What is a hacker?

[nsane.forums]

The definition for the term hacker is as elusive as those who earn the moniker. Find out from the accepted source what a hacker really is.

If you don't know exactly what a hacker is, join the club. Many people don't understand the term or its true implications. The meaning has changed a bit over the years and through the evolution of the Internet. In the most familiar sense, a hacker is anyone who attempts to break into computer systems by surreptitious means. But, as you'll see, there's more to being a hacker than simply trying to steal a password or break into someone's Facebook account.

There are hackers who work for large companies whose purpose is to protect the companies for whom they work. There are hackers who hack for the pure pleasure of hacking. There are hacktivists who hack to protest corporate or political policy. There are hackers who get paid to hack accounts, passwords, CAPTCHA and other lucrative targets. And, there are those hackers who just want to exploit, embarrass and expose. They're all hackers.

The word hacker still carries negative connotations because good hackers are never profiled in movies, TV, book and other media forms. To deflect some of this negative perception, hackers attempted to create a related term: cracker. Hackers coined cracker as a reaction to journalists who misrepresented all hackers as criminals. You hardly hear the term cracker anymore related to computer system compromises. It never really caught on as an alternative term for those with unsavory intentions.

Hacker now refers to anyone, regardless of intention or perspective, who attempts to compromise computer systems.

Perhaps the best place to glean a definition of this obscure term is from Eric Raymond's now famous Jargon File:

hacker n.

[originally, someone who makes furniture with an axe]

1. 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. RFC1392, the Internet Users' Glossary, usefully amplifies this as: A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in particular.

2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming.

3. A person capable of appreciating hack value.

4. A person who is good at programming quickly.

5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it; as in 'a Unix hacker'. (Definitions 1 through 5 are correlated, and people who fit them congregate.)

6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker, for example.

7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations.

8. [deprecated] 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.

The term 'hacker' also tends to connote membership in the global community defined by the net (see the network. For discussion of some of the basics of this culture, see the How To Become A Hacker FAQ. It also implies that the person described is seen to subscribe to some version of the hacker ethic (see hacker ethic).

It is better to be described as a hacker by others than to describe oneself that way. Hackers consider themselves something of an elite (a meritocracy based on ability), though one to which new members are gladly welcome. There is thus a certain ego satisfaction to be had in identifying yourself as a hacker (but if you claim to be one and are not, you'll quickly be labeled bogus). See also geek, wannabee.

This term seems to have been first adopted as a badge in the 1960s by the hacker culture surrounding TMRC and the MIT AI Lab. We have a report that it was used in a sense close to this entry's by teenage radio hams and electronics tinkerers in the mid-1950s.

After seeing the definition, do you want to be a hacker?

As with any specialized field, hacking has its own language and culture. To be brought into that culture, you have to prove yourself worthy. It's the same for any IT-related field. Everyone thinks of himself as an expert and everyone else is out to prove him wrong. The hacking subculture is more harsh than mainstream IT in the "prove yourself" category.

If you don't want to risk your freedom to prove yourself, my advice is to study ethical hacking at one of the online sites or to purchase a book on the topic. In an ethical hacking course, you'll learn the tools, techniques, methods and ethics of a true security professional. By learning in a formal atmosphere, you'll gain experience without the risk associated with certain types of penetration (pen) testing.

Remember that the only difference in ethical hacking and unethical/illegal hacking is that person who performs the attacks does so with authorization by the target. Always do so with authorization. There's money to be made doing so and the only time you'll spend behind bars is when you're moonlighting as a bartender working your way through the Ethical Hacker coursework.

View: Original Article

[toyo]

I'm sorry but these guys got it wrong. A cracker is one that breaks/circumvents different security protocols, usually used correlated with applications, not networking.

People that mess with sites and networks and gain unauthorised access to server resources are hackers, even if they're the lame kind that only knows to exploit MySQL holes.

At least this is how I see it.

[shought]

@toyo

I agree, but what other kind did you have in mind? I mean hacking into a system will require either brute-forcing the passwords (which requires little skill, but a lot of time), finding out some password and then gradually gaining more access through social engineering or exploiting some kind of vulnerability (whether apparent in the actual server software (MySQL, Apache, PHP, etc.) or found in the actual 'program' written by the administrator ('the website')). Hacking is really just being smart and knowing how things work, whether you know how to use a brute-forcing tool, how to 'use' humans or how to 'use' a vulnerability.

-----

On a more general note:

I believe the distinction between 'server, software and website' has faded away. I mean really they are all the same, but on different levels. A server is usually a VPS, which consists of an OS and its 'applications' (all software), after that you have a webserver, a Database server (for instance MySQL) and/or a 'dynamic language interpreter' (such as PHP) (again all software) and last but not least we have the actual website, which is again just a collection of code so yet again we could refer to this as 'software'. Granted, all at 'different levels', but it's all software.

