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hacker2
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| Hackers and Crackers |
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| Warriors of the Web |
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| Here are the findings of my research. Considering modern crime, computer hacking is a relatively recent yet extremely problematic activity. But hacking is also greatly misunderstood. Movies and media portrey the hacking community as evil, aggressive inflitrators that coldly and intentionally intrude systems to inflict as much damage on the host as possible. For some this may be true, but not in most cases. Curiousity is motive for most "hackers". But what really is a hacker? In a broad non techie enviroment, the term "hacker" is used to describe any computer over-enthusiast, or a criminal who hacks (gains unauthorized access) to computer systems to steal or destroy data. Among professional programmers, the term "hacker" implies an amateur or a programmer who lacks formal training. Depending on how its used, the term can be either complimentary or derogatory, although it is developing an increasingly derogatory connotation. The sense of "hacker" is becoming more prominent mainly because the popular press has used the term to refer to individuals who gain unauthorized access to computer system to corrupt data. Hackers, themselves, maintain that the proper term for such individuals is "cracker". This term "cracker" was coined in the mid-80s by hackers who wanted to differentiate themselves whose sole purpose is to sneak through security systems. Whereas "crackers" sole aim is to break into secure systems, hackers are more interested in gaining knowledge about computer systems and possibly using this knowledge for playful pranks. Although hackers still argue that there is a big difference between what they do and what crackers do, the mass media has failed to understand the distinction, so the two terms- "hack" and "crack"- are often used interchangeably. Hackers sure have done their share of damage, though. A vast number of networks, websites, databses, and systems have been the victim at the hands of a hacker. Government sites seem to be a favorite target for some hackers. These breeches in online security can be very serious. Problems include a San Francisco man accused of collecting 100,000 credit card numbers from a major Internet provider. In 1995, some Russian hackers were charged with stealing more than 10 million dollars from a Citibank electronic money transfer system. The most famous and notorious cracker of all is a man named Kevin Mitnick. Companies targeted by the notorious have claimed that Kevin's illegal forays inside their networks cost them over 300 million dollars. The estimate represents combined losses of his victims who include NEC, Motorola, Nokia, and Sun Microsystems. It has become so rampant that both large and small organizations, including the U.S. Government have spent millions to beef up the security of their system to protect against hacking and cracking. Links; http://www.antionline.com/ http://www.2600.com/ http://www.hacktown.com/ |
 alamb76@aol.com |
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