Script kiddies are teenagers who use other people’s hacking tools to deface websites or break into computer systems for recognition. They rely on automated programs to identify vulnerable targets and build botnets to launch DDoS attacks. Their actions are criminal and can result in legal consequences and harm to innocent owners. Protecting oneself from rootkits and keeping security software up-to-date can reduce the risk of being targeted.
Script kiddies are teenagers who use readily available tools written by expert hackers to deface websites or break into computer systems, usually for peer recognition and attention. Script kiddies have little or no personal knowledge of hacking and rely on other people’s programs or scripts, hence the name “script kiddie.” They are not considered true hackers and are looked down upon in the hacker community as giving hackers a bad name by engaging in immature forms of vandalism.
A popular pastime for script kiddies is to gain access to website administration privileges in order to “tag” sites with electronic graffiti for bragging rights. This vandalism practice is known as “web cracking”. Bored teenagers build a reputation among friends by tagging dozens or even hundreds of sites.
Apart from website defacement, script kiddies also use hacking tools to compromise remote computers. The process begins by using automated programs that scan computers connected to the Internet, looking for specific exploits. Once vulnerable targets are identified, other tools are used to penetrate the targets. If the target is a computer that is part of a private network, the entire network is compromised.
The next step involves installing “rootkits” on target systems so that remote computers can be used without their owners’ knowledge. Each compromised computer becomes a “drone” or a “zombie computer”. Multiple zombie computers form a “botnet”. The remote operator can upload Trojans or viruses to the botnet, corrupt computers, steal personal information including credit card numbers and passwords, erase entire hard drives, or simply sit back and watch in silence.
The script kiddies usually compete with each other to see who can build the biggest botnet. Because zombie computers can be used to scavenge for new vulnerable computers, botnets can be built exponentially into very large networks consisting of hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of compromised computers. A script kiddie can send a command to a botnet to run background tasks while innocent users go about their business, completely unaware that their computers are being used. With such power, script kiddies can bring down large commercial websites by launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. A website is bombarded with repetitive requests from compromised computers in a botnet until the server becomes overloaded and crashes.
While cyber vandalism and DDoS attacks might sound fun to bored teenagers, these acts are criminal and can land a script kiddie in jail. Canadian teenager Mike Calce caused US$1.7 million in damages in February 2000 when the then 15-year-old launched DDoS attacks on CNN, eBay, Dell, Inc., E*TRADE, Yahoo! and Amazon. The Federal Bureau of Investigation followed up with router logs that eventually pointed to the teenager’s Internet service provider, based in Montreal, Canada. Canadian police placed a wiretap on the suspect’s phone and after two months of surveillance made an arrest. Calce eventually pleaded guilty to 15 counts and was sentenced to eight months in a detention center, received a year’s probation, and was ordered to pay a fine.
Unfortunately, script kiddies aren’t the only ones subject to arrest. Their illegal activities will be traced to the compromised computers, involving innocent owners. This can potentially result in an unannounced knock on the door from the authorities and legal seizure of the computer, not to mention arrest (no matter how brief). In one reported case a man was taken into custody when child pornography was found on his computer, only to be released when it was discovered that the files had been uploaded there without his knowledge by a remote operator.
Legal issues, fraud and identity theft threats aside, at the very least having your computer compromised by script kiddies can mean having to reformat your drive and rebuild your system. With the average computer boasting a storage space of a hundred gigabytes or more, that’s no mean feat. If your system isn’t backed up, rebuilding from scratch can take days, weeks, or even months, and can even mean the loss of important data. Compromised networks have even worse.
Because teenagers lack maturity, many co-stars fail to realize the often grave implications of their actions. Protecting yourself from rootkits and keeping your security software up to date will reduce your risk of being targeted by script kiddies.
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