Axent Swats up

Axent Technologies is improving its security products by encouraging its staff to become part of the hacker community.

Axent's hacker-buster Swat team wear ear-rings, dress in black, grow beards and don't bathe, in order to fit in with hackers, happy to brag of their exploits and share information.

"We build up a knowledge base of what the hacking community has been doing, so we can respond as fast as possible," explained Drew Williams, co-founder of Axent's Swat team.

Axent is on the US President's panel on information security. And Williams is an active member of the Manhattan Cyber Project.

Williams has identified three types: 'Rogues', who are often children in their bedrooms; exploiters or 'Black Hat Hackers', who act for personal profit, political motive or revenge; and 'White Hat Hackers', who hack for research purposes.

Recently, hackers have harassed the US military, as the crisis in the Gulf has escalated. US deputy defense secretary, John Hamre, said hackers entered unclassified areas and placed 'trap-doors', enabling them to access information later.

According to a Computer Security Institute Survey, half of the top 563 internet-based organisations have admitted to being attacked. Axent says that three quarters of attacks are carried out on the inside.

Tools from the internet are used for 50 per cent of hacks. For example, probe tools look for vulnerability on a network, like an open port on a firewall.

Williams was recently invited by hackers to a convention in Las Vegas, although the Aladdin Hotel is unlikely to welcome them again. The guests hacked the casino's ATMs, strong-armed its one-arm bandits, cleared accounts, carried out card counting and even re-keyed the marquee.