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Contents� 1 Food� 2 People� 3 Objects� 4 Computing� 5 Entertainment� 6 Sport� 7 Other� 8 See alsoFood [ edit ]� Cracker (food), a type of biscuit, usually salted or savouryPeople [ edit ]� Cracker (pejorative), a slang, sometimes abusive term for any European white person� Florida cracker, a Florida native descended from early pioneer settlers� Georgia cracker, a Georgia native descended from early pioneer settlers� Safe cracker, a person that opens a safeObjects [ edit ]� Cat cracker, equipment for breaking down complex organic molecules� Christmas cracker, a traditional British Christmas toy or decoration� Cracker, a length of twine or string at the end of a whip that produces the cracking sound� Firecracker, a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a loud noiseComputing [ edit ]� Cracker, or Hacker (computer security), a person who exploits weaknesses in a computer or network� Cracker, a person who uses password cracking to recover passwords� Cracker, a person who uses software cracking to modify a programEntertainment [ edit ]� Cracker (band), an American rock band� Cracker (album), their first album� Cracker (comic), a British children's comic� Cracker (UK TV series), a television crime drama series� Cracker (U.S.

TV series), the U.S. remake of the British television series� Crackers (1984 film), an American film starring Sean Penn� Crackers (1998 film), an Australian film� Crackers (2011 film), a Bollywood film� The Crackers, a 1968 pseudonym of the band The Merseybeats� Sonic Crackers, an April 1994 prototype version of what would become Knuckles' Chaotix� Crackers (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends)� Crackers International, an EP released by Erasure in 1988, in between security crackers albums The Innocents and Wild!� Crackers (Captain Underpants), comic book character� Crackers: The Christmas Party Album, an album by the British glam rock band Slade� Crackers (song), a 1980 song by Barbara MandrellSport [ edit ]� Atlanta Black Crackers, a professional baseball team which played in the Negro League� Atlanta Crackers, an American baseball team from Atlanta, GeorgiaOther [ edit ]� Cracker (mountain), a mountain peak in Glacier National Park, Montana� Cracker (benchmark), its benchmark summit� Cracker, an industrial plant in which the chemical process of cracking takes place� Hamadryas (butterfly), or crackers, a genus of brush-footed butterfliesSee also [ edit ]� Crack (disambiguation)� Cracking (disambiguation)� Crackerjack (disambiguation)� Craker� Operation CrackersThis disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Cracker.If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. � This page was last modified on 16 September 2016, at 14:35.� Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ;additional terms may apply.

By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia� is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.� Privacy policy� About Wikipedia� Disclaimers� Contact Wikipedia� Developers� Cookie statement� Mobile view�� Malicious person who attempts or breaks into a secure computer system, with the intent of stealing or destroying information or disabling the system. Crackers are sophisticated, well equipped criminals, whereas bright young programmers looking for a challenge are called ' hackers' because of the absence of criminal intent. � cracking� debugging� molecular sieve� cost of cracking adjustment (COCA)� duplex stainless steel� catalytic cracking� computer emergency response team (CERT)� system access� ferritic stainless steels� dermatitis � covered positio.� covered put� covering� Cox, Ingersoll.� Cox, Ross, & Ru.� CP Index� CPA exam� cpm� cracker� cracking� cradle to grave� craft union� Craigslist� crash� crash coverage� Crash of 1929� Crash of 1987 As a member, you can:� View usage examples� Save your favorite terms� Manage your subscriptions� Receive Term of the Day emails� Get help and show off your knowledge in our Questions & Answers forum!Already have an account?

Login When logged in, you can:� View usage examples� Save your favorite terms� Manage your subscriptions� Receive Term of the Day emails� Get help and show off your knowledge in our Questions & Answers forum! � Security Products� PC Tools Internet Security� PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus� PC Tools Spyware Doctor� PC Tools AntiVirus Free� ThreatFire� iAntiVirus for Mac OS X� PC Tools Firewall Plus� Utility Software� PC Tools Performance Toolkit� PC Tools Registry Mechanic� PC Tools Simple Backup� PC Tools File Recover� PC Tools Privacy Guardian� RoboForm Pro� GoodSync Pro� Support� Company�� Login A cracker (also known as a black hat hacker) is an individual with extensive computer knowledge whose purpose is to breach or bypass internet security or gain access to software without paying royalties.

The general view is that, while hackers build things, crackers break things. Cracker is the name given to hackers who break into computers for criminal gain; whereas, hackers can also be internet security experts hired to find vulnerabilities in systems.

