iCMG in the News

TOM CERVENKA - A Gentleman and a white hat hacker

Times of India, 21 Sep, 2000

He has taken a fad to break the firewalls right from his college days. A strange hobby which grew with him in time and space. when the world recognized his skills, Netizens gave him another name - Blue Adept. For ethical white-hat hacker Tom Cervenka, hacking is no joke, it's serious business. A Net security expert with the US-based Internet Component Management Group (iCMG), Cervenka is now all set to take up the casue of ethical hackers all over the world. Blue Adpet went to several cities in India recently to conduct workshops on 'Hacking portals and websites - prevention and damage control.

Anantha Krishnana M spoke to Tom Cervenka on various aspects of hacking.

Q: How did you get into the business of hacking?
When I was 15, my best companion was my PC. Gradually, I was exicted with the computing world. In college, I could lay hands on the system and I found the thing with holes and holes. Then the race began among my friends who would crack it first... and the game continued.

Q: Which was the first site you hacked and what was the response?
Well, my first prey was Hotmail. It was a relatively easy job for me. I didn't get response from them. Then the news spread and I was noticed. I hacked the site one week after Microsoft took over Hotmail. Though my operation wasn't planned, it served its purpose.

Q: Which was the most difficult site you hacked?
Mmmmmm.okay, ZKey. It was the world's first WAP (Wireless application Protocol) exploit. I used my mobile phone and a bit of Java script. It was fun.Q: Where do you draw a parallel between white-hat hackers and black-hat hacker?The white ones find a security hole and inform the software company. The company in turn fixes the problem and pugrades the system. The black group does all the handiwork to degrade the system.

Q: Do ethical hackers get any protection under US cyber laws?
Right now, no. That's the problem. In any country unauthorized entry into a website is a crime. So only bad things can happen to a hacker now.

Q: What steps should websites adopt to ensure that their sites are secure?
Okay, let them employ a white-hat hacker (laughs). Then upgrade the system regularly. What is the future of a goody goody hacker?

Today, things aren't so good for them because the companies don't respond to the challenge thrown to them. In future, I feel there should be an independent body to verify the authenticity of ethical hackers. If that's done, everything will be safe.

Q: What's your impression about India's software industry?
I am impressed with whatever technologies you have. In the West, the Indian know-how on Information Technology is equated among the best in the world. Your software guys have a god reputation outside. I have learnt that all youngsters in India have IT in their blood. apart from hacking, what are you other interests?I teach, do programming and rea books on computers. I can be a good bet when it comes to billiards.

Q: Finally, where will this Internet revolution take us to in the next 10 years?
Interesting......My guess is as good as yours.