Local, regional, national, and international hacking and computer-security related conventions. Hacking conventions are much much more than a bunch of high school cyber punks hacking away all night. These events have a type of community atmosphere among hackers. Some people can talk in chat rooms for years before meeting each other face to face. These conventions are prime opportunities to meet those people. The knowledge you can learn at these type of events is endless.

Cracking is the act of breaking the registration, nag screen, time limits and various other aspects of a piece of software. It is a specialized field which may take several months or even years to master. Supposedly, the act of 'cracking' is a challenge to the cracker rather than an effort to pirate software, and generally benefits the software industry by pushing new development and technologies.

Cryptography is the art of creating and using cryptosystems. Cryptosystems are methods of rendering messages such that only a select group of people may read them in the original form. This category contains sites related to cryptography, as well as cryptanalysis (the art of breaking cryptosystems).

Computer hacking (and hacking in general) is an often misunderstood part of today's society. As the media and various computer security outfits like to focus on what hackers have the potential to do, instead of what they actually do. In general, a hacker is seen as a social outcast that turns to the computer to gain a sense of power by generally destroying and stealing the possessions of other people. While that is true of some hackers, it is only one part of the entire picture. What we are dealing with here is an entire coculture, having roots as far back as 1960, when the term "hacker" was first applied to MIT students. Many hackers adhere to a mostly unwritten code of ethics, which sometimes would lead both outsiders and new hackers into believing that they don't exist at all. Surprisingly it is these same people that are most visible. People just beginning their exploration onto the Internet will most likely come into contact with the "rogue hacker" or a hacker that doesn't follow the hacker code of ethics. These rogue hackers portray a bad image of the hacker community in general, and often seem immature by using the so called "elite speek (l33t3, h4ck3r l4m3r)." This category was started with the hope to better educate non-hackers and hackers alike about what it truly means to be a hacker, the various types of hackers, and various aspects of the hacker community. It also has the purpose of teaching hackers about the non-hacker society, as hackers also carry misconceptions about the "real world."

Exploits are demonstration software or techniques that illustrate a means of taking advantage of a vulnerability in order to cause software to behave other than expected.

Starting out as a newbie in the hacking or security world is by no means easy. Many hours are spent in frustration, trying to figure out how things work and how they don't. This category lists sites that provide help and information for hackers and potential hackers of all abilities.

Hackers don't just break into computers ;-)

HERF: High Energy Radio Frequency [gun] is used to disable electronic equipment -- everything from computers to cars. EMP: Electro-Magnetic Pulse is released by air-burst nuclear weapons. TEMPEST: Also known as Van Eck Phreaking, it's the process of snooping on the display of a CRT via electromagnetic waves.

This category is intended to list sites which sell merchandise that a hacker might be interested in. These items can range from Jolt cola to a lineman's handset.

This category lists Hacking groups from all over the world.

This section is concerned with the art of phone phreaking, exploring the telephone system in unusual ways.

Software Piracy is the activity of copying and redistributing software, computer programs, in violation of copyright. Sometimes this involves "cracking", breaking or working around the parts of the program code meant to ensure that no one copies it illegally. Sometimes it just involves making a copy when the agreement says not to. These redistributed pirated programs are often known as Warez.


The Directory will not list links to sites that are substantially focused on the distribution of illegal materials. The sites listed here discuss the practice, for and against, and some may even provide information on how to do it, or how to find other sites that distribute the software, but these sites do not distribute the material themselves.

One who locates and logs wireless access points while in motion and practiced by hobbyists, hackers and security analysts worldwide.

Wikipedia: Wardriving