May 01, 2000 New Thinking:
Little brothers
Subject Classification
Reader Feedback
Subscribing
Unsubscribing
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
Books by
Gerry McGovern
Content Critical
Gaining competitive advantage through high-quality web content
The Web
Content
Style Guide
The essential guide
for online writers, editors and managers
May 01, 2000
Little brothers
By Gerry McGovern
‘Mafiaboy’ is fifteen years old. He wears baggy pants and a baseball cap that is back-to-front. Experts and those who know him don’t believe that he is a computer ‘genius’. Rather, they describe him as having a ‘knack’ for computers.
"He's just typical," said Joel de la Garza, a computer-security expert who helped track him on the chat-rooms. "He wasn't really technically competent at all.” According to Inspector Yves Roussel of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who was responsible for arresting Mafiaboy, “It is our evaluation that Mafiaboy was not that good, actually. He had a good knowledge of computers; however, he was not what we could call a genius in that field.”
Mafiaboy may have been no genius but his ‘knack’, it is claimed, brought down CNN.com in February of this year, and may have been responsible for other attacks that crippled some of the largest websites around that time.
As basic as his skill was it was still extremely difficult to track Mafiaboy. Had it not been for the fact that he couldn’t help boasting about his exploits, he might still be at large.
It is a strange thing, surely, that the edifice of our future should be built on so much sand. When a fifteen-year-old not very talented boy can cripple some of the largest organizations in the world, something is surely up.
I was struck recently by comments by George Colony, founder of Forrester Research. He had very little respect for the young, brash leaders of the dot-com revolution, seeing them as essentially shallow, inexperienced and IPO-obsessed.
Speed, change, youth and all that jazz have become the new religion. However, as Neil Young once sang, “That which keeps you young can kill you in the end.” In the utter rush to build the future, age-old fundamentals of good planning, solid execution and experienced management have often been contemptuously dismissed.
The Internet revolution is a lasting one. However, there are some structural issues, particularly relating to security, privacy and information overload, that will slow its pace considerably over the coming years.
Too much has been built too quickly. Too many have been fooled into thinking that the Internet is truly exceptional. Those who shout so harshly about the Internet changing all the rules, about how the Internet is ungovernable, are the best advocates a backlash can hope for.
From a security point of view, the Internet is fragile indeed when teenagers can spray their digital graffiti across a world stage. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," according to Ozancin, a security expert. "We will soon see these attacks in the hands of guys with agendas -- the Unabomber of the Internet, the disgruntled employee."
It truly worries me that the power to do major damage is becoming common knowledge. The dangerous weapons of the future will not be our guns and bombs but rather our computers. The dark side of the network society is not just that Big Brother can pry. Thousands of little brothers, some with grudges, some with too much time and too much testosterone, may make the network just like real life.
Only this time, Little Brother carries a Big Brother punch.
Gerry McGovern
Next issue: 13
things to know about broadband
Previous issue: Suburban, sub-rural, sub-city
New Thinking homepage
New Thinking Newsletter
Subscribe to this free weekly newsletter covering the role and function of content on the Web.
More info | Privacy policy
Read the current issue
Content management seminar feedback
"Gerry's presentation was very well received by the more than 400 higher education delegates. I've chaired this meeting since 1994 and very few speakers have generated the same level of enthusiasm. Wit and wisdom is always an unbeatable combination."
Bob Johnson, American Marketing Association
“Excellent presenter ... thought-provoking and relevant. I hope we can persuade him to visit us again one day.”
Malcolm Davison
The British Association of Communicators in Business
"Hearing Gerry McGovern speaking, one can feel that he truly masters the subject of content management. He was voted ‘best speaker of the conference’ by delegates."
Toon Lowette
European Association of Directory Publishers
Find out more about Gerry McGovern's seminars
The dangerous weapons of the future will not be our guns and bombs but rather our computers.
Home - >What's New - About - Solutions - Clients - >Publications - Contact - Search
Tel: +353 87 238 6136
Email: info@gerrymcgovern.com
Privacy Policy
Copyright © Gerry McGovern. All rights reserved.