Security.com

hacker

By Wesley Chai

What is a hacker?

A hacker is an individual who uses computer, networking or other skills to overcome a technical problem. The term also may refer to anyone who uses their abilities to gain unauthorized access to systems or networks in order to commit crimes. A hacker may, for example, steal information to hurt people via identity theft or bring down a system and, often, hold it hostage in order to collect a ransom.

The term hacker has historically been a divisive one, sometimes being used as a term of admiration for individuals who exhibit a high degree of skill and creativity in their approach to technical problems. However, the term is also commonly applied to individuals who use this skill for illegal or unethical purposes.

Hacker was first used in the 1960s to describe a programmer or an individual who, in an era of highly constrained computer capabilities, could increase the efficiency of computer code in a way that removed, or hacked, excess machine code instructions from a program. It has evolved over the years to refer to someone with an advanced understanding of computers, networking, programming or hardware.

How does hacking work?

Hackers use technical skills to exploit cybersecurity defenses. Ethical hackers test for cybersecurity vulnerabilities and may take up hacking as a profession -- for example, a penetration tester (pen tester) -- or as a hobby. The end goal is often to gain unauthorized access to computers, networks, computing systems, mobile devices or internet of things systems. Many professional hackers use their skills to determine security holes in enterprise systems and then advise where companies should boost their security defenses to keep threat actors out.

Results can also be deleterious: Malicious hackers may steal login credentials, financial information and other types of sensitive information.

Many hackers aim to exploit either technical or social weaknesses to breach defenses. Technical weaknesses may include vulnerabilities in software or other exploitable weak spots. To exploit social weaknesses, hackers may attempt to manipulate social outcomes through false pretenses, such as impersonating a co-worker or other individual to gain financial or login information. Hackers may also use their technical skills to install dangerous malware, steal or destroy data, or disrupt an organization's services.

Hackers of all types participate in forums to exchange hacking information and tradecraft. There are numerous hacker forums where ethical hackers can discuss or ask questions about hacking. Many of these hacker forums offer technical guides with step-by-step instructions on hacking.

In contrast, forums and marketplaces serving threat actors or criminal hackers are often hosted on the dark web and provide an outlet for offering, trading and soliciting illegal hacking services.

Criminal hackers, who sometimes lack technical skills, often use scripts and other specifically designed software programs to break into corporate networks. This software may manipulate network data to gather intelligence about the workings of the target system. These scripts can be found posted on the internet for anyone, usually entry-level hackers, to use. Hackers with limited skills are sometimes called script kiddies, referring to their need to use malicious scripts and their inability to create their own code. Advanced malicious hackers might study these scripts and then modify them to develop new methods.

What are the different types of hackers?

In the past, the security community informally used references to hat color as a way to identify different types of hackers, usually divided into five main types. A few of these terms have been replaced to reflect cultural changes.

What are common hacking techniques?

While the technological basis of these techniques is constantly evolving to keep up with developments in cybersecurity, the following common hacking techniques are persistent:

Famous hackers

While many famous technologists have been considered hackers -- including Donald Knuth, Ken Thompson, Vinton Cerf, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates -- threat actors are more likely to gain notoriety as hackers in mainstream accounts. Gates was also caught breaking into corporate systems as a teenager before founding Microsoft.

Some notorious threat actors include the following:

While not all types of hacking are considered malicious, the presence of threat actors necessitates strong cybersecurity defenses for enterprises, especially those dealing with sensitive information. Breaches in security can cause financial loss, as well as irreversible damage to an organization's reputation.

This guide on data security touches on the different types of data security, best practices and tips for building a security strategy. As remote work can increase cybersecurity risks, it is important to manage cybersecurity accordingly in the new digital age.

TechTarget is responding to readers' concerns as well as profound cultural changes when it comes to certain commonly used but potentially linguistically biased terms. In some cases, we are defaulting to industry-standard terminology that may be seen as linguistically biased in instances where we have not found a replacement term. However, we are actively seeking out and giving preference to terms that properly convey meaning and intent without the potential to perpetuate negative stereotypes.

12 May 2021

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