These hackers are also known as white hat hackers. Crackers� motivations can range from profit, a cause they believe in, general maliciousness or just because they like the challenge. They may steal credit card numbers, leave viruses, destroy files or collect personal information to sell.Crackers can also refer to those who reverse engineer software and modify it for their own amusement.

The most common way crackers gain access to networks or systems is through social engineering, whereby the cracker contacts employees at a company and tricks them into divulging passwords and other information that allows a cracker to gain access. Search for:� Recent Posts� �Unhackable� Code?

Try a Stronger Password.� Natural Disasters Can Also Cause Damage to Your Computer� Organizing Your Computer: Refresh for Fall� Malware That Fakes Hard Drive Failure� Mobile Malware Making the Rounds in 2011� Recent Comments� dorrie on Bin Laden Story Brings an Abundance of Malware� Sean Young on Warning: New rogue antivirus � ThinkPoint� PC Tools on Top 5 Fake Security Applications in the 1st Quarter of 2011� Mr Zoolook on The FBI and the Case of the YouTube Crazy� Ringman on Top 5 Fake Security Applications in the 1st Quarter of 2011� Tag Cloud anonymous antivirus black hat SEO botnet businesses capacitors computer virus cybercrime cyberwarfare economy facebook fake av foreign hackers fraud google hackers hacktivism identity theft internet security koobface law malware online shopping password security phishing politics removal guide reports rogue antivirus scams scareware search engine poisoning SEO poisoning social engineering social media social media malware social networking spam tips trends trojan Twitter virus worm zeus � Security Software� PC Tools Internet Security� PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus� PC Tools Spyware Doctor� ThreatFire� Browser Defender� Utility Software� PC Tools Performance Toolkit� PC Tools Registry Mechanic� PC Tools Simple Backup� PC Tools File Recover� PC Tools Privacy Guardian� RoboForm Pro� GoodSync Pro� Links� Adware Glossary� Spyware Disputes� Malware� Submit Spyware� Security News� Company� About Us� Awards� Labs� News� Partners � Security Products� PC Tools Internet Security� PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus� PC Tools Spyware Doctor� PC Tools AntiVirus Free� ThreatFire� iAntiVirus for Mac OS X� PC Tools Firewall Plus� Utility Software� PC Tools Performance Toolkit� PC Tools Registry Mechanic� PC Tools Simple Backup� PC Tools File Recover� PC Tools Privacy Guardian� RoboForm Pro� GoodSync Pro� Support� Company�� Login A cracker (also known as a black hat hacker) is an individual with extensive computer knowledge whose purpose is to breach or bypass internet security or gain access to software without paying royalties.

The general view is that, while hackers build things, crackers break things. Cracker is the name given to hackers who break into computers for criminal gain; whereas, hackers can also be internet security experts hired to find vulnerabilities in systems. These hackers are also known as white hat hackers. Crackers� motivations can range from profit, a cause they believe in, general maliciousness or just because they like the challenge.

They may steal credit card numbers, leave viruses, destroy files or collect personal information to sell.Crackers can also refer to those who reverse engineer software and modify it for their own amusement.

The most common way crackers gain access to networks or systems is through social engineering, whereby the cracker contacts employees at a company and tricks them into divulging passwords and other information that allows a cracker to gain access. Search for:� Recent Posts� �Unhackable� Code? Try a Stronger Password.� Natural Disasters Can Also Cause Damage to Your Computer� Organizing Your Computer: Refresh for Fall� Malware That Fakes Hard Drive Failure� Mobile Malware Making the Rounds in 2011� Recent Comments� dorrie on Bin Laden Story Brings an Abundance of Malware� Sean Young on Warning: New rogue antivirus � ThinkPoint� PC Tools on Top 5 Fake Security Applications in the 1st Quarter of 2011� Mr Zoolook on The FBI and the Case of the YouTube Crazy� Ringman on Top 5 Fake Security Applications in the 1st Quarter of 2011� Tag Cloud anonymous antivirus black hat SEO botnet businesses capacitors computer virus cybercrime cyberwarfare economy facebook fake av foreign hackers fraud google hackers hacktivism identity theft internet security koobface law malware online shopping password security phishing politics removal guide reports rogue antivirus scams scareware search engine poisoning SEO poisoning social engineering social media social media malware social networking spam tips trends trojan Twitter virus worm zeus � Security Software� PC Tools Internet Security� PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus� PC Tools Spyware Doctor� ThreatFire� Browser Defender� Utility Software� PC Tools Performance Toolkit� PC Tools Registry Mechanic� PC Tools Simple Backup� PC Tools File Recover� PC Tools Privacy Guardian� RoboForm Pro� GoodSync Pro� Links� Adware Glossary� Spyware Disputes� Malware� Submit Spyware� Security News� Company� About Us� Awards� Labs� News� Partners This article is part of a series onComputer hackingHistory� Phreaking� CryptovirologyHacker ethic� Hacker Manifesto� Black hat� Grey hat� White hatConferences� Black Hat Briefings� DEF CON� Chaos Communication CongressComputer crime� Crimeware� List of computer criminals� Script kiddieHacking tools� Vulnerability� Exploit� PayloadMalware� Rootkit� Backdoor� Trojan horse� Virus� Worm� Spyware� Botnet� Keystroke logging� Antivirus software� Firewall� HIDSComputer security� Application security� Network securityGroups� Hacker group � v� t� eIn the computer security context, a security 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, enjoyment, [1] or to evaluate those weaknesses to assist in removing them. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground.

