Recap

Real Hacking Stories

World-famous hacker and 'vulnerability researcher,' Kevin Mitnick, provided a glimpse into the minds of hackers, as well as shared real hacking stories from his newest book, The Art of Intrusion.

Mitnick said many hackers use "social engineering" to trick people into revealing secure information about their network. In one example, he reported how a hacker was able to physically enter a company's conference room and plug in a wireless access point from which he could later launch remote attacks against the company's computer systems.

In another story from his book, Mitnick detailed how a man from India actively recruited hackers to break into government sites. Using two hackers (one from Canada, the other from Florida), he was able to access Chinese universities, the Atomic Research Center in India, and Lockheed Martin. Perhaps even more frightening, the hackers successfully penetrated Boeing's computer network and stole schematics for the nose of the Boeing 747 aircraft. Mitnick said the group the hackers were working for may have been associated with Osama bin Ladin.

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Space Elevator Contest

Taking a cue from the X-prize, NASA has set aside $400,000 over the next two years for competitions to encourage the development of a Space Elevator -- the combination of a light-powered robotic climber and a thin 62,000 mile long tether. The Space Elevator would be able to lift payloads directly from Earth to orbit in space.

This year's contest requires participating teams to build a robot climber and power-receiving system capable of raising 55 pounds up a 164-foot cable, as well as to create tethers of a standard length, width and weight that are at least 50% better than last year's best offering. Watch the intro movie and read more at elevator2010.org.

Illustration by Marshall Almeid