What should I do about 11 yr old Hacker In the making???

Question

My friends son is 11 and he likes to call himself a "Hacker". So far all that I'm aware of him having done is going into an online kids game and changing the price of some items to "0" , then he "Buys" them, then changes the price back to the original amt. He likes to tell his little buddies that he will use his "hacking programs" to erase their Hi Scores on their online games as well.
Should I be concerned? At what point is this considered actually Hacking and what should I do about it, if anything?

Answer 1

If he is changing prices - then he has already commited an illegal act and I would seriously talk to your friend about the son and have him get some help. You could try threatning certain punishments, but I think he may need to get some psychological help, if he does not accept that it is wrong to do that.

On the flip side, if he is that talented you may want to consider having him be exposed to more advanced computing so that he can put his skills to good use. If he could find something else to focus on he may not be as interested in the hacking.

At this age he might be a budding computer genius.

Answer 2

"So far all that I'm aware of him having done is going into an online kids game and changing the price of some items to "0" , then he "Buys" them, then changes the price back to the original amt."

Yeah, that's "hacking" in some sense. But I doubt it's through any ingenuity on his part. Either all he did was memory hack or used some free program that memory hacked or intercepted program communication. Either way, it's pathetically basic.

"He likes to tell his little buddies that he will use his "hacking programs" to erase their Hi Scores on their online games as well.
Should I be concerned?"

No. Here's a good rule of thumb about hackers: more bark means less bite. If he's running boasting about his "hacking" abilities, it's a bet he knows nothing.

"At what point is this considered actually Hacking and what should I do about it, if anything?"

I suppose technically it is hacking, but anyone with a bit of knowledge or access to Google (i.e. anyone) can do it. It's like going into a group of Math Ph.D.s and yelling "I can do arithmetic". It looks extremely silly. And everyone is going to look at you funny and make jokes about you.

Serious hackers have to be technically advanced. It requires foremost solid problem solving skills. You need to be able to analyze a situation, find out weaknesses, then find out ways to exploit them, etc. All hackers know at least one programming language, solid levels of knowledge on how a computer works, and expertise on various areas of computers like networking protocols. Many hackers who break apart security systems also need strong knowledge of cryptography and security systems. Have you actually looked at a crypto book? It's not light reading. You could land yourself a good job with such a solid skillset.

Anyway, maybe your friend's son would be interested in programming, computer systems, cryptography, etc.

Answer 3

Can this behavior escalate well sure, but you have to be one step ahead of him. What your son is doing, is using a program that he got from another source which may technically change values as it is advertised. The problem here, is a lot of those programs that were written by script kiddies, have secondary functions that may be allowing full functionality into your computer. I have seen many cases where booter programs are advertised and chidren are attracted to them, then tell there friends. Only to not realize that the program itself is "Malware" Malicious software that goes undetected and is serving a second person for the true hacker or script kiddie that wrote the software in the first place.

The important thing to remember is kids are not stupid, make sure you have evidence of him doing this activity. Perhaps a keylogger would be in order to show him you mean business. If you bought a reasonable one for 30 bucks, you could monitor all keystrokes, website activity, and even take screen shots to depict his actions and have them emailed to a private email account for your viewing pleasure.

If thinks this is ok or just a phase realize that webmasters can monitor all activity on websites, including online games. He could technically be held accountable and charges could be filed against him depending on your local jurisdiction and laws.

I hope this helps you in contaning the trouble that will only escalate if ignored.

V/R,
A concerned Network Security Engineer

Answer 4

Cheating in a game is not hacking. Do not worry. Your son is not Kevin Mitnick. It is doubtful your son will ever reach that level of trouble.

His tendencies toward "hacking" may be an example of his disrespect for the rules. I wouldn't call it hacking, as a hacker typically refers to someone who illegally accesses other computers or networks to disrupt normal activity. There are laws against this, but not against using a "cheat code" in a game. I would be more concerned with whether or not he is attempting to flout rules or simply exploring his boundaries. Since he is 11, my guess is the latter.