[2]There is a longstanding controversy about the term's true meaning. In this controversy, the term hacker is reclaimed by computer programmers who argue that it refers simply to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks, [3] and that cracker is the more appropriate term for those who break into computers, whether computer criminal ( black hats) or computer security expert ( white hats) [4] [5] - but a recent article concluded that: ".the black-hat meaning still prevails among the general public".

[6] [ tone] Contents� 1 History� 2 Classifications� 2.1 White hat� 2.2 Black hat� 2.3 Grey hat� 2.4 Elite hacker� 2.5 Script kiddie� 2.6 Neophyte� 2.7 Blue hat� 2.8 Hacktivist� 2.9 Nation state� 2.10 Organized criminal gangs� 3 Attacks� 3.1 Security exploits� 3.2 Techniques� 4 Notable intruders and criminal hackers� 5 Notable security hackers� 6 Customs� 6.1 Hacker groups and conventions� 7 Consequences for malicious hacking� 7.1 India� 7.2 Netherlands� 7.3 United States� 8 Hacking and the media� 8.1 Hacker magazines� 8.2 Hackers in fiction� 8.2.1 Books� 8.2.2 Films� 8.3 Non-fiction books� 9 See also� 10 References� 11 Further reading� 12 External linksHistory Bruce Sterling, author of The Hacker CrackdownIn computer security, a hacker is someone who focuses on security mechanisms of computer and network systems.

While including those who endeavor to strengthen such mechanisms, it is more often used by the mass media and popular culture to refer to those who seek access despite these security measures. That is, the media portrays the 'hacker' as a villain. Nevertheless, parts of the subculture see their aim in correcting security problems and use the word in a positive sense. White hat is the name given to ethical computer hackers, who utilize hacking in a helpful way.

White hats are becoming a necessary part of the information security field. [7] They operate under a code, which acknowledges that breaking into other people's computers is bad, but that discovering and exploiting security mechanisms and breaking into computers is still an interesting activity that can be done ethically and legally.

Accordingly, the term bears strong connotations that are favorable or pejorative, depending on the context.The subculture around such hackers is termed network hacker subculture, hacker scene or computer underground. It initially developed in the context of phreaking during the 1960s and the microcomputer BBS scene of the 1980s. It is implicated with 2600: The Hacker Security crackers and the alt.2600 newsgroup.In 1980, an article in the August issue of Psychology Today (with commentary by Philip Zimbardo) used the term "hacker" in its title: "The Hacker Papers".

It was an excerpt from a Stanford Bulletin Board discussion on the addictive nature of computer use. In the 1982 film Tron, Kevin Flynn ( Jeff Bridges) security crackers his intentions to break into ENCOM's computer system, saying "I've been doing a little hacking here".

CLU is the software he uses for this. By 1983, hacking in the sense of breaking computer security had already been in use as computer jargon, [8] but there was no public awareness about such activities.

[9] However, the release of the film WarGames that year, featuring a computer intrusion into NORAD, raised the public belief that computer security hackers (especially teenagers) could be a threat to national security.

This concern became real when, in the same year, a gang of teenage hackers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, known as The 414s, broke into computer systems throughout the United States and Canada, including those of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Security Pacific Bank. [10] The case quickly grew media attention, [10] [11] and 17-year-old Neal Patrick emerged as the spokesman for the gang, including a cover story in Newsweek entitled "Beware: Hackers at play", with Patrick's photograph on the cover.

