Why Trying to Persecute The "Fappening" Hackers Would be an Exercise in Futility

Even me.

For all the regular tech savvie people, you know what I'm going to say. This blog isn't for you, but please feel free to read along with us anyway.

In case you haven't heard, a large amount of celebrity nudes have been leaked onto the internet through 4chan. It has been deemed "The Fappening" by the internet and reddit. This has caused some of the celebrities involved to pursue legal action. I'm here to tell them and the news outlets why that is very stupid and would be the biggest waste of resources, time, and money since the Iraq war (Ooooh, topical!).

I'm gonna walk you through how these hackers got a hold of these images, and explain why tracking them down would be very hard. There's a couple simple reasons as to why this is. Let's go through them.

1. Virtual Private Networks aka VPNs
For those who don't know, a VPN allows someone to route their internet connection through a different IP address somewhere else on the planet. They mask where their information is going so when their Internet Service Provider tries to check on them, all they see is packets of information. They can't see where the user is going, what sites they're on, etc. This is one of the ways you can get American Netflix while in Australia. They're also used for some shifty practices, such as hacking.

The people or person who hacked iCloud's servers could have been using a VPN. That means that if they were to try and trace the original 4chan post back to an IP address, it would end up being traced back to where the user chose to place their IP. This means that the feds would bust down a door in San Jose, California, when really the guy is in Szechuan province, China. There are a few other ways the hacker or 4chan poster could evade persecution, however.

2. Proxy servers
Proxy servers a really hard to use. Essentially, it's a server that sits between you and the website you want to access. In the case of the leaks, the user accessed 4chan. So let's use that. The user has all these leaked photos. He sets up his proxy server, and hops onto 4chan. As he presses enter and loads up 4chan, the proxy server erases his IP address and substitutes it for its own. That means that when the feds go to check the IP address of the 4chan user who posted the pictures, they won't find their actual IP address, just the one the proxy server gave. This essentially stops any searching dead, and puts a wall up between the user and the people wanting to find them.

Proxy servers are usually used by people who want YOUR information, so be weary of any "Open" proxies. Most people know better, but a proxy is usually never abandoned. Just waiting.

However, none of these would actually be very useful without one main factor: Encryption.

Encryption is one of the major weapons hackers and everyday users of the internet should use at all times. It makes sure people can't access your information. A standard 128-bit encryption can take even the most sophisticated programs years to break, with conservative estimates starting at 30,000 years. 256-bit encryption could take millions of years, but it's not as adopted yet. Everything the hacker did would need to be encrypted. From using their VPN, and encrypting their Proxies. This would be very important to make sure they wouldn't get caught, and would increase the trouble for anyone looking to persecute them.

But let us get one thing straight: No one should hack for exploitative purposes. Hacking isn't something to be taken lightly. It is a criminal offense in every country with a computer network, and is a breach of privacy, especially in this manner. The Fappening is a huge breach of privacy and trust if it truly is the doings of a hacker or a group of hackers. Never hack to become popular. Hack because it can change the world for the better. And no, helping people "have fun" at the expense of other people is not a good reason.

There are black hatters and there are white hatters. Maybe we'll talk about them some other time.

Until then, be safe on the internet, and always encrypt. A great way to be safe is to use a VPN, and I recommend Private Internet Access. I use it, and I get American Netflix at really face speeds! Hotspot Shield and OpenVPN are also good recommendations. Have a good one.