But then, it is supposed, the meaning of the term shifted over the decades and came to refer to computer criminals.Īs the security-related usage has spread more widely, the original meaning has become less known. The controversy is usually based on the assertion that the term originally meant someone messing about with something in a positive sense, that is, using playful cleverness to achieve a goal. While the self-designation of hobbyists as hackers is generally acknowledged and accepted by computer security hackers, people from the programming subculture consider the computer intrusion related usage incorrect, and emphasize the difference between the two by calling security breakers "crackers" (analogous to a safecracker). This usage has become so predominant that the general public is largely unaware that different meanings exist. This includes what hacker slang calls "script kiddies", people breaking into computers using programs written by others, with very little knowledge about the way they work. Today, mainstream usage of "hacker" mostly refers to computer criminals, due to the mass media usage of the word since the 1980s. And fourth, state-sponsored attacks provide nation states with both wartime and intelligence collection options conducted on, in, or through cyberspace.
Third, corporate espionage allows companies to acquire information on products or services that can be stolen or used as leverage within the marketplace. Second, many hackers thrive off of increasing their reputation within the hacker subculture and will leave their handles on websites they defaced or leave some other evidence as proof that they were involved in a specific hack.
First, there is a criminal financial gain to be had when hacking systems with the specific purpose of stealing credit card numbers or manipulating banking systems. While "hacker" can refer to any skilled computer programmer, the term has become associated in popular culture with a "security hacker", someone who, with their technical knowledge, uses bugs or exploits to break into computer systems.įour primary motives have been proposed as possibilities for why hackers attempt to break into computers and networks. A computer hacker is any skilled computer expert that uses their technical knowledge to overcome a problem.
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