[12] The Newsweek article appears to be the first use of the word hacker by the mainstream media in the pejorative se�CXO�Cloud�Big Data�Security�Innovation� More�Software�Data Centers�Networking�Startups�Tech & Work�All Topics� Sections:�Photos�Videos�All Writers�� Newsletters� Forums� Resource Library� Tech Pro Free Trial� Editions: US� United States� Australia� United Kingdom� Japan�� Newsletters� Forums� Resource Library� Tech Pro Free Trial� �� Topics:�CXO�Cloud�Big Data�Security�Innovation�Software�Data Centers�Networking�Startups�Tech & Work�All Topics� Sections:�Photos�Videos�All Writers�� Newsletters� Forums� Resource Library� Tech Pro Free Trial� Editions: US� United States� Australia� United Kingdom� Japan� Membership Membership� The word "hacker" gets used in a pejorative sense by journalists an awful lot.

Some people think this is perfectly reasonable; others find it offensive, and recommend an alternative term for that meaning. Read on to find out why.ByChad Perrin |in IT Security,April 17, 2009, 6:20 AM PST In mainstream press, the word "hacker" is often used to refer to a malicious security cracker.

There is a classic definition of the term "hacker", arising from its first documented uses related to information technologies at MIT, that is at odds with the way the term is usually used by journalists. The inheritors of the technical tradition of the word "hacker" as it was used at MIT sometimes take offense at the sloppy use of the term by journalists and others who are influenced by journalistic inaccuracy.Some claim that the term has been unrecoverably corrupted, and acquired a new meaning that we should simply accept.

This descriptivist approach is predicated upon the assumption that there's no reasonable way to communicate effectively with the less technically minded without acquiescing to the nontechnical misuse of the term "hacker". I believe it's still useful to differentiate between hackers and security crackers, though, and that terms like "malicious security cracker" are sufficiently evocative and clear that their use actually helps make communication more effective than the common journalistic misuse of "hacker".I think it's useful to differentiate especially because there are many situations where "hack", and its conjugations, is the only effective term to describe something that has nothing to do with malicious violation of security measures or privacy.

When you simply accept that "hacker" means "malicious security cracker", you give up the ability to use the term to refer to anything else without potential confusion.Both are distinct from people whose interest in technical matters is purely professional, with no desire to learn anything about the subject at hand other than to advance a career and make a living.

Many hackers and security crackers turn their talents toward professional ends, of course, and some security crackers got where they are only through professional advancement, but one definitely need not have a professional interest to pursue the path of either a hacker or a security cracker.A hacker, in the classic sense of the term, is someone with a strong interest in how things work, who likes to tinker and create and modify things for the enjoyment of doing so. For some, it is a compulsion, while for others it is a means to an end that may lead them to greater understanding of something else entirely.

The RFC 1392: Internet Users' Glossary defines "hacker" as:A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the The Jargon Wiki's first definition for hacker says: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.A security cracker, meanwhile, is someone whose purpose is to circumvent or break security measures.

Some security crackers end up using their powers for good, providing penetration testing services or otherwise making efforts on the side of the angels. Many others use their powers for evil, however, as we are all too painfully aware. Both RFC 1392 and the Jargon Wiki provide definitions of "cracker" that support this use of the term.Maintaining distinct terms for distinct phenomena is an important aspect of communication, as demonstrated in the incident I described in Managers and technologists live in different worlds, where a company executive and I used the same term to refer to two different things and failed to communicate effectively as a result.

When two different phenomena acquire the same label, as in the case of hackers in the classic sense on one hand and malicious security crackers on the other, either something has to give or discussion is bound to suffer from confusion that could easily have been avoided.The more easily relabeled of the two uses of the term "hacker" is the malicious security cracker: it is not only the more recent phenomenon to acquire that label, but also the one whose meaning is most easily evoked by an alternative term.