This faded distinction makes it harder to make a distinction between a hacker or a cracker. A script kiddie is another story though.

[HX1]

I have not read the full article above... but by definition as I was always told and perceived... Unless your in a ball dragging contest with someone else who is full of themselves and their accomplishments.. throwing around attitude and for some reason having to tell people you are because otherwise they would not notice.. and usually through that one perspective.. Uhh hmm.. :)

A hacker is anyone, regardless of area of expertise.. who can alter the intended design of any part of a system or program... Now you can call it a Hobbyist, Reverse Engineering, Anti-Sec...Security Analyst... Modder, geek...programmer.. anything you want.. but to cause a deviation to occur from its original design is the act of hacking. Calling yourself a hacker for some could come under certain levels of accomplishments. To me it would not be necessary to call yourself a hacker unless you basically alter most of everything you use.. and using readily available items such as Fx Extensions.. is not really a hack.. nor changing settings which are already present. A Hacker codes it themselves and make the changes themselves.. You don't necessarily have to be a part of some group of elitist or a hero either.. As far as causing another system to deviate.. then you have the same applicable definitions. There are different skill sets and experience levels out there as well.. You would have to be around for a long time to cover everything.. and this post would go on for days

[toyo]

Had in mind the kind that doesn't need to find 0-day vulnerabilities on forums and read tutorials on how to use them, but codes his tools by himself and has a large pool of knowledge about how computing systems work :P I knew 2 of these guys, UNIX specialists, both whitehats so to say, used to hack-proof the university network (very big responsibility, back then it used to be the speediest and most complex thing in town, dunno about it now). Anyway, these guys were capable of smart programming and did not need outside help to hack whatever network. Actually I'm quite curious what became of them, it's been more than 10 years and so many things changed since then...

[Ambrocious]

I prefer this definition of hacker/crackers: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html

[shought]

Had in mind the kind that doesn't need to find 0-day vulnerabilities on forums and read tutorials on how to use them, but codes his tools by himself and has a large pool of knowledge about how computing systems work :P I knew 2 of these guys, UNIX specialists, both whitehats so to say, used to hack-proof the university network (very big responsibility, back then it used to be the speediest and most complex thing in town, dunno about it now). Anyway, these guys were capable of smart programming and did not need outside help to hack whatever network. Actually I'm quite curious what became of them, it's been more than 10 years and so many things changed since then...

But what tools are you talking about? I mean the 'idealized' world described in modern television series where 'hackers' hack into server by 'bypassing the firewall' or 'turning bits' is fake, it's simply not that simple and you do need someone to make a stupid mistake (possibly caused by your social engineering) or a vulnerability that hasn't been patched.

The simple fact is that if a server is properly secured and the ways users are able to interact with the database are properly 'locked down' you can't hack into it. Even if there is a vulnerability in PHP or MySQL the 'hacker' would have to be able to execute PHP or MySQL code, which would mean there was already a vulnerability in the website itself. A vulnerability in the webserver could however allow a malicious user direct access to some files, but these vulnerabilities are very rare (vulnerabilities which allow a malicious user to 'take down' or slow down the server are more common).

'Anyway, these guys were capable of smart programming and did not need outside help to hack whatever network.'

I'd be happy to let them try :P

[HX1]

Shhh.. shhh.. shhhhhhhhh... :mellow: :sneaky: :angry: -_-

[toyo]

You'd probably have to pay them big bucks only to take a look at the site, they should work for some big companies by now, they were head-hunted like crazy. Or maybe they're just doing something else and forgot everything about Internetz :)

I only know 3 people I can be pretty sure that were geniuses (each one being the mathematical kind) and these guys were 2 of them.

These modern sites (like ours) can only stand against moderately talented script kiddiez, any serious hacker could infiltrate them easily, especially with the help of social engineering. They're full of code from X sources that's supposed to work flawlessly together, each adding a new layer of possible vulnerabilities. The news are full with hacks of some kind, sites big and small without discrimination are victims.

At least this is my opinion.

[shought]

These modern sites (like ours) can only stand against moderately talented script kiddiez, any serious hacker could infiltrate them easily, especially with the help of social engineering. They're full of code from X sources that's supposed to work flawlessly together, each adding a new layer of possible vulnerabilities. The news are full with hacks of some kind, sites big and small without discrimination are victims.

Meh, if I say no to this then it's like I'm calling people out to try and hack our site, not a good move :P

I'll send u a PM instead :rolleyes: :D

[HX1]

Noooooo... :lmao: LOL

[toyo]

I hate the privacy thing too :P

I'll expose EVERYTHING later... not :D

[HX1]

HEY .. I told you about that webcam mister... <---shaking finger.. and all those nudes... LOL.. I am exposing everything later.. Pffft.. j/k Besides that we'll have use effects and zoom .. :lmao: