the benefit of hacking

1161 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Cybercrime and its effects

Most people have heard the term “hacking” at least once in this digital age, and most of the time it is in a negative context. The reason for that is the definition of hacking is “gaining unauthorized access to a computer or program that does not belong to you.” That may sound bad, but it can actually be quite beneficial. Hacking can help improve digital security by finding the holes in it or help someone find wrongly hidden information. You see hacking is a skill that is only evil when it is used by evil.
The term “hacker” is actually quite vague, because of that people have created terms to make it more specific that oddly revolve around hats. The color of the hat is what defines the hacker and these colors are black, white, gray, and blue. A black hat hacker is the stereotypical bad guy because they lie, cheat, and steal from the innocent for their own personal gain or amusement. Because white is the opposite of black, the white hat hackers are the good guys who are helpful to humanity because they expose the truth, help the cheated, and return the stolen to the innocent. The color gray is an equal mix of white and white, therefore the work done by a gray hat hacker is a 50/50 mix of good and bad. Gray hat hackers are the mercenaries of the internet because they usually work for the highest bidder. The blue hat hacker are more like the police of the internet, as in their actual job is to be a white hat hacker and help people. Usually blue hat hackers work for computer companies to write programs and improve security.
There are many instances where hacking is used for crime by the “Black Hats,’ among these instances a lot are viruses, which have bine know to wreak major havoc upon the internet. One of the worst was the “Melis...

... middle of paper ...

...ng then happened to radio. Then it happened to computers. It then happened to computers. It then happened the network witch computers were eventually connected to, this is the internet. The telegraph evolved in to the internet, and code breaking evolved in to hacking. All of this technical evolution was caused by hacking and its ancestors. Hacking is a curtail part of technology, but all most people see is the possibility of danger. Hacking is a skill that is neither inherently evil nor good, the thing that gives it a moral quality are the people who use it. People are afraid of the damage a hacker can cause, but seem to not notice the good hacking does. Therefore people should not persecute the skill, but the people who use it for nefarious means. The government should hunt down the Black Hats, help the White and Blue Hats, and keep a watchful eye on the Gray Hats.

Show More
Related

  • Counter culture / Hackers

    1334 Words  | 3 Pages

    In reality, most hackers are ordinary people with a great deal of curiosity, above-average skills with a computer, a good understanding of human nature, and plenty of time to kill. Hackers have no distinguishing characteristics. Your next-door neighbor could be a hacker, as could your niece or nephew, one of your co-workers, or even the kid who serves you coffee in the morning. Not all hackers are dangerous and out to destroy business or damage lives. The view of the general public toward hackers is mixed. A recent CNN-poll shows 33% of respondents labeling hackers as "useful," 17% seeing them "as a menace," and the majority (45%) seeing hackers as "both" useful and a menace (CNN, 1999).

    Read More

  • Computer Hackers and Greed

    1873 Words  | 4 Pages

    Multi-platform computer worms are a tool that computer hackers use to infect computers to gain control access. Computer worms are a dangerous virus because they are self-replicating, meaning that they multiply themselves and spread onto other computer networks seeking a lapse in internet security. Computer worms do not need to attach themselves onto an existing computer program to gain access to the victim computer files. The computer worm was created on accident by a Cornell student named Robert Morris; he was seeking a way of managing the internet in 1988. “Morris had no malicious intent, but a bug in his program caused many of the computers the worm landed on to crash. … but worms had come of age and have since evolved into an effective way of attacking systems connected to the internet” (Barwise). Today, hackers use the Morris worm to infect computers. “Five men believed to be responsible for spreading a notorious computer worm on Facebook and other social networks — and pocketing several million dollars from online schemes — are hiding in plain sight in St. Petersburg, Russia …” (Richmond). Since the good intended creation of the worm it has only been used maliciously as a computer virus by money seeking computer hackers such as the Koobface gang in Russia.

    Read More

  • Is Ethical Hacking Ethical?

