Journalists have, since computers and the Internet have been around, talking about the evils of ‘hackers’, and how they can get into your computer and steal your data and then sell it on to a scammer.
Well, not always. The term hacker is a very broad term – it defines anyone who either
- modifies a device or program to suit their own ends
- gains access to a computer by working around security measures.
So, let’s dispel some of the myths about hacking in the second sense, which is what this article concentrates on and journalists generally define hacking as.
Number one: hackers are people who write viruses. Well, technically they don’t. They may write them as an experiment to check the security of a system, or as an evil attempt to take over the Internet. But people who do the latter are technically called virus writers.
Number two: hackers always have malicious intentions. Not necessarily – most hackers are either
- employed by a company to test the security of their computer system and network,
- acting in good faith, attempting to warn users or companies about insecurities in their system,
- attempting to create the ultimate, one-size-fits-all killer security solution.
Some hackers are even employed by the police to hack into criminals’ security systems, or to help educate people on the risks of leaving their computers open to attack. These are called ‘ethical hackers’.
Technically, people whom the media brand simply ‘hackers’ should be branded as malicious hackers or crackers.
