Survey - Please help

Derek Austin derek at gucis.oz
Sun Mar 20 16:11:11 AEST 1988


Please help the authors of the following survey by answering the
questions using your favourite text editor and then mailing the 
results back to them at the address given below.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


			=========================
                            SURVEY ON HACKING
			=========================


				   by

                               P.R. Morrison
Computing and Information Studies, Griffith University, Nathan, 4111, Australia)

        ACSnet:		pm at gucis.oz	
        ARPA:		pm%gucis.oz at seismo.css.gov
        CSNET:		pm at gucis.oz	
        JANET:		gucis.oz!pm at ukc	
	UUCP:		{seismo,hplabs,mcvax,ukc,nttlab}!munnari!gucis.oz!pm

                                   and

                                 C. Sauer
(Computer Science Department, University of W.A., Perth, Australia)


                                  AIMS
This survey is intended to discover different conceptualizations
of what hacking is, what motivations exist for these different
conceptualizations of hacking and what are the characteristics
of those who would class themselves (and others) as hackers under
such conceptualizations.

                               ASSURANCES
Please note that we are Australian academics (yes...such things
do exist) and have no affiliation with any intelligence or law
enforcement agency.

Complete anonymity of responses is assured. We are interested in
responses...not names. Indeed, if you wish to use conventional 
mail to send your responses (to the first author) or any other 
method to disentangle names and responses, then we would welcome it.

We undertake to provide the results of the survey using the same
channels we used to distribute it.

                        HOW TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY
Edit this file and add your responses to it as indicated.

Clearly, any item of the survey that is too sensitive should be
left.

When you have finished, send the finished survey to us using  
your favourite mailer. Our address for completed surveys is:

        ACSnet:		pm at gucis.oz	
        ARPA:		pm%gucis.oz at seismo.css.gov
        CSNET:		pm at gucis.oz	
        JANET:		gucis.oz!pm at ukc	
	UUCP:		{seismo,hplabs,mcvax,ukc,nttlab}!munnari!gucis.oz!pm



Please feel free to send this file to others whom you think might 
be prepared to complete the survey and return it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.  Demographic Data
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

a.  What is your age?

b.  What is your sex? [m/f]

c.  What is your nationality?

d.  What is your country of residence/work?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.  Occupation
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

a.  What is your current occupation?

b.  What type of organization do you work for?
    (e.g., Education, Public Sector)

c.  In what department do you work?

d.  How long have you been at your current post?

e.  What is your current salary?

f.  On a scale of 1-7 indicate how much/little you enjoy
    your current occupation (bracket the appropriate no.)

             1    2    3    4    5    6    7
          Dislike                         Like
         very much                      very much

g.  If you have engaged in a substantially different
    occupation previously, what was it?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.  Computing Experience
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

a.  For how long have you been using computers?

b.  For what sorts of purposes have you used them?

c.  How proficient do you feel with

        (1) (large) mainframes

                 1    2    3    4    5    6    7
           Not at all                       Completely


        (2)  minicomputers

                 1    2    3    4    5    6    7
           Not at all                       Completely


        (3)  microcomputers

                 1    2    3    4    5    6    7
           Not at all                       Completely


d.  Which machine/s (manufacturer & model or series) have you used most?
    (Give no more than three)

e.  What is your preferred environment/operating system? Please explain.
    [We acknowledge that this could be task dependent, but
    we ask for just a general preference.]


f.  What is your preferred programming language.
    [Again, we realize this is dependent upon task and experience.]


g.  Which programming language do you use most often?

h.  Which networks do you use regularly?

i.  How satisfactory do you find interacting with computers?

                 1    2    3    4    5    6    7
           Not at all                        Very

j.  What do you find most pleasurable about computing?

k.  What do you find most frustrating about computing?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Educational background
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

a.  What is your highest level of educational achievement?

b.  Did you use computers at secondary school? [y/n]

c.  Did you study computing at secondary school? [y/n]

d.  Have you studied/are you studying computing in any
    form at tertiary level (college or university)? [y/n]

    If so, for how many equivalent full-time years?

e.  Indicate which areas of computing or computer science
    you have studied in formal courses at school, college,
    or in commercial industrial courses.

f.  What aspects of computing studied did you enjoy most?
    Please give a score from 1-7 for each of the following
    unless clearly inappropriate.
    (0 = not applicable, 1 = enjoyable, 7 = not enjoyable)

        Learning programming languages
        Learning programming methodology
        Using programming skills for myself
        Using programming skills in assessment situations
        Using data communications
        Experimenting
        Learning about computer science/Information systems
        Systems analysis and design
        Joint/group projects
        Social/ethical aspects of computing
        Operating systems
        Problem solving
        Hardware details


g.  How long each week do you estimate you spend at a terminal, actually 
    interacting (as distinct from leaving it in the office switched on all 
    the time).  Estimate in hours.

h.  Are you involved in a network community?  [y/n]

    If so, what contributions do you make. (E.g., do you circulate/pass on
    programs or tools, provide text for bulletin boards, act as a discussant,
    support common network facilities, communicate with colleagues, OR are
    you merely a passive observer?)