This is why, when you read an article of mine that talks about malicious security craInformation Security Threats View All�Application Attacks -Information Security Threats�Denial of service�Email and messaging threats�Emerging threats�Enterprise Vulnerability Management�Identity Theft and Data Security Breaches�Incident response�Malware�Security Awareness Training and Internal Threats�Mobile device threats�Web Application and Web 2.0 Threats�Web server threats Application and Platform Security View All�Application attacks�Application Firewall Security�Database Security Management�Email Protection�Vulnerability management�Open source security�Operating System Security�Secure SaaS�Productivity applications�Social media security�Software development�Virtualization security�Web Security Tools and Best Practices Enterprise Data Protection View All�Data Analysis and Classification�Data Loss Prevention�Data Security and Cloud Computing�Database Security Management�Disk Encryption and File Encryption�Enterprise Data Governance�Data breaches and ID theft Information Security Management View All�Business management�Disaster recovery�Enterprise Compliance Management Strategy�Compliance software�Enterprise risk management�Incident response�Laws, investigations and ethics�Policies, procedures and guidelines�Conference coverage�Awareness training and insider threats�Market trends and predictions�Vendor management Information Security Threats View All�Application Attacks -Information Security Threats�Denial of service�Email and messaging threats�Emerging threats�Enterprise Vulnerability Management�Hacker tools and techniques�Identity Theft and Data Security Breaches�Incident response�Malware�Security Awareness Training and Internal Threats�Mobile device threats�Web Application and Web 2.0 Threats�Web server threats Security Audit, Compliance and Standards View All�Cloud Computing Security Standards�COBIT�Data Privacy and Protection�FFIEC Regulations and Guidelines�Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)�HIPAA�ISO 17799�IT Security Audits�PCI Data Security Standard�Sarbanes-Oxley Act Please select a category�Application and Platform Security�Enterprise Data Protection�Enterprise Identity and Access Management�Enterprise Network Security�Government IT security�Information Security Careers, Training and Certifications�Information Security Management�Information Security Threats�Security Audit, Compliance and Standards�Security for the Channel� ��������A cracker is someone who breaks into someone else's computer system, often on a network; bypasses passwords or licenses in computer programs; or in other ways intentionally breaches computer security.

A cracker can be doing this for profit, maliciously, for some altruistic purpose or cause, or because the challenge is there. Some breaking-and-entering has been done ostensibly to point out weaknesses in a site's security system. Download Your Guide to the ISACA CISM CertificationTake a closer look at the ISACA Certified Information Security Manager certification, including the value it provides security professionals, how it compares to other security professionals, and what the CSX program offers Start Download You forgot to provide an Email Address.This email address doesn�t appear to be valid.This email address is already registered.

Please login.You have exceeded the maximum character limit.Please provide a Corporate E-mail Address.� By submitting your email address, you agree to receive emails regarding relevant topic offers from TechTarget and its partners. You can withdraw your consent at any time. Contact TechTarget at 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA. The term "cracker" is not to be confused with " hacker". Hackers generally deplore cracking. However, as Eric Raymond, compiler of The New Hacker's Dictionary notes, some journalists ascribe break-ins to "hackers."A classic story of the tracking down of a cracker on the Internet who was breaking into U.S.

military and other computers is told in Clifford Stoll's The Cuckoo's Egg. Related Terms cyberextortion Cyberextortion is a crime involving an attack or threat of attack against an enterprise, coupled with a demand for money to avert.See�complete�definition man-in-the-middle attack (MitM) A man-in-the-middle attack is one in which the attacker secretly intercepts and relays messages between two parties who think .See�complete�definition timing attack A timing attack looks at how long it takes a system to do something and allows the attacker, through statistical analysis, to .See�complete�definition � Flash, Java and IE top list of most popular exploit kit targets� Risk & Repeat: Shadow Brokers' dump shakes IT industry� Pegasus iOS exploit uses three zero days to attack high-value targets� Questions swirl around Shadow Brokers' cyberweapons dumpLoad MoreView All � Flash, Java and IE top list of most popular exploit kit targets� Pegasus iOS exploit uses three zero days to attack high-value targets� Questions swirl around Shadow Brokers' cyberweapons dump� Fallout from Equation Group cyberweapons leak continues to The focus of this chapter is on hackers, crackers, and the differences between them.What Is the Difference Between a Hacker and a Cracker?There have been many articles written (particularly on the Internet) about the difference between hackers and crackers.

In them, authors often attempt to correct public misconceptions. This chapter is my contribution in clarifying the issue.For many years, the American media has erroneously applied the word hacker when it really means cracker.

So the American public now believe that a hacker is someone who breaks into computer systems. This is untrue and does a disservice to some of our most talented hackers.There are some traditional tests to determine the difference between hackers and crackers. I provide these in order of their acceptance. First, I want to offer the general definitions of each term. This will provide a basis for the remaining portion of this chapter. Those definitions are as follows:� A hacker is a person intensely interested in the arcane and recondite workings of any computer operating system.

