Hacking

Hacking, more accurately referred to as cracking, typically refers to the act of penetrating a computer system or network. Hacking also may refer to a number of other activities, both legal and illegal. These include:

• Modifying software or hardware in order to violate copyright law or software licensing agreements (this is also referred to as "cracking" and "piracy")
• Modifying software or hardware for extra functionality or performance
• Creating software or devices to solve problems
• Using an existing computer system in an unusual, clever way to solve a problem
• Staging pranks

Hackers act for a variety of reasons, ranging from curiosity and bragging rights to personal gain or vandalism.

Crackers who act with criminal intent are known as "black hat" hackers. Crackers who don't have a criminal intent (e.g., those paid by software companies to research security issues or investigate new computer viruses) are referred to as "white hat".

See also

• Cyber-terrorism
• Internet Crime
• Metasploit Project