a hacker is someone who seeks and exploits weaknesses in a computer system or computer network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, challenge or enjoyment.[1] The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground and is now a known community.[2] While other uses of the word hacker exist that are not related to compu
ter security, such as referring to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks,[3] they are rarely used in mainstream context. They are subject to the longstanding hacker definition controversy about the term's true meaning. In this controversy, the term hacker is reclaimed by computer programmers who argue that someone who breaks into computers, whether computer criminal (black hats) or computer security expert (white hats),[4] is more appropriately called a cracker
he Jargon File contains a bunch of definitions of the term ‘hacker’, most having to do with technical adeptness and a delight in solving problems and overcoming limits. If you want to know how to become a hacker, though, only two are really relevant. There is a community, a shared culture, of expert programmers and networking wizards that traces its history back through decades to the first time-sharing minicomputers and the earliest ARPAnet experiments. Hackers built the Internet. Hackers made the Unix operating system what it is today. Hackers make the World Wide Web work. If you are part of this culture, if you have contributed to it and other people in it know who you are and call you a hacker, you're a hacker.About Hacking
'You may be wondering what is hacking all about. We're going to tell you all about hacking and its possible effects on your business.'
Hacking, as it was traditionally known, was the art of understanding something technical, building something, or even chopping something to bits, however in recent years it has become more known as the act of someone (ie. a Hacker) illegally breaking into a computer system or device. Why do hackers hack ? Some do it for fun, or to teach themselves more about hacking or to gain elite status amongst their peers, but most have something more sinister in mind. By breaking into systems, they aim to collect information about users, staff and businesses in order to steal money through corporate espionage or by carrying out identity theft. More recently, hackers claim to be carrying out the attacks due to moral reasons, targeting financial institutions due to the excessive pay of directors, companies who don't pay their fair share of tax or due to other political / religious reasons. What can a hacker do to my business ? If you do not employ proper controls and processes to protect your business, it is very likely that your business can be damaged severely, either through downtime (denial of service attack), loss of sensitive data, theft of intellectual property, or reputational damage.
