Info - The hackers: hackers in Las Vegas are organizing their convention.

The hackers

For the next Defcon (this time - the fourth) we gathered
hackers.  True, not ours, but foreign ones. Meeting place -
Las Vegas.  Before the start of Defcon, traditional
bet - will they catch or not?

The organizers of Defcon 4 take things very seriously. On
previous meetings have invited celebrities such as
Phil Zimmerman, creator of the PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) package. B
During the debate, there were discussions about the ethics of hacking.  Among
participants held competitions for the best virus in the genre
political satire.

This year the conference will be officially attended by department agents
computer crimes (Computer Crime Division) FBI.
Every year the FBI and other law enforcement officials attend
similar events in the hope of catching the criminals. In response
hackers are organizing the game "Spot The Fed", which is very loose
translated it sounds like “find the fed.” The prize in the game goes to the one
who will be the first to correctly identify the FBI agent (who
informs the organizers of the conference in advance).

But while the hackers in Las Vegas are holding their convention,
guided by the well-known principle “not caught, not a thief”, in
InterNet, it seems that the season for catching these same thieves has come (but,
fortunately, not hackers - ed.).  The hunt is launched by the leader
software publishers organization - Software PublishersAssociation
which called InterNet providers to be its allies.

Through joint efforts, a certain Max Butler from Seattle was caught,
who has been charged with illegal distribution of software
via InterNet.  Signal received that Butler is pumping
files using the ftp site of a small InterNet provider
Abwam.  About Butler's unusual file transfer activity
reported by the provider himself, who had doubts about
the legality of what is happening.   Doubts were confirmed when
it turned out that the files turned out to be distribution kits of commercial
software products.  However, it took another two weeks
before enough evidence had been collected to catch him
pirate. Butler was virtually caught in the act of
monitored the transfer of my files.  Abwam specialists are right there
called the anti-piracy telephone line to the Association
software publishers. This line receives about twenty calls per
day, and all of them are examined in the most careful way.

A lawsuit was immediately filed, which, however, can serve for now
just a hypothetical example of cooperation between providers and
publishers of programs in the field of pirate hunting. Association
software publishers are currently trying to find Butler
(physically), but cannot catch him by any of the
addresses. It is not yet known who will outwit whom.----------------------------------------------