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hacking is the term used to describe the process of breaking into and obtaining access to a computer system or network. It’s essentially the modern successor of the age-old breaking-and-entering. In this information age, information is power. Those who obtain a person’s personal information can use it to for various crimes including identity theft. Companies and corporations are not exempt from this either. Nowadays, many companies store their customer’s personal data in their databases (a massive collection of data, similar to a giant, virtual phonebook). As a result, they become targets of hackers who, if successful,

    Read More

  • Academic Freedom And The Hacker Ethic By Tom Cross

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hacking has historically been associated with shady behavior or criminal connotations. It is very rare that a person condones hacking or thinks of it as anything other than a crime. However, in his article “Academic Freedom and the Hacker Ethic”, Tom Cross challenges us to redefine a hacker and what they actually do. He forces the audience to think as he states that “knowing how to do something that might be harmful is not the same as causing harm” (Cross, 38). Using this powerful statement, Cross uses his article to give the reader a new take on hacking. He proceeds to explain that often times, the information that we receive as a public is a result of hacking into government systems. He provides us with a new perspective as he divulges the

    Read More

  • Hacktivism at Its Best

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...difficult to try and tell someone that ethics and moral are important for an individual or our society. Hacktivism being a recent adaptation of computer hacking has spread through out the world consistently from years ago. Some are political activists trying to make a point and achieve some goals and getting through tot the people. Hacktivist show society what the new problems are in the world without permission of the law. Some show what could happen if there was a full on cyber terrorism placed against us. In the end, these actions that were used to only show what could happen have turned into being a message that shows us they are just as dangerous as anyone else. The fear people have of hackers is about the same as criminals on the street.

    Read More

  • The Use of Hacking to Identify Weaknesses in Computer Security

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hacking has two primary definitions; the first refers to the enthusiastic and skilful use of computers to solve problems (Techterms, 2013); the second, to “gain unauthorized access to data in a system or computer” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013). In the context of this essay the second definition is more appropriate and will be the meaning inferred throughout. This definition also more closely aligns with legal terminology used in the UK when describing the hacking of computers. The Computer Misuse Act (1990) introduced three criminal offenses:

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Civic Hacking

    993 Words  | 2 Pages

    References to Beddoes’ hacks (Bisson) evoke resentment among readers; they see that black hat hackers gain more by participating in illicit activities than honest citizens do in a year of work, causing them to feel as if it is unfair to themselves because they are stealing from honest citizens like most readers would be. Also, in emphasizing the damages done by black hat hackers and the mysterious backgrounds they often seem to come from, fuel is added to the fire of an already negative connotation. As the other two articles mention, the common perception of hackers is that they are rebellious teenagers out to destroy the world regardless of the channel used. The background described in this article supports those theories when Beddoes speaks of his past as a teenager who started out with an innocent interest in hacking and then transitions into a rebellious malicious hacker after being rejected by the companies that he was trying to assist. Beddoes’ ethos also supports the goal of the article because he is a credible, well-established hacker in recent years. After almost pulling off a multimillion dollar heist, he is a respected yet accessible authority on the topic. Statistics to quantify the amount of data Beddoes stole in his hacking career provide the base to an argument supported by logos. Referring to those numbers also evokes strong emotions in accordance with the amount of people losing money and being victimized by hackers. Readers are inclined to feel sympathy towards the victims of the hackers, evoking an even greater amount of resentment towards the hackers. The content of Bisson’s article effectively supports a negative reaction to

    Read More

  • Catherine Bracy: Why Do Good Hackers Make Good Citizens?

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Ted Talk presented by Catherine Bracy took the word hacking to another level. A new way of looking at a hacker. A hacker meaning much more than a teen behind a computer trying to steal information. The points she brought out is that reaching out to the people can get things done and strengthen relationships between people and an organization and through that relationship both parties are more stable and content. Bracy expressed her experiences with hackers in a government and citizen view, but this can also be applied to personal and

