A poster produced by the West Midlands Regional Organized Crime Unit (WMROCU) and bearing the logo of the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) warns that children which use software such as Tor Browser, Kali Linux, Discover and Metasploit could be the next generation hacker.
The warning was posted online by Twitter user G_IW and caused a lot of reactions in the medianetwork. Many were the ones who criticized the British authorities because this particular poster reaches its limits misinformations.
"If you see any of these (software) on their computer or you have a child who you think is hacking, let us know so we can give tips and to get involved for the positive outcome of the diversion," the warning states.
Software that authorities say could be used for malicious purposes includes the TOR Browser, virtual machines, Kali Linux, WiFi Pineapple, Discord, and Metasploit.
The Kali Linux development team, a Linux distribution that is supposed to be used primarily for penetration testing, greeted the idea of the poster:
"We have to admit that it's nice that they give children a roadmap for what they need to get started. We all know that the easiest way to get a child to do something is to tell them they can't or shouldn't do it. "
But on the other hand, the NCA says it has nothing to do with the warning, despite the fact that its logo appears on the poster.
"NCA was not involved in the production or release of this poster. "There are many tools that children use, some of which can be used for both legal and illegal purposes, so it is vital that parents and children know how these tools can be used safely." Reported the Twitter service.
Η police of the West Midlands says the whole idea was to showcase some of the tools that can be used for legitimate or nefarious purposes, more to raise awareness among adults.