Hack your first computer at Imagine RIT

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Students from RIT’s Competitive Cybersecurity Club (RC3) will teach Imagine RIT festivalgoers how to hack into the Windows XP operating system through a common vulnerability. People will be able to plant malware on the computer and kill it with the “Blue Screen of Death.”

One of the best defenses against a cyber attack is to know your enemy. At the Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival on May 2, festivalgoers can begin protecting themselves by learning how a computer is hacked.

Students from RIT’s Competitive Cybersecurity Club (RC3) will demonstrate and teach the hacks by exploiting three common vulnerabilities, including the problems with Windows XP and the security bugs Heartbleed and Shellshock. The interactive Hack Your First Computer exhibit, located in the Golisano Hall atrium, will also inform people about the simple ways they can protect their information and devices.

“Learning about these vulnerabilities is important because we are exposed to them almost every day,” said Nick Piazza, a third-year computing security student and vice president of RC3. “Nothing is truly 100 percent secure, but there are easy steps that people can take to protect themselves.”

Piazza describes the vulnerability as a hole in the security and the exploit as the hammer or wrecking ball that makes that hole bigger. Using Armitage, a cyber attack management tool that helps security professionals better understand hacking by visualizing targets and recommending exploits, students will showcase the problems with Windows XP.

Although Microsoft ended support and security updates for Windows XP more than a year ago, millions of people are still using the vulnerable operating system. Through the common hack, festivalgoers will be able to run malware, create new files, see the programs that are running, take a screenshot and kill or “Blue Screen of Death” the computer.

“This is great way to show why Windows XP was end-of-lifed,” said Piazza, who is from Baldwinsville, N.Y. “However, there are still some ATMs and cash registers using XP.”

The exhibit will also demo the Heartbleed security bug, which allows thieves to steal passwords, and Shellshock, a bug that allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to a computer system.

The exhibit is run by RC3, a student-run organization dedicated to educating and preparing RIT students to compete in security-related competitions, as well as showcasing student talent in the world of security. Throughout the semester, students engage in presentations, discussions and security challenges to test their skills and knowledge.

To learn more about Imagine RIT and plan your day for May 2, go to the Imagine RIT website.