The Hackers

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Duration

60 minutes

40 minutes

15 minutes

Genre

Arts
Culture and the Media
Factual
Science and Nature
Science and Technology

Station

Radio 4

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
			20121127	20121202 (R4)	Governments do it, companies do it, criminals do it. But in recent years some of the highest profile computer hacks have come from so-called hacktivist groups. Each week hackers target a new organisation or government website. Many of these hacker activists claim to belong to the amorphous group known as Anonymous or an off-shoot of it. Their aim? To wrest control of the internet from states and big corporations and give it back to the people. Or simply to have fun. The FBI, the Metropolitan police, the US Senate, Sony, PayPal and Visa have been some of the highest profile victims of the hackers. More often than not the attacks come in the form of DOS, or denial of service, attacks - effectively flooding websites with requests so that they crash. In some cases the hackers have managed to steal personal and financial records from the organisations and then post them online. Sometimes the reason given by the hackers for these attacks is as a response to official actions taken against Wikileaks or attempts by the authorities to close down certain websites, such as free music download sites. The FBI and police have had some success in tracking down some of the hackers - many of them just teenagers. In The Hackers Simon Cox delves into the strange world of hacktivism, as he tracks down some of these hackers and speaks to those trying to catch them. Simon Cox delves into the sometimes strange world of the hacker activist, or 'hacktivist'. Governments do it, companies do it, criminals do it. But in recent years some of the highest profile computer hacks have come from so-called hacktivist groups. Each week hackers target a new organisation or government website. Many of these hacker activists claim to belong to the amorphous group known as Anonymous or an off-shoot of it. Their aim? To wrest control of the internet from states and big corporations and give it back to the people. Or simply to have fun. The FBI, the Metropolitan police, the US Senate, Sony, PayPal and Visa have been some of the highest profile victims of the hackers. More often than not the attacks come in the form of DOS, or denial of service, attacks - effectively flooding websites with requests so that they crash. In some cases the hackers have managed to steal personal and financial records from the organisations and then post them online. Sometimes the reason given by the hackers for these attacks is as a response to official actions taken against Wikileaks or attempts by the authorities to close down certain websites, such as free music download sites. The FBI and police have had some success in tracking down some of the hackers - many of them just teenagers. In The Hackers Simon Cox delves into the strange world of hacktivism, as he tracks down some of these hackers and speaks to those trying to catch them. Simon Cox delves into the sometimes strange world of the hacker activist, or 'hacktivist'.
			20220325		Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
			20220401		Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	01	Phreaks	20211213		Biella explores the earliest hacking subculture - The Phone Phreaks - an entire subculture that learned to manipulate the phone system with plastic whistles and tone generating blue boxes, and played a part in birthing the modern digital world. She talks with Phil Lapsley, author of Exploding the Phone' and a UK hacker who was one of the last generation of traditional phone phreaks about the joy and the risks of the earliest type of hacking. Biella Coleman explores the earliest hacking subculture - Phone Phreaks. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	02	The Worm	20211214		In 1988, the first major computer worm shook the early internet to his core, disabling computers across the network and even causing panic in the Pentagon. Biella uncovers the story with Eugene Spafford, the first person to analyse the worm that caused so much chaos, and finds out why worms can still be so devastating decades later. Biella Coleman tells the story of the first global internet worm. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	03	Hail Satan	20211215		Hackers have long been portrayed as the bad guys, but Biella uncovers how the ethical Grey and White Hat hackers created the modern security industry, despite the risk to their careers, and fierce opposition from major tech and software companies who wanted to keep any vulnerabilities in their products hidden from the public eye. She talks with Chris Wysopal, member the high-profile hacker think tank the L0pht, about the struggle for security, and how that fight may have inadvertently damaged a key part of hacker culture in the long term. Biella Coleman discovers how hackers created the security industry. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	04	Press Ganged	20211216		Biella Coleman discovers how France once forced hackers to work for the government. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	05	Aaron	20211217		Biella explores the legacy of Aaron Swartz. From the age of 14, Aaron was a prolific hacker, inventor and activist. He was integral in the creation of Creative Commons and the Internet Archive, co-founder social media site Reddit, and was passionate in his activism work that culminated in the dismissal of the Stop Online Piracy Act in the USA. But Aaron took his own life at the age of 26 when he was charged with violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, facing decades in prison and millions of dollars in fines - a court case that many at the time felt was completely unjustified. Biella speaks with Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig who worked with Aaron on the Creative Commons project, and a Lisa Rein, co-founder of Aaron Swartz Day' that works to carry on projects started or inspired by Aaron's work, and discusses why it's important to remember Aaron's story, the legacy of his work, and to find out if a recent Supreme Court ruling on the CFAA means that people like Aaron may be safer in the future. Biella explores the legacy of Aaron Swartz on the hacker community. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	06	For the Lulz	20211220		Biella and technology journalist Frank Bajak discuss how two teenage hackers, calling themselves Lulzsec Peru, managed to expose corruption and shook the Peruvian government to the core with a massive leak of documents - and in doing so become some of the most impactful hacktivists of the early 2000s. Biella tells the story of how two teen hackers rattled South American governments. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	07	Sharing	20211221		One of the core beliefs in the many subsets of hacker culture is that information should be freely accessible and shared. But there are two distinct ways of achieving this freedom of information - Piracy, and The Open Source. Biella talks to Peter Sunde, co-founder of the Pirate bay, and Karen Sandler of the Software Freedom Conservancy, to discover how both movements have become entwined with the hacker community over the years, and which has the most potential to disrupt the increasingly monopolised world of tech development. Biella Coleman discovers how Piracy and Open Source have impacted hacking. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	08	End User	20211222		In the past, state sponsored hacking focused on espionage, stealing sensitive information and disrupting technological system. Nowadays, the focus has shifted. Rather than hacking technology, state sponsored hackers are targeting people. Biella speaks with Darren Linvill about a new kind of malevolent hacking, and how by playing to the algorithms on various social networks, these professional agents can sow chaos, and rope lay users into spreading rage and misinformation across societies. Biella Coleman discovers how people, not tech, are targets of malicious actors. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	09	Wetware	20211223		Biella explores biohacking - the hacking of the human body - and the different reasons why people are becoming cyborgs. She speaks with artist Moon Ribas about how tech can be used to push the boundaries of creative expression while putting humans in touch with the earth, and even the cosmos, and Winter Mraz an engineer who in the aftermath of a horrific car crash, used various implants to improve her body, and hack her way to an easier way to live with mental and physical disabilities. Biella discovers the different reasons people hack their own bodies. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	10	Broken	20211224		In the past, it was natural to open your phone and pop in a new battery. Today, to do that you may have to be a hacker. Biella speaks to representatives from the EU Right to Repair Movement, and farmers Nebraska to talk about this new, and unexpected frontier in hacker culture we may all soon belong to - the Right to Repair Movement. Biella discovers why simply repairing your own device may make you a hacker. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
			20121127	20121202 (R4)	Governments do it, companies do it, criminals do it. But in recent years some of the highest profile computer hacks have come from so-called hacktivist groups. Each week hackers target a new organisation or government website. Many of these hacker activists claim to belong to the amorphous group known as Anonymous or an off-shoot of it. Their aim? To wrest control of the internet from states and big corporations and give it back to the people. Or simply to have fun. The FBI, the Metropolitan police, the US Senate, Sony, PayPal and Visa have been some of the highest profile victims of the hackers. More often than not the attacks come in the form of DOS, or denial of service, attacks - effectively flooding websites with requests so that they crash. In some cases the hackers have managed to steal personal and financial records from the organisations and then post them online. Sometimes the reason given by the hackers for these attacks is as a response to official actions taken against Wikileaks or attempts by the authorities to close down certain websites, such as free music download sites. The FBI and police have had some success in tracking down some of the hackers - many of them just teenagers. In The Hackers Simon Cox delves into the strange world of hacktivism, as he tracks down some of these hackers and speaks to those trying to catch them. Simon Cox delves into the sometimes strange world of the hacker activist, or 'hacktivist'. Governments do it, companies do it, criminals do it. But in recent years some of the highest profile computer hacks have come from so-called hacktivist groups. Each week hackers target a new organisation or government website. Many of these hacker activists claim to belong to the amorphous group known as Anonymous or an off-shoot of it. Their aim? To wrest control of the internet from states and big corporations and give it back to the people. Or simply to have fun. The FBI, the Metropolitan police, the US Senate, Sony, PayPal and Visa have been some of the highest profile victims of the hackers. More often than not the attacks come in the form of DOS, or denial of service, attacks - effectively flooding websites with requests so that they crash. In some cases the hackers have managed to steal personal and financial records from the organisations and then post them online. Sometimes the reason given by the hackers for these attacks is as a response to official actions taken against Wikileaks or attempts by the authorities to close down certain websites, such as free music download sites. The FBI and police have had some success in tracking down some of the hackers - many of them just teenagers. In The Hackers Simon Cox delves into the strange world of hacktivism, as he tracks down some of these hackers and speaks to those trying to catch them. Simon Cox delves into the sometimes strange world of the hacker activist, or 'hacktivist'.
