Kids Using Kali Linux Are the Next-Generation Hackers, UK Police Warn Bogdan Popa
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3 minutes A poster created by the West
Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (WMROCU) and also featuring the
logo of UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) warns that the kids using
software like Tor Browser, Kali Linux, Discover, and Metasploit could be
the next-generation hackers.
The warning was published online by Twitter user G_IW
and obviously generated an avalanche of reactions from the WWW, many of
which criticized the British police for what they consider to be
disinformation.
“If you see any of these on their computer, or have ea child you
think is hacking, let us know so we can give advice and engage them into
positive diversions,” the warning reads.
The software which the police say could be used for bad purposes includes TOR Browser, virtual machines, Kali Linux, WiFi Pineapple, Discord, and Metasploit.
The team behind Kali Linux, a Linux distribution that’s mostly
supposed to be used for penetration testing, actually applauded the idea
that led to the creation of the poster.
“Have to admit it’s sort of nice they give kids a roadmap on where to
get started. We all know the easiest way to get a kid to do something
is to tell them they can’t or should not, then they list specific item
not to do,” the Kali Linux devs say in a tweet. Legitimate software
But on the other hand, the NCA says it has nothing to do with the warning, despite its logo showing up on the poster.
“The NCA was not involved in the production or release of this
poster. There are many tools which tech-savvy children use, some of
which can be used for both legal & illegal purposes, so it is vital
that parents & children know how these tools can be used safely,” it
says on Twitter.
The West Midlands Police says the whole idea was to highlight some of
the tools which have a legitimate purpose but which can very well be
used for malicious purposes too.
“The poster - produced by a third party - was created as an aide
memoire to assist teachers with safeguarding in schools. It was taken
from wider information on cyber tools which could be used to commit
cyber attacks, but equally have a legitimate purpose,” a statement reads.
WMROCU, which created the poster in the first place, said in a statement for ZDNet the whole idea was just to raise awareness that such software can be misused despite their legitimate purpose.
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