Charter / moderation notes
alt.hackers is a RootBadger discussion group for hacker culture in the original sense: curiosity, technical skill, tinkering, systems exploration, programming, reverse engineering, security research, old-school computing, open-source software, hardware modification, networking, and creative technical problem solving.
This group is for people who like understanding how things work, breaking down complex systems, building tools, improving software, and sharing knowledge.
Purpose
alt.hackers exists to support serious and casual discussion about:
Programming and scripting
Linux, BSD, Unix, and open systems
Security research and defensive security
Reverse engineering for learning and interoperability
Hardware hacking and electronics
Networking and protocols
Old-school Internet culture
Open-source projects
System administration
Technical writeups, experiments, and discoveries
Historical hacker culture
Acceptable Topics
Posts are welcome when they involve lawful, educational, defensive, or creative technical work.
Examples:
“How does this protocol work?”
“I wrote a small tool to parse old Usenet-style headers.”
“Best way to harden SSH on a public server?”
“Understanding buffer overflows in a lab environment.”
“Reverse engineering an abandoned file format.”
“Show off your home lab.”
“Old-school hacker books worth reading.”
“Building a packet sniffer for learning.”
“Responsible disclosure experiences.”
Prohibited Content
This group is not for cybercrime.
Do not post:
Requests to hack accounts, websites, phones, routers, or services
Malware, ransomware, credential stealers, botnets, or phishing kits
Stolen credentials, API keys, private data, or leaked databases
Instructions for unauthorized access
Exploit use against real targets without permission
Doxxing or harassment
“Can someone hack my ex/employer/school?” posts
Spam, scams, or fake “hacker for hire” services
Discussion of security concepts is allowed. Helping someone commit abuse is not.
Tone and Culture
alt.hackers should keep the old-school hacker spirit:
Curious
Technical
Skeptical
Helpful
Blunt when needed
Not full of script-kiddie nonsense
Strong opinions are fine. Personal attacks, harassment, and low-effort flexing are not.
Good posts teach something, ask a real question, or contribute useful information.
Posting Guidelines
Use clear subject lines.
Good:
Subject: Hardening OpenSSH on a small VPS
Subject: Notes from reversing an old config format
Subject: Why does this C pointer example crash?
Bad:
Subject: help
Subject: urgent
Subject: hack this
Subject: I need a hacker
When asking for help, include:
Operating system
Relevant code or config
Error messages
What you already tried
Whether this is your own system or authorized lab
Disclosure and Safety
Security vulnerabilities should be discussed responsibly.
When discussing a live vulnerability:
Do not post active exploit details against real third-party systems.
Do not expose private data.
Prefer defensive explanation and mitigation.
Respect responsible disclosure timelines when applicable.
Moderation
Moderators may remove posts that are illegal, abusive, spammy, reckless, or obviously made in bad faith.
Repeat offenders may be banned from alt.hackers.
Accounts may also be banned by email, IP, or other private abuse-prevention signals, but private moderation data must never be exposed publicly.
Group Identity
alt.hackers is for builders, breakers, sysadmins, coders, tinkerers, researchers, old net people, and anyone who still thinks computers are more interesting when you understand what is happening under the hood.
This is not a crime board.
This is a workshop.