    Read More

  • Kevin Mitnick

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hacking has been around since the birth of computers. When the term hacking was first used, its meaning was not that of how we think of it today. At the origins of computing, a hacker was considered to be just a "creative programmer (Baase, 2003)." Early forms of computer games as well as the beginnings of operating systems were discovered and created by these original hackers. These hackers plunged into systems as a way of an intellectual challenge and to aspire to gain knowledge (Baase, 2003). Kevin Mitnick believes he falls into this realm of hackers. Hackers in today's era are now looked upon as criminals who invade the privacy rights of individuals and have the ability to deliver worms/viruses. The differences are that hackers today have full intentions of delivering terrible viruses and worms. Mitnick was one of the most infamous hackers during the 1980's. He molded his hacking style around the stupidity of humans and his quest for intellectual knowledge. The ways in which he wiggled his way into computer systems extenuates many of the issues surrounding computer security and privacy.

    Read More

  • Why Hacking Is Wrong

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    In an article “A Solution to Hackers? Add More Hackers,” Roose mentions, “He said that hackers could be enormously valuable, if they were properly enlisted in the fight against attacks.” Roose explains many hackers are prevented from working, practicing, or researching their hacking because of the Computer Fraud Laws and Abuse Act. Some talented hackers with little bad backgrounds, which include violated the copyright, cannot get the jobs at the government agency. He states many big companies already discovered the benefits of the hackers because these spend less money for hiring the expert hackers to protect their webs, accounts and exchange system than paying for the lost after the online hacker’s attacks.

    Read More

  • Protecting Against Malware Essay

    2372 Words  | 5 Pages

    In this globalized arena, with the proliferating computer users as well as computer networks, risks associated like Malware attacks are also multiplying. As the proverb

    Read More

  • Cyber Crime and Businesses

    1362 Words  | 3 Pages

    The term “hacker” has been in use since the early 1980’s due to mass media usage to describe computer criminals. The use of this term is vastly used by the general population and most are not aware that there are different meanings to the word. People within the computing community especially within the programming subculture emphasize the use of the term “crackers” for computer security intruders (cyber criminals). Early hackers rarely used their skills for financial gain as a motivation for their criminal behavior in that time cybercrime was infantile and largely seen as a practical joke or game by those who committed it. Bob Thomas created the first credited computer worm n...

    Read More

  • Is Hacking Ethical Or Ethical Essay

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hacking is strongly unjustified by individuals due to it being illegal activity. Laws relating to computer hacking vary depending on every region. However, there is a predominance of hacking being illegal in a majority of countries. Broadly speaking, it is illegal to hack into computer systems and networks since it involves accessing information with authorisation. This is a form of invasion of privacy and data breach, automatically making the activity unlawful. From ‘Computer Crime: American Hacking, federal police’, it is stated that computer intrusion, unauthorised modification and destruction of data comes with penalties under the state law. These range from class B misdemeanour (a fine) to class B felony (five years in prison). This validates that in most cases, due to the trespassing of computers and networks and data rupture, hacking is strongly considered as unvirtuous due to it being illegal

    Read More

  • Black Hat Hacking Essay

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Computer security terminology Hacker is a person or group of persons, who exploit, modify and identify weakness in a computer system or network. Hacker may be motivates of reasons such as profit, protest and challenge. based on attitude, belief, and goals hacker groups are categories such as

    Read More

  • Ethical Hacking Essay

    2025 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Art of exploring various security breaches is termed as Hacking.Computer Hackers have been around for so many years. Since the Internet became widely used in the World, We have started to hear more and more about hacking. Only a few Hackers, such as Kevin Mitnick, are well known.In a world of Black and White, it’s easy to describe the typical Hacker. A general outline of a typical Hacker is an Antisocial, Pimple-faced Teenage boy. But the Digital world has many types of Hackers.Hackers are human like the rest of us and are, therefore, unique individuals, so an exact profile is hard to outline.The best broad description of Hackers is that all Hackers aren’t equal. Each Hacker has Motives, Methods and Skills. But some general characteristics can help you understand them. Not all Hackers are Antisocial, PimplefacedTeenagers. Regardless, Hackers are curious about Knowing new things, Brave to take steps and they areoften very Sharp Minded..

    Read More

More about the benefit of hacking

Open Document