Editing L0pht (section)

==History==
The origin of the L0pht can be traced to Brian Oblivion and Count Zero, two of the founding members, sharing a common [[loft]] space in South Boston with their wives (Mary and Alicia) who ran a hat business in one half of the space and helped to establish an IRL communal work space. There they experimented with their own personal computers, equipment purchased from the Flea <ref>[http://w1mx.mit.edu/flea-at-mit The Flea at MIT | The MIT Radio Society]</ref> at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], and items obtained from [[dumpster diving]] local places of interest.<ref name="dumpster">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abpeAAAAIAAJ&q=dumpster|title=L0pht dumpster diving cited in 24 Hours in Cyberspace by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt|access-date=2008-12-12|publisher=QUE Macmillan|isbn=978-0-7897-0925-7|author1=Smolan, Rick|author2=Erwitt, Jennifer|year=1996}}</ref>

Founded in 1992 the L0pht quickly became a location for its members to store their computer hardware and work on various projects.<ref name="newshour">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/cyberspace/jan-june98/l0pht_hackers.html|title=Online NewsHour: L0pht on Hackers|website=[[PBS]] |date=1998-05-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000311135015/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/cyberspace/jan-june98/l0pht_hackers.html |archive-date=2000-03-11}}</ref><ref name="Forbes">{{cite news |date=7 Feb 2000 |title=Space Rogue |url=https://www.forbes.com/2000/02/07/penenberg_0207.html#2692fae510da |work=[[Forbes]] |location=USA |access-date=18 Dec 2017}}</ref> In time, the members of L0pht quit their day jobs to start a business venture named L0pht Heavy Industries, a hacker [[think tank]]. The business released numerous security advisories. They also produced widely used software tools such as [[L0phtCrack]], a [[password cracking|password cracker]] for [[Windows NT]], a [[POCSAG]] decoder, and CD software collections.

In 1997, on August 8–10, [[Peiter Zatko|Mudge]], Brian Oblivion, Kingpin, Space Rogue, Stefan, Weld Pond, and John Tan of '''L0pht''' discussed recent projects and accomplishments, Windows NT, new projects, emerging trends and shortcomings in technologies, with Q&A session at [[Hackers on Planet Earth#Conferences|Beyond HOPE]] at the Puck Building in New York City.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/IHhniy9zPoQ Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20141015153039/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHhniy9zPoQ Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHhniy9zPoQ|title=Beyond HOPE: The L0pht (Complete)|last=mhzghz2|date=25 July 2012|access-date=24 July 2018|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In October 1999 L0pht was featured in a lengthy article in the ''[[New York Times]]'' ''Sunday Magazine''.<ref name="Times">{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/03/magazine/hack-counterhack.html?scp=2&sq=l0pht%20heavy&st=cse
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016141033/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/03/magazine/hack-counterhack.html?scp=2&sq=l0pht%20heavy&st=cse
|archive-date=16 October 2015
|title=HacK, CouNterHaCk|date=1999-10-03
|author=Bruce Gottlieb
|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In the article [[Jeffrey Hunker]], NSC's then Director of Information Protection, said about L0pht, "Their objective is basically to help improve the state of the art in security and to be a gadfly, so to speak."

In January 2000, L0pht Heavy Industries merged with the startup [[@stake]], completing the L0pht's slow transition from an underground organization into a "[[whitehat]]" computer security company.<ref name="infoworld">{{cite web|url=http://www.infoworld.com/articles/ic/xml/00/01/07/000107icstake.html|title=Odd coupling links hackers with security firm|date=2000-01-07 |
archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041116162703/http://www.infoworld.com/articles/ic/xml/00/01/07/000107icstake.html |archive-date=2004-11-16}}</ref> [[NortonLifeLock|Symantec]] announced its acquisition of @stake on September 16, 2004, and completed the transaction on October 8 of that year.<ref name="Symantec">{{cite web |url=http://www.symantec.com/press/2004/n041008.html |title=Symantec Completes @stake Acquisition |date=2004-10-08 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041009230742/http://www.symantec.com/press/2004/n041008.html |archive-date=2004-10-09}}</ref>

In March 2006, Weld Pond and Dildog founded application security company [[Veracode]] as a spin out from Symantec. The Veracode static binary analysis technology was built at @stake, based on prototypes and ideas incubated at the L0pht.

On March 14, 2008, several members of L0pht sat at a panel at a standing-room-only group of infosec professionals at SOURCE:Boston. Present were Weld Pond, John Tan, Mudge,  Space Rogue, Silicosis and Dildog.<ref name="sourceboston">{{cite web
|url=http://www.sourceboston.com/blog/?p=27
|title=SOURCE:Boston L0pht Panel on the SOURCE:Boston blog
|access-date=2008-03-14
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621032722/http://www.sourceboston.com/blog/?p=27
|archive-date=2008-06-21
}}</ref>