#DREAMBOX SKY HACK SOFTWARE#

Laurie’s work is a clear descendant of that era. Phone phreaking, a subculture that was in many ways a precursor to hacking, thrived in the ’70s and early ’80s on exploring what could be found out about the phone system through exploration ( The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey gives an excellent historical view of phone phreakers and the hackers who came after them).

#DREAMBOX SKY HACK SOFTWARE#

Hackers often get associated with attacking or breaking software and hardware, but the fundamental hacker mentality is that of a curious explorer.

He showed that he could read data being transmitted using equipment that costs about $785. But still, he gave us a live demonstration of a hacked Dreambox satellite decoder that can be used to glean information about many of the feeds in the sky. Laurie’s understanding of the satellite technology might not be comprehensive–one audience member asked him a question about the technical specifications of the dish he uses, and he laughed and shook his head. “We were getting raw, unfiltered news in real-time,” Laurie said. Some of the time, he would catch their official broadcasts as they were giving them, but he was also be able to watch when the camera sat forgotten in the corner. By tapping in to one feed around the time of the death of Princess Diana, Laurie said he was able to view live video set up by a group of television journalists, intended for the station that employed them.

Dreambox sky hack