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There were tons and tons of comments posted in the BBS under "There's a Better
Way to Hack." People told of how they were hacked because they gave out their
password and how hacking was bad... but really do they even know what hacking
really is?
Hacking, according to http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/compsecurity/glossary.html,
is as follows:
Unauthorized use, attempts to circumvent or bypass the security mechanisms of
an information system or network.
So, if someone gets
around the security mechanisms of Whyville and into your account, they have hacked
you.
What does that mean? None of us have actually been hacked and, according to the Times Editor, it is
certain that the City Workers have no documented case of any hacking in our
town.
So if I wasn't hacked, something must have happened, right? you ask. And
something did. You were scammed,
and scamming is a totally different thing.
Scamming is, according to http://www.offshore.ca/Personal/p_glossary.html,
as follows:
A scheme designed to defraud an individual or corporation. The agents typically
promise a large return with little or no risk involved.
In simpler terms, scamming happens when someone tells you, "You can be part of
Whyville City Council if you give me your name, e-mail address etc...."
When you
give them your information and of course you don't become part of some fictional
City Council (there's no such thing!), you have been
scammed.
So, if you are gullible enough to give out your password or personal information
or take a "free" account from someone, you
are being scammed and not hacked. Scamming can stop, though. All you have to do is not
give out your password and don't fall for schemes. Read the Times to keep
updated on the latest scams, and send in articles about the ones you learn about
but haven't seen in the paper!
This is dancer153 saying again, Be Safe!
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