Trust me, it’s a really tame subject.
A primer
In the computer security world, there are people who push through their limits to learn how to break computer systems and how to mitigate such attempted attacks. On the other side of the world, there are people running amok with scissors in their hands.
Those little devils are known as script kiddies. Script kiddies, skiddie, or skid are wannabe hackers who use tools created by authentic hackers to make a mess on websites. The term script refers a tool program that controls other programs, while the term kiddie refers to the perpetrator usually being of the youth.
The crucial differences
Of course, just as anyone can be a hacker, anyone can be a script kiddie. What’s the difference?
Attitude! It all lies in the attitude which determines whether a person is a hacker or a script kiddie.
Now that I identified the difference, the rest should be self-explanatory, but I will explain nonetheless to make sure we are on the same track.
A script kiddie is immature. He is not willing to learn how the tools of the trade work, and is not interested in digging deep on how computers work. He rather use a script to get what he wants, whenever he wants, with no iota of thought about the consequences. (The laws against unauthorized computer breaching are scary.) A script kiddie is also not above of making a public nuisance of himself, thinking that hacking will earn him a modicum of praise.
A hacker is mature. He is willing to learn how the tools of the trade work, and is immensely interesting in digging deep on how computers work. He can makes his own tools, some better than what’s usually available. And above all, he will never give up, no matter how tough a problem is. Of course, he can call upon others to aid him.
The danger
Having an immature person using tools that can bring down computer systems is certainly a recipe for disaster. In this present day, present time, computers are now integral in our lives.
“Oh no, I can’t make transfers with my bank online!” Yeah, probably some skiddie took the bank servers down and you most likely lost money because of that. Now multiply that by around 100,000. That’s 100,000+ bank customers unable to mingle with their funds, thus causing massive revenue losses.
This is just one example. The rest you can figure out by imagination.
The solution
The solution I posit is that of education. We have to educate the youth on how computer security works, making it as digestible as possible, in order to reduce the number of skiddies. Of course, that’s one simple solution I can come up. There might be better solutions to the script kiddie problem. Until then!
HACK TO THE FUTURE!!
