Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2015, Management

Hackers account for enormous costs associated with computer intrusion in a world increasingly reliant on computer and Internet-based technologies. In the general sense, a hacker is a technologist with a love for technology and a hack is an inventive solution executed through non-obvious means. They speak the language of code which propels the evolution of our information technology. This makes hackers the solvers of our largest, most complex issues. They seek out weaknesses in computers and networks that can be used to steal data or impact the functionality of the entire Internet. In consequence, they are experts at solving poorly understood and challenging problems in a variety of settings requiring deep understanding of technical details and imagination. Hacking is an activity that requires exceptional cognitive abilities. Through explanatory, sequential mixed methods research completed over three empirical studies, I discover how the mental models and the cognitive skills and traits of skilled hackers affect the way they learn and perform forward thinking. Proficient hackers construct mental representations of complex systems and their components. As they learn and interact with the system, their mental models evolve and become more reliable. This iii research reveals that hackers use these continuously evolving cognitive structures to conceive of future results through speculative forecasting. These models are instrumental in setting the hacker's expectations about effects of actions, planning of actions, and ways of interpreting feedback. This dissertation makes theoretical and empirical contributions to the literature on the mental models and cognitive faculties of hackers and practice through the development of evidence-based and research-informed strategies for improving the cognitive mechanisms necessary for hacking. The findings will be useful for leaders and managers in private, government, and nonprofit sectors with an interest (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kalle Lyytinen Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Information Systems; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2014, American Culture Studies

The mechanic is a worker of contested meaning in American popular culture. The cultural significance of mechanics reflects technological trends throughout American industrial history. Mechanics have been revered and reviled, vilified and deified at various points in our national experience. This study will view the mechanic through same lens which our society has viewed technology, and in doing so will reveal a more intimate, essential relationship between the mechanic and technology. During the Industrial Revolution, mechanics were highly regarded as industrial workers and it was implied in radical fiction that they could repair social problems with the same acumen with which they fixed machines. The cultural significance of mechanics shifts definitively within popular consciousness after World War II. Later as the cultural capital of mechanics declined, there was an increasing trend for mechanics to destroy machines in popular literature to correct technology which was viewed as pathological. The shifting modalities surrounding the mechanic illustrate the trajectory of skilled information workers in the Twenty-first Century. Much like Henry Ford, the founders of Apple Computers worked out of a small shop (a garage in both instances) independently designing, assembling and engineering their products. The once insular and esoteric world of computers opened up to the public, however not all computer training was equally accessible to all parts of society. After the wave of mystery surrounding a technology breaks and recedes along with the promise it brings there is often a descent into mediocrity which then afford the possibility for a cooptation by the subversive elements of society. This may come in the form of highly skilled machine breakers in relation to mechanics or it may be dirty bombs with regard to nuclear technology. Computer hackers provide such direction because they have the skills to actively oppose an emerging class of information capitalists. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ellen Berry Dr. (Committee Chair); Monica Longmore Dr. (Committee Member); Radhika Gajjala Dr. (Committee Member); Clinton Rosati Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies

Master of Computing and Information Systems, Youngstown State University, 2009, Department of Computer Science and Information Systems

Is Microsoft a threat to national security? This thesis evaluates Microsoft's policies, business model, and products to determine whether Microsoft is a threat to national security. The first part of this thesis investigated Microsoft's policies and products. In the second part of this thesis, two networks were investigated. The first network, which will be known as network “honey,” was designed and configured to examine the techniques of hackers. The second network, which will be known as network “X,” is a real business enterprise network that was the target for penetration testing. The investigation provided an inside look at the security threats in Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1, Microsoft Server 2000 SP4, and Microsoft Server 2003 SP2 operating systems on a network. The results of this investigation serve as a microcosm to a macro-problem. Microsoft Windows networks are too vulnerable to serve as the backbone for any institution or organization's networking infrastructure, especially entities considered to be government critical infrastructures.

Committee: Graciela Perera PhD (Advisor); Alina Lazar PhD (Committee Member); John Sullins PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Science; Information Systems; Systems Design

Bachelor of Arts, Miami University, 2006, College of Arts and Sciences - Russian

This thesis includes a discussion of hacker self-image and motives, the public perception of hackers, and the economic impact of Russian hackers. It looks at popular categories of hacker activity in Russia, such as phreaking and worm creation, and how these activities relate to Russian hacker motivations. I will show that the roots of hacking in Russia are tied to the following cultural and historical motivations: intellectual challenge, prestige among the hacker community, a desire for profit, nationalism, disenchantment and underemployment in post-1991 Russia, the Soviet Union's history of state-sponsored hacking, and a culture of opportunism. Finally, I will analyze specific case studies that illustrate many of these arguments and observations.

Committee: Benjamin Sutcliffe (Advisor) Subjects: