Computer Hacking
Mr. Pearman
CJ243 - Criminalistics of Cyber Crime
David Ehlers
02-11-2010
Abstract
This paper will depict and decipher what computer hacking is and what constitutes a hacker. It will also state that there are different forms of hacking, such as where it originated from and that there are legal forms of hacking as well. Also it will discuss how hackers work, their culture and what tools they use for their dirty work.
In 1986, the word ``hacker'' is generally used among MIT students to refer not to computer hackers but to building hackers, people who explore roofs and tunnels where they're not supposed to be. The true hacker can't just sit around all night; he must pursue some hobby with dedication. It can be telephones, or railroads (model, real, or both), or science fiction fandom, or ham radio, or broadcast radio. It can be more than one of these, or most notably it can be computers.
A “computer hacker,” is someone who lives and breathes computers, who knows all about computers, who can get a computer to do anything. Equally important, though, is the hacker's attitude. Computer programming must be a hobby, something done for fun, not out of a sense of duty or for the money. A hacker must be fundamentally an amateur, even though hackers can get paid for their expertise. A password hacker whose primary interest is in learning how the system works doesn't therefore necessarily refrain from stealing information or services, but someone whose primary interest is in stealing isn't a hacker. It's a matter of emphasis.
Individually, many hackers are anti-social. Their intense interest in computers and programming can become a communication barrier. Left to his or her own devices, a hacker can spend hours working on a computer program while neglecting everything else.
When caught by law enforcement or corporations some hackers admit that they could have caused massive problems. In the United States, a hacker can get into trouble for...