What is Hacking?
• Unauthorized use of computer and network resources.
• “Hacker” originally meant a very gifted programmer.
• Hacking is a felony in the US and most other countries.
• When it is done by request and under a contract between an ethical hacker and an organization, it is OK!
• The difference is that the ethical hacker has authorization to probe the target.
• “The number of really gifted hackers in the world is very small, but there are lots of wannabes…”(-Dr. Charles C. Palmer, IBM)
Definitions
Hacker:
A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.
One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming.
A malicious meddler who tries to discover sensitive information by poking around. Hence `password hacker', `network hacker'. The correct term for this sense is cracker.
Cracker:
One who breaks security on a system. Coined ca. 1985 by hackers in defense against journalistic misuse of hacker.
An earlier attempt to establish `worm' in this sense around 1981--82 on Usenet was largely a failure.
…though crackers often like to describe themselves as hackers, most true hackers consider them a separate and lower form of life.
Who hacks?
• Hackers in Eastern Europe hacked about 1 million credit card numbers from 40 financial companies in the United States in 2003 alone.
• 64% of companies suffered losses from hackers’ activities.
• More serious offenders, able to cause damage to a system, are known as hackers.
Who cracks?
• There are 3 groups of crackers:
• Vandals: hack computer systems for destruction (deleting files).
• Jokers: the most harmless; hacking systems and carrying in different sounds, noises, and visual effects.
• Breakers: professional criminals commit hacking of computer systems with the purpose of money theft, industrial or commercial espionage, and thefts of expensive software.
