So you think you can hack?
Some 700 hackers looking to show off their talents have piled into an upstart Web site called RankMyHack.com in the last month. Emerging from the shadowy underground, they have submitted evidence of more than 1,200 Web site hacks, eager to have their feats measured against those of their peers.
The site was created by a hacker nicknamed Solar to bring a little accountability to the online forums and chat rooms where hackers gather to learn tricks of the trade, buy and sell contraband and form alliances. There, eBay-style ratings systems meant to establish reputations are routinely abused, morality tends to be fluid and anonymous young people often talk big while carrying a small stick.
RankMyHack offers a way to separate the skilled from the so-called script kiddies by verifying hacks using codes that participants must plant somewhere on sites they have compromised. As in a video game, RankMyHack awards points, which are based on the popularity of the hacked site and the technical difficulty of the hack. Total scores determine hackers’ ranks on the “leader board of legends.” Players can even challenge one another to duels.
“So have you got what it takes to be the best?” Solar taunts on the site’s home page, which has a distinctively retro design.
Participants can also win “bo
Some 700 hackers looking to show off their talents have piled into an upstart Web site called RankMyHack.com in the last month. Emerging from the shadowy underground, they have submitted evidence of more than 1,200 Web site hacks, eager to have their feats measured against those of their peers.
The site was created by a hacker nicknamed Solar to bring a little accountability to the online forums and chat rooms where hackers gather to learn tricks of the trade, buy and sell contraband and form alliances. There, eBay-style ratings systems meant to establish reputations are routinely abused, morality tends to be fluid and anonymous young people often talk big while carrying a small stick.
RankMyHack offers a way to separate the skilled from the so-called script kiddies by verifying hacks using codes that participants must plant somewhere on sites they have compromised. As in a video game, RankMyHack awards points, which are based on the popularity of the hacked site and the technical difficulty of the hack. Total scores determine hackers’ ranks on the “leader board of legends.” Players can even challenge one another to duels.
“So have you got what it takes to be the best?” Solar taunts on the site’s home page, which has a distinctively retro design.
Participants can also win “bo