Most often, hackers are programmers. As such, hackers obtain advanced knowledge of operating systems and programming languages. They may know of holes within systems and the reasons for such holes. Hackers constantly seek further knowledge, freely share what they have discovered, and never, ever intentionally damage data.� A cracker is a person who breaks into or otherwise violates the system integrity of remote machines, with malicious intent.

Crackers, having gained unauthorized access, destroy vital data, deny legitimate users service, or basically cause problems for their targets. Crackers can easily be identified because their actions are malicious.These definitions are good and may be used in the general sense. However, there are other tests.

One is the legal test. It is said that by applying legal reasoning to the equation, you can differentiate between hackers (or any other party) and crackers. This test requires no extensive legal training. It is applied simply by inquiring as to mens rea.Mens ReaMens rea is a Latin term that refers to the guilty mind. It is used to describe that mental condition in which criminal intent exists.

Applying mens rea to the hacker-cracker equation seems simple enough. If the suspect unwittingly penetrated a computer system-and did so by methods that any law-abiding citizen would have employed at the time-there is no mens rea and therefore no crime.

However, if the suspect was well aware that a security breach was underway-and he knowingly employed sophisticated methods security crackers implementing that breach- mens rea exists and a crime has been committed. By this measure, at least from a legal point of view, the former is an unwitting computer user (possibly a hacker) and the latter a cracker. In my opinion, however, this test is too rigid.At day's end, hackers and crackers are human beings, creatures too complex to sum up with a single rule.

The better way to distinguish these individuals would be to understand their motivations and their ways of life. I want to start with the hacker.To understand the mind-set of the hacker, you must first know what they do. To explain that, I need to briefly discuss computer languages.Computer LanguagesA computer language is any set of libraries or instructions that, when properly arranged and compiled, can constitute a functional computer program.

The building blocks of any given computer language never fundamentally change. Therefore, each programmer walks to his or her keyboard and begins with the same basic tools as his or her fellows. Examples of such tools include� Language libraries-These are pre-fabbed functions that perform common actions that are usually included in any computer program (routines that read a directory, for example).

They are provided to the programmer so that he or she can concentrate on other, less generic aspects of a computer program.� Compilers-These are software programs that convert the programmer's written code to an executable format, suitable for running on this or that platform.The programmer is given nothing more than languages (except a few manuals that describe how these tools are to be used).

It is therefore up to the programmer what happens next. The programmer programs to either learn or create, whether for profit or not. This is a useful function, not a wasteful one. Throughout these processes of learning and creating, the programmer applies one magical element that is absent within both the language libraries and the compiler: imagination. That is the programmer's existence in a nutshell.Modern hackers, however, reach deeper still.

They probe the system, often at a microcosmic level, finding holes in software and snags in logic. They write programs to check the integrity of other programs. Thus, when a hacker creates a program that can automatically check the security structure of a remote machine, this represents a desire to better what now existsHide Contents/IndexCrackerA cracker is either a piece of software (program) whose purpose is to 'crack' the code to, say, a password; or 'cracker' refers to a person who attempts to gain unauthorised access to a computer system.

Such persons are usually ill intentioned and perform malicious acts of techno-crime and vandalism.� Code breaking software. A piece of software designed to decipher a code, but used most often to 'crack a password.

Crackers operate quite simply by testing large numbers of possible passwords much faster than a human being could hope to perform. Passwords can be extraordinarily complex, but, given sufficient time, and sufficient computer power, ANY password can be broken - even one of 64 case-sensitive characters. Companies are well advised to ensure that, to prevent system penetration by a Cracker, there is a limit on the number of password tries permitted before the system locks and notifies the Security Officer and/or Network Administrator.

Three attempts is fairly standard; other systems may be less strict, while some high security installations will permit only one attempt before locking and generating security alert messages.� Illegal entry into a computer system.

These individuals often have malicious intent and can have multiple tools for breaking into a system. The term was adopted circa 1985 by hackers in defence against journalistic misuse of 'hacker'. Contrary to widespread myth, cracking does not usually involve some mysterious leap of intuition or brilliance, but rather the persistent repetition of a handful of fairly well-known tricks that exploit common weaknesses in the security of target systems.

Accordingly, most crackers are only mediocre hackers. Crackers tend to gather in small, tight-knit, very secretive groups that have little overlap with the huge, open hacker poly-culture; though crackers often like to describe themselves as hackers, most true hackers consider crackers a separate and lower form of life, little better than virus writers.*** The Information Security Glossary ***