-------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. DEFINITIONS 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

a.  Provide your definition of hacking.

b.  Under this definition, would you class yourself as a hacker?  [y/n]

c.  If no, how would you characterise yourself?
    (e.g., casual user, programmer etc.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

6.  Motivations
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

There appear to be mixed views as to what hacking is, and who can
legitimately  be  called  hackers.   We do not wish to enter into
details here but broadly speaking, there seems to be a pejorative
sense  of  hacking  which pertains to malicious behaviour such as
system  break-ins,  system  crashing   and   vandalism,   and   a
nonpejorative  sense  which  pertains to expertise in program or
system fine-tuning and exploratory, creative programming.

a.  Which of the following would come closest to your *primary* view of 
    the motivation of hacking in its *pejorative* sense? [Select One by
    placing an 'x' next to it]

        Ethical ignorance on the part of the hacker
        Anti-social motives of the hacker
        Personal gain for the hacker
        Corruption of the hacker
        Ease of perpetration of the act
        Vengeance against something (Company?) or someone (Boss?)
        "Higher" motives (e.g., political/religious beliefs)
        The potential magnitude of the monetary reward
        A fantasy or game attitude on the part of the hacker
        Simply an application of computers to customary criminal behaviour

        Detail any motivation not listed here that you would prefer to endorse

b.  Which of the following would come closest to your
    primary view of the motivations for hacking in its nonpejorative sense? 
    [Select One]

        Programming provides absolute control of a machine

        Exactness and logicality of programming is attractive

        "Community" of the system/network is rewarding

        Computers provide hackers with a social substitute for people

        Hacker subculture reinforces and motivates hacker behaviour

        Hacking can create new environments or different
        computer-based "micro-worlds" which engross the hacker

        Hacking involves exploration, learning and challenge

        Detail any motivation not listed here that you would prefer to endorse




-------------------------------------------------------------------------

7.  Frequency of Hacking in its Pejorative Sense
    [Optional]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In this section, we are interested in  any  experiences  you  may
have  had  of hacking (in the pejorative sense).  Please  do not
answer with respect to circumstances you have merely  read  about
in  newspapers,  but  second-hand  experiences  repeated  on  the
network are of interest.  Please  also  note  that  we  are  only
interested   in   assessing  the  incidence  of  hacking  in  its
pejorative sense.  We are not  interested  in  case  details  or
individuals.


a.  Do you know somebody who has broken into someone else's files?  [y/n]

b.  Do you know anybody who has ever attempted to change
    the contents of somebody else's files?  [y/n]

    How many people?

    How many instances?

c.  Have you followed any of the debates about hackers
    and hacking over the last two years?  [y/n]

    If so, which ones?   Please give brief comments.

d.  Do you use hacker jargon yourself?  [y/n]

    Do you understand hacker jargon?

                 1    2    3    4    5    6    7
               Never                         Often

e.  Provide a list of behaviours that you think
    characterise hacking in its pejorative sense.
    (There may be multiple pejorative senses.)




f.  Provide a list of behaviours that you think
    characterize hacking in the non-pejorative sense.
    (There may be multiple non-pejorative senses.)




g.  Have you ever deliberately broken into anybody else's
    protected files (program, data, or text files)?  [y/n]

h.  If not, have you even thought of doing so?  [y/n]

i.  Have you ever tried and failed to break in?  [y/n]

j.  Have you ever attempted to make changes to somebody else's file?  [y/n]

    If yes, please give a brief description.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

8.  Test Cases
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

a.  For each of these software items do you think it is wrong for *you* to...
    Respond [y/n]

                                   $50     $500            $1000
                                   Game    Word Processing  Accounting
                                           Package          Package
Accept a suspected bootleg copy
Accept a known bootleg copy
Ask someone else to make a copy
Copy it for yourself
Copy it for others (free)
Tell others how to copy it
Sell copies to others

b.  For each of the following systems do you think it is wrong for *you* to...
    Respond [y/n]

                            Defence        Bank      Medical 
                        Sub-Contractor's  Records    Records
                            System        System     System
Search for and find
(on a Bulletin-Board
system, for instance)
a dial-up number

Call the system and
get a system prompt

Attempt to satisfy the
prompt by trying a 
password

Successfully log into 
the system

Look around the file
structure (without
reading file contents
or executing any programs)
                            Defence        Bank      Medical 
                        Sub-Contractor's  Records    Records
                            System        System     System

Read some text files

Run a program

Alter some text by
"prettying" it up

Alter some text by
corrupting parts of
it

Alter a user's program
to improve it

Alter a user's program
to prevent it running

Alter a system program 
to improve it
                            Defence        Bank      Medical 
                        Sub-Contractor's  Records    Records
                            System        System     System

Alter a system program to
prevent it running

Acquire a super-user's or
system administrator's 
password

Bring the system down
(temporarily)

Erase the system's entire
file structure

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

9.  Survey Details
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

a.  How long did it take you to complete this survey?

b.  Did you complete it in one editing session?

c.  If not, how many sessions did it take?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The End.
Thank you for your time!

Please send your completed survey to:

        ACSnet:		pm at gucis.oz	
        ARPA:		pm%gucis.oz at seismo.css.gov
        CSNET:		pm at gucis.oz	
        JANET:		gucis.oz!pm at ukc	
	UUCP:		{seismo,hplabs,mcvax,ukc,nttlab}!munnari!gucis.oz!pm



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