			20220325		Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
			20220401		Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	01	Phreaks	20211213		Biella explores the earliest hacking subculture - The Phone Phreaks - an entire subculture that learned to manipulate the phone system with plastic whistles and tone generating blue boxes, and played a part in birthing the modern digital world. She talks with Phil Lapsley, author of Exploding the Phone' and a UK hacker who was one of the last generation of traditional phone phreaks about the joy and the risks of the earliest type of hacking. Biella Coleman explores the earliest hacking subculture - Phone Phreaks. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	02	The Worm	20211214		In 1988, the first major computer worm shook the early internet to his core, disabling computers across the network and even causing panic in the Pentagon. Biella uncovers the story with Eugene Spafford, the first person to analyse the worm that caused so much chaos, and finds out why worms can still be so devastating decades later. Biella Coleman tells the story of the first global internet worm. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	03	Hail Satan	20211215		Hackers have long been portrayed as the bad guys, but Biella uncovers how the ethical Grey and White Hat hackers created the modern security industry, despite the risk to their careers, and fierce opposition from major tech and software companies who wanted to keep any vulnerabilities in their products hidden from the public eye. She talks with Chris Wysopal, member the high-profile hacker think tank the L0pht, about the struggle for security, and how that fight may have inadvertently damaged a key part of hacker culture in the long term. Biella Coleman discovers how hackers created the security industry. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	04	Press Ganged	20211216		Biella Coleman discovers how France once forced hackers to work for the government. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	05	Aaron	20211217		Biella explores the legacy of Aaron Swartz. From the age of 14, Aaron was a prolific hacker, inventor and activist. He was integral in the creation of Creative Commons and the Internet Archive, co-founder social media site Reddit, and was passionate in his activism work that culminated in the dismissal of the Stop Online Piracy Act in the USA. But Aaron took his own life at the age of 26 when he was charged with violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, facing decades in prison and millions of dollars in fines - a court case that many at the time felt was completely unjustified. Biella speaks with Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig who worked with Aaron on the Creative Commons project, and a Lisa Rein, co-founder of Aaron Swartz Day' that works to carry on projects started or inspired by Aaron's work, and discusses why it's important to remember Aaron's story, the legacy of his work, and to find out if a recent Supreme Court ruling on the CFAA means that people like Aaron may be safer in the future. Biella explores the legacy of Aaron Swartz on the hacker community. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	06	For the Lulz	20211220		Biella and technology journalist Frank Bajak discuss how two teenage hackers, calling themselves Lulzsec Peru, managed to expose corruption and shook the Peruvian government to the core with a massive leak of documents - and in doing so become some of the most impactful hacktivists of the early 2000s. Biella tells the story of how two teen hackers rattled South American governments. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	07	Sharing	20211221		One of the core beliefs in the many subsets of hacker culture is that information should be freely accessible and shared. But there are two distinct ways of achieving this freedom of information - Piracy, and The Open Source. Biella talks to Peter Sunde, co-founder of the Pirate bay, and Karen Sandler of the Software Freedom Conservancy, to discover how both movements have become entwined with the hacker community over the years, and which has the most potential to disrupt the increasingly monopolised world of tech development. Biella Coleman discovers how Piracy and Open Source have impacted hacking. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	08	End User	20211222		In the past, state sponsored hacking focused on espionage, stealing sensitive information and disrupting technological system. Nowadays, the focus has shifted. Rather than hacking technology, state sponsored hackers are targeting people. Biella speaks with Darren Linvill about a new kind of malevolent hacking, and how by playing to the algorithms on various social networks, these professional agents can sow chaos, and rope lay users into spreading rage and misinformation across societies. Biella Coleman discovers how people, not tech, are targets of malicious actors. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	09	Wetware	20211223		Biella explores biohacking - the hacking of the human body - and the different reasons why people are becoming cyborgs. She speaks with artist Moon Ribas about how tech can be used to push the boundaries of creative expression while putting humans in touch with the earth, and even the cosmos, and Winter Mraz an engineer who in the aftermath of a horrific car crash, used various implants to improve her body, and hack her way to an easier way to live with mental and physical disabilities. Biella discovers the different reasons people hack their own bodies. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.
01	10	Broken	20211224		In the past, it was natural to open your phone and pop in a new battery. Today, to do that you may have to be a hacker. Biella speaks to representatives from the EU Right to Repair Movement, and farmers Nebraska to talk about this new, and unexpected frontier in hacker culture we may all soon belong to - the Right to Repair Movement. Biella discovers why simply repairing your own device may make you a hacker. Gabriella Coleman investigates one of the most misunderstood cultures of the modern world.