What is hacking? Introduction to Hacking

What is hacking? Introduction to Hacking
1.originally, someone who makes furniture with
an axe1. 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.
2. One whoprograms enthusiastically (even
obsessively) or who enjoys programming
rather than just theorizing about programming.
3. Aperson 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.
One who breaks security on a system. Coined ca.
1985 by hackers
in defense against journalistic misuse of hacker
(q.v., sense . An
earlier attempt to establish ‘worm’ in this sense
around 1981–82
on Usenet was largely a failure.
Use of both these neologisms reflects a strong
revulsion against
the theft and vandalism perpetrated by cracking
rings. While it is
expected that any real hacker will have done
some playful cracking
and knows many of the basic techniques, anyone
past larval stage
is expected to have outgrown the desire to do so
except for immediate,
benign, practical reasons (for example, if it’s
necessary to get
around some security in order to get some work
done).
Thus, there is far less overlap between
hackerdom and crackerdom
than the mundane reader misled by
sensationalistic journalism
might expect. Crackers tend to gather in small,
tight-knit,
very secretive groups that have little overlap with
the huge, open
poly-culture this lexicon describes; though
crackers often like to
describe themselves as hackers, most true
hackers consider them a
separate and lower form of life.
It’s clear that the term cracker is absolutely
meant to be derogatory. One
shouldn’t take the tone too seriously though, as
The Jargon File is done with a
sense of humor, and the above is said with a
smile. As we can see from the
above, illegal or perhaps immoral activity is
viewed with disdain by the “true
hackers,” whomever they may be. It also makes
reference to cracker being a
possible intermediate step to hacker, perhaps
something to be overcome.
The term script kiddie has come into vogue in
recent years. The term refers to
crackers who use scripts and programs written
by others to perform their intrusions.
If one is labeled a “script kiddie,” then he or she
is assumed to be incapable
of producing his or her own tools and exploits,
and lacks proper
understanding of exactly how the tools he or she
uses work. As will be apparent
by the end of this chapter, skill and knowledge
(and secondarily, ethics) are the
essential ingredients to achieving status in the
minds of hackers. By definition,
a script kiddie has no skills, no knowledge, and
no ethics.
A phreak is a hacker variant, or rather, a specific
species of hacker. Phreak is
short for phone phreak (freak spelled with a ph,
like phone is). Phreaks are
hackers with an interest in telephones and
telephone systems. Naturally, there
has been at times a tremendous amount of
overlap between traditional hacker
roles and phreaks.
White Hat hackers are good guys who does the
hacking for defensing. They probably work an
organization for providing security.
Black hat hackers are bad guys(the malicious
hackers or crackers). They usually steal the
other bank information and steal the money.
They use their skills for illegal purposes.
They are creators of viruses,malware,spyware.
They will destroy your pc.
Grey hats are hackers who may work offensively
or defensively, depending on the situation.
This is the dividing line between hacker and
cracker. Both are powerful forces on the Internet,
and both will remain permanently. And some
individuals qualify for both categories. The
existence of such individuals further clouds the
division between these two groups of people.
In addition to these groups, there are self-
proclaimed ethical hackers, who are interested in
hacker tools mostly from a curiosity standpoint.
They may want to highlight security problems
in a system or educate victims so they secure
their systems properly. These hackers are
doing their “victims” a favor. For instance, if a
weakness is discovered in a service offered by
an investment bank, the hacker is doing the
bank a favor by giving the bank a chance to
rectify
the vulnerability.
Cracker
Script Kiddie
Phreak
WHITE HAT/BLACK HAT/GRAY HAT
White Hat Hacker:
Black Hat Hacker
Gray Hat Hackers