Billy Hoffman
Encyclopedia
Billy Hoffman, also known as Acidus, is an American
hacker
, born in Atlanta, Georgia
on October 15, 1980.
and a former high school
social studies
teacher
. Hoffman created StripeSnoop, an application which analyzes data on magnetic stripes
. He also created tinyDisk, a file system that runs on top of tinyURL
.
He first became famous when, as a student at Georgia Tech, he discovered a security flaw in the campus magnetic ID card system called "BuzzCard." He gave a talk about the security flaw at the Atlanta hacker conference "Interz0ne" in Fall 2002.
At Interz0ne2 in April 2003 he attempted to give an updated version of the talk with Virgil Griffith
, a student from the University of Alabama
, but he and Griffith were served with a cease and desist
letter a few hours before giving the presentation, and then within two days this was followed up by a lawsuit
from Blackboard Inc, alleging that Griffith and Hoffman had violated the DMCA, the Espionage and Sedition Act
, and that they had stolen trade secrets. The lawsuit was eventually settled.
In 2005, Hoffman graduated from Georgia Tech, with a degree in computer science
. He has given talks on multiple subjects at such conferences as Interz0ne, Outerz0ne, Toorcon
, Black Hat Federal, PhreakNIC
, FooCamp, O'Reilly Media
Emerging Technology Conference
, and ShmooCon
. He was also invited to speak at the FBI.
Hoffman is the author of the book Ajax Security, published in December 2007 by Addison Wesley
Hoffman worked as a security researcher for Atlanta start-up SPI Dynamics Inc, and then for Hewlett-Packard
, which purchased SPI Dynamics on 1 August 2007. He now works as a web performance consultant at Zoompf.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hacker
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
, born in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
on October 15, 1980.
Biography
His father is a sales consultant and his mother is a historianHistorian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and a former high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
social studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. Hoffman created StripeSnoop, an application which analyzes data on magnetic stripes
Magnetic stripe card
A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material on the card...
. He also created tinyDisk, a file system that runs on top of tinyURL
TinyURL
TinyURL is a URL shortening service, a web service that provides short aliases for redirection of long URLs. Kevin Gilbertson, a web developer, launched the service in January 2002 so that he would be able to link directly to newsgroup postings that frequently had long and cumbersome addresses.-...
.
He first became famous when, as a student at Georgia Tech, he discovered a security flaw in the campus magnetic ID card system called "BuzzCard." He gave a talk about the security flaw at the Atlanta hacker conference "Interz0ne" in Fall 2002.
At Interz0ne2 in April 2003 he attempted to give an updated version of the talk with Virgil Griffith
Virgil Griffith
Virgil Griffith , also known as Romanpoet, is an American hacker, known for his involvement in a 2003 lawsuit with Blackboard Inc. and his creation of WikiScanner. He has published papers on artificial life and is currently a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology...
, a student from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, but he and Griffith were served with a cease and desist
Cease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
letter a few hours before giving the presentation, and then within two days this was followed up by a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
from Blackboard Inc, alleging that Griffith and Hoffman had violated the DMCA, the Espionage and Sedition Act
Espionage Act of 1917
The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code but is now found under Title 18, Crime...
, and that they had stolen trade secrets. The lawsuit was eventually settled.
In 2005, Hoffman graduated from Georgia Tech, with a degree in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. He has given talks on multiple subjects at such conferences as Interz0ne, Outerz0ne, Toorcon
ToorCon
ToorCon is San Diego's exclusive hacker conference that traditionally takes place in late September. Started originally by the San Diego 2600 user group, ToorCon was founded in 1999 by Ben Greenberg and David Hulton . The first year it was held at the University of California, San Diego's Price...
, Black Hat Federal, PhreakNIC
PhreakNIC
PhreakNIC is an annual hacker and technology convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. It is organized by the Nashville 2600 Organization and draws upon resources from SouthEastern 2600 . The Nashville Linux User Group was closely tied with PhreakNIC for the first 10 years, but is no longer an...
, FooCamp, O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media is an American media company established by Tim O'Reilly that publishes books and Web sites and produces conferences on computer technology topics...
Emerging Technology Conference
Emerging Technology Conference
The O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference is O'Reilly Media's premier conference about the new technologies that are on the O'Reilly Radar. O'Reilly defines its core business not as books, conferences, or online publishing, though it does all three, but as "changing the world by spreading the...
, and ShmooCon
ShmooCon
ShmooCon is an American hacker convention organized by The Shmoo Group. There are typically about 35 different talks and presentations, on a variety of subjects related to computer security and cyberculture.-History:...
. He was also invited to speak at the FBI.
Hoffman is the author of the book Ajax Security, published in December 2007 by Addison Wesley
Hoffman worked as a security researcher for Atlanta start-up SPI Dynamics Inc, and then for Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, which purchased SPI Dynamics on 1 August 2007. He now works as a web performance consultant at Zoompf.
Writing
- "Fortres 101", Fall 2001, 2600 Magazine
- "Campuswide, Wide Open", Spring 2002, 2600 Magazine
- "NCR ATMs: Aurem X Machina", Summer 2002, 2600 Magazine
- "XM, the flawed future of radio", Fall 2002, 2600 Magazine
- "Magstripe interface", Summer 2004, 2600 Magazine
- "Building your own magstripe reader", O'Reilly's MakeMake (magazine)Make is an American quarterly magazine published by O'Reilly Media which focuses on do it yourself and/or DIWO projects involving computers, electronics, robotics, metalworking, woodworking and other disciplines...
magazine, Fall 2004 - "Understanding Web Security", Spring 2007, 2600 Magazine
- "Ajax Security", December 2007, Addison Wesley
External links
- Acidus's blog at MemeStreamsMemeStreamsMemeStreams is an early social networking website, online community, and blog host that was established in 2001 by Industrial Memetics,.Created by Tom Cross and Nick Levay, the site is particularly popular among computer security professionals....
- StripeSnoop website
- Ajax Security at Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...