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Hacker (Computer Security) : History

The document discusses the term "hacker" in the context of computer security. It states that a hacker seeks to exploit weaknesses in computer systems or networks, and may be motivated by profit, protest, or challenge. There is a controversy over whether "hacker" refers only to those who break into systems illegally (called "crackers") or also to computer experts who work in security. Some white hat hackers argue they deserve the title as well, reserving "cracker" for black hats engaged in malicious activity. Different subgroups in the computer underground use different terms to classify themselves based on their attitudes and the legal status of their activities.

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197 views2 pages

Hacker (Computer Security) : History

The document discusses the term "hacker" in the context of computer security. It states that a hacker seeks to exploit weaknesses in computer systems or networks, and may be motivated by profit, protest, or challenge. There is a controversy over whether "hacker" refers only to those who break into systems illegally (called "crackers") or also to computer experts who work in security. Some white hat hackers argue they deserve the title as well, reserving "cracker" for black hats engaged in malicious activity. Different subgroups in the computer underground use different terms to classify themselves based on their attitudes and the legal status of their activities.

Uploaded by

Nitesh Kotian
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Hacker (computer security)

In the computer security context, 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, or challenge. [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 computer 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 long standing hacker definition controversy about the true meaning of the term hacker. In this controversy, the term hacker is reclaimed bycomputer programmers who argue that someone breaking into computers is better called a cracker,[4] not making a difference between computer criminals (black hats) and computer security experts (white hats).[5] Some white hat hackers claim that they also deserve the title hacker, and that only black hats should be called crackers.

History[edit]
Further information: Timeline of computer security hacker history Bruce Sterling traces part of the roots of the computer underground to the Yippies, a 1960s counterculture movement which published the Technological Assistance Program (TAP) newsletter.[citation needed] TAP was a phone phreaking newsletter that taught the techniques necessary for the unauthorized exploration of the phone network. Many people from the phreaking community are also active in the hacking community even today, and vice versa

Classifications[edit]
Several subgroups of the computer underground with different attitudes use different terms to demarcate themselves from each other, or try to exclude some specific group with which they do not agree. Eric S. Raymond (author of The New Hacker's Dictionary) advocates that members of the computer underground should be called crackers. Yet, those people see themselves as hackers and even try to include the views of Raymond in what they see as one wider hacker culture, a view harshly rejected by Raymond himself. Instead of a hacker/cracker dichotomy, they give more emphasis to a spectrum of different categories, such as white hat, grey hat, black hat and script kiddie. In contrast to Raymond, they usually reserve the term cracker for more malicious activity. According to Ralph D. Clifford, a cracker or cracking is to "gain unauthorized access to a computer in order to commit another crime such as destroying information contained in that system".[6]These subgroups may also be defined by the legal status of their activities

Case Study -01 Email password HackingOne day a lady come to cyber cell office and reported that she and her brothers e-mail IDS had been hacked by someone she suspected him to be her husband. The lady had already lodged a case against him for dowry and was pending for trial in Bhopal court . The suspect had hacked ladys and her brother e-mail ID account and copied all the information to his e-mail and produced selected e-mails to claim that . she was happy with him and case of dowry is a false one . To malign the image of her brother the suspect sent a copy of FIR lodged against him at police station Habibganj. This indicated that the husband of the lady was behind the whole affair but police had not any evidence against him. Cyber cell started enquiry by an order of IGP and obtained the login logs from rediff.com .The logs indicated that the email IDs password were changed and anonymous emails were sent from the house of ladys husband and sent from his . Cyber cell registered a case under section 66 IT act and submitted Challan has been filed against the suspect and trial is over. Court has hold the conviction against the suspect Sabrish Pillai but found that the matter came before the court as Sabrish was having family dispute with his wife and the, act of hacking was not against the society at large, Hence let him free after warning.

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