The icon indicates that the link it is associated with may have questionable information located at that site. You may object, and consider Destiny Online to be part of the problem, but there is an important reason that this information is here.

The reason that I include links of this sort is that I believe information is the root of security. I do not promote hacking, cracking, phreaking, warez, or any other type of illegal activities, but if those activities are ignored, they will remain out of the limelight and grow until they cannot be controlled any longer. I know plenty of people that do not understand what exactly a hacker can do -- they believe that a received e-mail can give someone unauthorized access to everything on your computer, or that unknown parties spend all day trying to get at your personal information on your computer at home via the world wide web. Some of it is true, most of it is not. The longer that myths and assumptions are created around these activities, the harder it will be to combat the problem at hand. The US Government does not combat terrorism by ignoring it and preventing it from being seen by the public; instead, the bull is taken by the horns and is combated directly. The internet may have a certain degree of government jurisdiction, but there is no ruling body and everyone is responsible for themselves. The only way to responsibly take care of the issue of hacking is to take a look at the problem itself.

The links that are shown in my site are picked for their relavance and information included. Some are little more than the basic vanity site, others are full-blown archives on hacking information. I do not list sites of wannabee hackers, or sites that are downright incorrect or invalid (the exception is in the personal webpage area). The Cult of the Dead Cow and L0pht are both reputable and (to use slang) elite hacker groups, who are looked up to by hackers and looked down upon by the computer industry, but both are the focal point of hacking at this time. If you do not know what can and cannot be done by people using modern technology, then these are the places to find out. The Cult of the Dead Cow has created software that will let unknown parties manipulate your computer from afar without your authorization and knowledge, but by sitting and fearing the results will not gain you anything. By sitting down and reading the facts, you become a more savvy computer user and a much more safe computer owner.

Of course, there are people that will take the side of the hackers, maybe even after visiting links found on my pages. I found these links through search engines, trade magazines, on the news, and in newspapers. The information is not hard to find -- the famous DefCon hacker convention ended recently, and the activities at the convention made front page of Network World, a popular net administrator trade magazine. Everyone is learning to stand up and acknowledge that hackers have something that needs to be watched, and I will be a part of that system.