Difference between revisions of "Hacker"
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Crackers who act with criminal intent are known as "black hat" hackers. Crackers who don't have a criminal intent (e.g., those paid by software companies to research security issues or investigate new computer viruses) are referred to as "white hat". | Crackers who act with criminal intent are known as "black hat" hackers. Crackers who don't have a criminal intent (e.g., those paid by software companies to research security issues or investigate new computer viruses) are referred to as "white hat". | ||
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* [[Cyber-terrorism]] | * [[Cyber-terrorism]] | ||
* [[Charlie Hebdo]] | * [[Charlie Hebdo]] | ||
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<references/> | <references/> | ||
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Revision as of 15:04, June 23, 2016
A hacker can be defined as a person who solves problems in clever ways, especially regarding computer programming and hardware engineering.[1] The term is often used to denote "security cracker", since hackers most frequently appear in the news involving computer security breaches.
Hacking may refer to a number of activities, both legal and illegal. These include:
- "Digital lock-picking", or (illegally) breaking into computer systems; this is also referred to as "cracking", and is the most well known form of hacking
- Modifying software or hardware in order to violate copyright law or software licensing agreements (this is also referred to as "cracking" and "piracy")
- Modifying software or hardware for extra functionality or performance
- Creating software or devices to solve problems
- Using an existing computer system in an unusual, clever way to solve a problem
- Staging pranks
Hackers act for a variety of reasons, ranging from curiosity and bragging rights to personal gain or vandalism.
Crackers who act with criminal intent are known as "black hat" hackers. Crackers who don't have a criminal intent (e.g., those paid by software companies to research security issues or investigate new computer viruses) are referred to as "white hat".