broke them into smaller units). Which still reminds me of how, earlier on, in the day of pay phones, we learned tricks from even earlier local hackers, how to make free calls, or even get some quarters to come out. This, just until the "operators" caught onto us, but never quite caught us. A cat and mouse game that has continued to this day, which has just gotten bigger and more sophisticated. During which time the term "Hacker" and its practitioners, have taken on a wider berth of influence, confluence, with both favorable and "ROTTEN TOMATOES!" reviews. While we celebrated their early accomplishments and (temporary) "free" phone calls (our parents and grandparents warned us about this "free" thing) and then, the 'spinoff' technologies that came to us from the earlier "disrupters" -- the advent of technology and systems which took some by surprise, "disrupted" the status quo, made the current systems quickly antiquated. All of which ushered in "New Tech!" -- a surge of convenience and productivity, a huge amount of access. Access that we learned goes both ways. While we all benefitted early on, who among us have not been victimized by modern hackers, who either stole our identities/personal info while we were simply using the local ATM or swiping our credit card at the grocery store, even when we thought we were practicing 'safe distancing'? And, on a larger, even more disruptive scale, found out we were being held hostage by proxy when a system we were reliant on (banking, health care, government offices) is at a "standstill" until some sort of cyber ransom was paid. Making us all feel naked, exposed, helpless, powerless! The official line, of course, is that "we don't deal with terrorists" Oh yeah, a new term now marring the early, friendly moniker of "Hacker", now includes "Cyber Terrorists". Some of which, we come to find out, despite all the sophisticated obfuscations of government and private institutions, end up getting some percentage of what they initially demanded, enough to keep them at a distance, at least temporarily. AND some of which even get hired and put on a different hat, placed on the government payroll, as a "Friendly". It's enough to make US think we're living in a...

MAD, MAD, MAD World: As in "MAD" magazine, a fan favorite among us in the age of Woodstock, enduring to this day, including one of my favorite cartoon sections "Spy versus Spy" which, as one spook or the other learned the tricks of the trade, evolved into "Spy versus Spy versus Spy".... Sounding familiar? And on we go, as in...

NEXT, COMING ATTRACTIONS: (earlier approach to whetting our appetites):

"UnScene 2: DIY...what UR, what U-IS.