If he really does like computers, and has a healthy respect for other peoples' property, he might be interested in the field of information technology. Starting wages in the IT sector can range anywhere for $70k+ per year starting, after Microsoft Professional Certification. It's a very good job, if he is interested. If he is just playing games, I wouldn't sweat it too much.

Answer 5

Most of the people that responded know nothing about "hacking"; time to fix that. Hacking is the exploration of the capabilities of technology, but is not limited to technology. Hackers do not perform their acts of discovery with malicious intent. To avoid alienating your son, you need to encourage his pursuit of learning while also striving to instill in him strong morals in everything he does. Don't concentrate on his curiosity as a problem, or even "the problem"... Show him that you would love for him to learn, but find a peaceful and relaxed way to teach him responsibility. Ask him what kind of computer books he would be interested in, get him his own computer if he doesn't already have one, and ask him what he enjoys doing on the computer. Most likely, it's not just that online game... build off of the other interests and try to find things that will test his creativity without causing you any concern. The key thing here is to still be a positive parent. Don't let others convince you that learning is a crime; just remember that you can influence how he uses his knowledge, and also remember that age brings wisdom and clarity.

Answer 6

He changed the price of an official market item. That is a criminal offence. There are two kinds of hackers. The average hacker is used in software companies and corporations for security purposes. He/she is made to try and hack into the company's systems. If he/she is successful, the company finds out how he/she did it and closes that gap which is vulnerable to hacking. Criminal hackers, more commonly called 'crackers' are dangerous crooks. They access all systems and control them, causing malfunction and chaos. Changing online prices is one of them. It is the case of a cracker hacking into a games company's system and lowering the price to cause losses for the company. I'm sure the boy didn't have anything against the company, but losses are suffered nonetheless. Tell him to stop this. If he doesn't, make sure he becomes a good hacker who works to improve security.

Answer 7

Yes you should be concerned...things he is doing can get him into a big problem.

By the way, the stuffs he been doing on line is not called HACKING...its cracking...Hackers doesn't sabotage other system or network instead they help people in need...they provide security for other people...So he is cracker not hacker...its a simple misunderstanding...Google for the hacker term and u will get the right definition...

Try to talk to him about the consequences he might face if keeps on cracking other sites...Right now he is just messing with price list and high scores...who knows what he will do next. Tell him that his expertise will come handy in future...focus on studies...try to find exploits/holes in any security system and then fix it...he could earn pretty good money from this. And one last thing...tell him not to brag about his online activities in front of his friends.

Answer 8

There are better ways to use and improve ones knowledge and computer skills. It is un necessary to get into trouble. You could take help of the computer teachers in his school to give him some computer related assignments to work on. Online theft is no different than ordinary physical theft. You can simply consider it as stealing and then see if you should be concerned or not. It may not get detected in some cases immediately but it does not mean that it goes unnoticed for a long time.

Answer 9

a superb and in contact confirm of an 11 year previous woman would set up particular regulations (as an party, no need of telephone after 9 p.m., no disrespectful habit and backtalking with father and mom, doing chores) and make it very sparkling to the lady that she will be punished if she would not obey those regulations. Punishment will be something from eliminating her telephone to spanking her bottom (at 11, she is actual not too previous for that). Consistency in imposing those regulations is the foremost to fulfillment. As a buddy, regardless of the indisputable fact that, you won't be able to rigidity the lady's mom to do what's critical for Racy's sake. yet you may attempt to envision which includes her, tell her that you difficulty and what you would do. regardless of if she would not hear a minimum of you've done what you would possibly want to.

Answer 10

Well, he seems like he has a hacker mentality... Well thats considered hacking but its considered cheating as well. If that kid can do that, hes pretty good. You should steer that kid from trying to do things that can potentially get him into trouble. Just watch for what that kid does, otherwise, its fine