Kiddie Hackers China Kiddie Hackers China Funny
By Zhang Xinyuan Source:Global Times Published: 2014-11-2 18:38:01
China's young programmers are teaching Internet security experts new tricks
Budding young hackers Zhao Pinhan (left), Yan Jun (middle), and Xiao Yuanan. Photo: Li Hao/GT
Exploiting a security weakness in one of China's major telecommunications networks, 14-year-old Xiao Yuanan spammed his friend's cell phone with more than 10,000 messages in less than five minutes, causing the phone to shut down.
"It was just a prank, but it shows what I can do," boasted Xiao, a student at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China.
Xiao is among a number of precocious young Chinese hackers that have attracted media attention in recent months for their mischievous feats. At this year's China Internet Security Conference in September, Internet security company Qihoo360 revealed that around 200 hackers under the age of 18 had participated in an open initiative run by the company to identify security weaknesses in websites.
The same month, the Beijing Times ran a feature about 13-year-old Wang Zhengyang, a student at the High School Attached to Tsinghua University, who they described as "China's youngest hacker." Wang managed to bamboozle the security system of a major Internet retailer, changing the price of one of their products from 2,500 yuan ($409) to just 0.01 yuan.
"These children are very creative," said Lin Wei, deputy director of Qihoo360's network security attack and defense lab. "Their way of thinking about problems is more flexible than adult learners, so they can sometimes find security loopholes that others cannot. Young hackers are a force to be reckoned with."
Hacking for fun Although hacking has frequently been portrayed as a sordid criminal activity, China's young hackers - at least those that have come to the media's attention - harbor no malicious intentions beyond causing common mischief.
Xiao started teaching himself how to hack out of curiosity about how computers worked - and the desire to keep himself amused during a computer class at school.
"My first hacking experience was when I was 8 years old," he said. "Back then, the computers we used had a shared folder that only the teachers could access using a password. I heard that there were movies in there, so I did an Internet search about how to crack passwords. Eventually, I managed to crack it, and after that, I was able to watch movies during computer class."
Xiao quickly bored of the movies he found in the folder, but found himself increasingly fascinated by the world of computer programming.
In addition to pulling pranks on his friends and hacking into other people's computers in order to watch movies or play video games, Xiao has used his hacking skills in order to supplement his academic studies.
"I found an online English-Chinese dictionary that was really good, but the operating speed of the dictionary was really slow because of a lagging server," said Xiao. "So I hacked into the system, downloaded the entire vocabulary library, and made a dictionary of my own that can run at high speed."
China's young hackers who have come to prominence are more interested in showing off their skills than causing any real harm. Photo: Li Hao/GT
Bolstering defenses
Some young hackers have been inspired to learn their trade specifically in order to bolster the defenses of computer networks and websites against malignant threats.
Zhao Pinhan, a 13-year-old second-year student at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, has used his skills to help websites identify potential threats and develop ways to counter malicious activity.
In July, travel website Ctrip invited computer programmers to submit malicious code to an authorized third party website in order to identify weaknesses in its security. Hackers would be given monetary rewards for finding deficiencies in Ctrip's defences.
"I submitted over 30 bugs to Ctrip, some of which would allow users to potentially steal bank account information from Ctrip's clients," said Zhao.
Zhao became interested in hacking after he found himself the victim of a virus attack when he was younger.
"I started to surf the Internet when I was 5 years old, and my computer broke down several times due to viruses," he said. "I became fascinated by what viruses could do."
Initially, Zhao's parents were opposed to him spending too much time on the computer. But after efforts to dissuade him from his hobby proved fruitless, they finally relented, and allowed him to enroll into a private class for computer programming.
"Technology knows no age differences," said Zhao. "It's good to know that I can do what adults could do."
Zhao Pinhan, Xiao Yuanan and Yan Jun in the computer labs at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China. Photo: Li Hao/GT
Resisting temptation
Although the child hackers who have come to public attention may not have any harmful intentions, their accomplishments have not gone unnoticed by criminal elements who have sought to exploit their talents for nefarious ends.
Last year, Yan Jun, a 17-year-old senior at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, discovered a weakness in the website of Xueersi, a large private tutoring institution with branches all around the country.
The weakness Yan discovered could have resulted in the personal information of thousands of students being stolen.
Yan submitted the flaw to WooYun.org, a public third-party platform in which hackers can bring security problems to the attention of website owners.
"Right after I posted the code, someone contacted me asking me if I wanted to sell the information," Yan said. "I turned him down immediately, before he could make me an offer."
Yan commented wryly that he was quite certain it would have been more than the 200 yuan he was given as a token reward from the website. Nevertheless, he has no regrets.
"Selling such information for money is illegal - and it's against the basic ethics of a hacker," he said. "Besides, I wasn't doing it for the money. I just wanted to practice my skills, and to gain a sense of satisfaction through hacking."
Yan said he has his eyes set doing a computer-related major at Tsinghua University after graduating.
Doing the right thing
According to statistics released by Qihoo360, there were 4 million attempted cyber attacks in Chinese mainland last year. However, around 90 percent of the attacks, said Lin, were not aimed at illegally procuring information, but carried out by hackers who were keen to challenge themselves.
While China's child hackers appear to fall into this latter category, there are some who are concerned that if exposed to the wrong sorts of influences, they could utilize their skills for harm.
Xiong Bingqi, an education expert and vice president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute in Shanghai, said that parents and teachers should encourage children to explore their interests, but that Internet is a very sensitive area. He said that it was important that young hackers had proper guidance from adults about what was and wasn't permissible.
Under Chinese law, those who manipulate or steal information from a computer network without consent can be sentenced to up to seven years in prison.
"Parents and the teachers need to find a way to encourage their curiosity, while continuing to protect them from getting hurt," said Xiong.
Xiong said that children who were interested in hacking should be guided by their caregivers towards exploring their interests through authorized websites like WooYun, which are aimed at helping improve Internet security.
"[In this way], children can find a positive outlet for their energies," said Xiong.
Source: https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/889576.shtml
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