1337 speak, also known as leetspeak or simply “leet,” is an alternative alphabet that was initially used by hackers to avoid being found. The practice involves substituting letters with numbers and other characters that resemble the intended letters, creating a stylized form of writing that is both a form of expression and a means to bypass simple search filters.
What is the history of 1337 speak?
1337 speak first emerged in the 1980s, before arrival of the World Wide Web. At the time, only few individuals could access bulletin board systems (BBS). The term “1337” itself is derived from the word “elite” due to the limited amount of people who could access BBS content.
Early online communities also gravitated to the word “elite” as a way to signify expertise or elitism in various fields such as hacking. Hackers were among the first online communities to utilize 1337 speak as it was a way to avoid being found by search functions. Typically, search functions scan for keywords and the unique spelling and grammar of 1337 speak allowed hackers to avoid their text being found.
Eventually, it spread to the broader online community.
How does 1337 speak work?
Leetspeak involves a variety of substitutions, some of which include:
- A: 4 or @
- B: 8 or |3
- C: (
- D: |)
- E: 3
- G: 6 or 9
- H: # or |-|
- I: 1 or !
- L: 1 or |
- M: |\/|
- N: |\|
- O: 0
- S: 5 or $
- T: 7 or +
- X: ><
For example, should the speaker want to say, “Hello, how are you?” this would be written as “H3ll0, h0w 4r3 y0u?” in 1337 speak.
In addition to letter substitutions, 1337 speak often incorporates misspellings and grammatical errors as part of its style. In the past, users of 1337 speak utilized these to obfuscate the meaning of their words to evade automated content filters or to make text less recognizable at a glance. With typing and chatting conventions evolving, these are mostly done out of convenience by using the fewest keystrokes to get one’s point across.
What are the disadvantages of 1337 speak?
While leetspeak was used in the early days of the Internet, it still has a few limitations. For those unaccustomed to it, it can be difficult to read and understand. Another disadvantage with 1337 speak is that modern cyber security systems and some linguistic algorithms can decode leetspeak. This makes its original use for obfuscation no longer applicable and possibly even a threat to IT security.
Understanding 1337 speak and IT security
1337 speak is a unique internet language that has evolved and even gained prominence in the gaming community. 1337 speak might not have as many practical applications today but learning about it can still be valuable for IT professionals. After all, threat actors can still employ 1337 speak to communicate covertly and attempt to bypass traditional security measures.
Another practical IT security application for 1337 speak is for credential management. A study by the International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology shows that 1337 speak is a popular method of generating passwords. It makes complying with password requirements and remembering easier than a randomized string of words, symbols, and numbers.
The same study concluded, however, that 1337 speak is only effective in bypassing password generation parameters but does not help secure passwords. By understanding the intricacies of 1337 speak, IT security experts can better analyze and counteract threats.
