Hacker Hacks Hackers

By Jeff Stutz

The problem with attempting to make an informative movie about a certain group of people is that, if you mess up, they get mad. Not too surprisingly, United Artist's motion picture release "Hackers" painted a fuzzy and inaccurate picture about the lives of professional computer hackers. So a real-life hacker decided to have fun with MGM/UA.

As is common practice nowadays, MGM/UA has a World Wide Web (WWW) site to advertise their movies to the growing Net population. "Hackers," as one might expect, was showcased with its own Web page (http://www.mgmua.com/hackers/). The problem with putting information up on the Internet for international perusal, however, is that it is vulnerable to anyone with sufficient computer knowledge to break into the machine. And that vulnerability was reaffirmed not long ago. On this page you can see the before-and-after versions of the picture that actually appeared on the "Hackers" site. This relatively harmless prank nevertheless displays to the largest extent how real hackers can affect information on the Net. Contrary to popular opinion, it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to change someone's status from living to dead (a feat performed in Hackers).

As far as the movie is concerned, "Hackers" illustrates the unfair persecution of a group of teenagers for a "hack" they did not commit. Their normal activities include creating fire alarms at school and taking over local television stations (which are two things, I feel obligated to point out, that cannot be done remotely). But their lives are abruptly disrupted when, while "hacking" a large computer system, one of them accidentally stumbles on a virus.

The virus was written by the company's security specialist who plans to hold several computer-operated ships for ransom. Should he not get the money in time, he will order the ships to spill thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean. When our young hero gets caught breaking in, providing the perfect cover for the real criminal, all the young hackers begin to be chased by the FBI. From that point on, however, the movie progresses into nothing more than the cliche "race against time to prevent an ecological disaster and save their friend from years in prison" type of Hollywood boredom.

The poor acting, predictable plot, grossly misrepresented technology, and ill-conceived romance are not at all out of place in this insult to film-making.