Ethics Of Hacking And Cracking

In the early days of computing, a hacker was primarily referred to as a computer guru, someone who is extremely technical with a high expertise in computer also known as “Expert Programmers”. Nevertheless, as technology is advancing at a face pace, hacking has adopted a completely different definition. The modern definition is someone who access a computer system primarily to steal or destroy information. Hacking has caused major harm in the realm of technology. Over the years, hackers have become much more lethal in their craft. They manage to break into complex information systems from entities such as banks, government agencies, and private businesses. Furthermore, they often manipulate their victims through social engineering in order to obtain financial benefits. Hackers hold different label such as: black hat hacker and white hat hacker in which all have their own motives.

The word hacking, usually associated with information technology, is a term used for the development of creative solutions for a problem by someone in a non-professional environment. With the introduction of personal computers and the internet, anyone could create solutions to problems in computer science. This led to the emergence of “hacker culture”, leading to the decentralization of computer industry (Hicks, 2014).

You may be wondering how hacking differs from ethical hacking, ethical hacking is usually done by either a professional or company and is used to identify weaknesses and potential threats on a certain networking system or computer. Ethical hacking is used to help combat hacking with malicious intension by looking for weaknesses so that a network can be built to avoid these attacks and improve security. In this essay, I will be explaining the differences between hacking and ethical hacking, looking at both individually I will show how ethical hacking is not an oxymoron and is used to create a safer and more secure technological world. I will show how ethical hacking can benefit society in professional and personal life and how the

An ethical hacker is a person who performs most of the same activities a cracker does, but with the owner or company’s permission.

Ellen Nakashima and Ashkan Soltani (2014), in “ The ethics of Hacking 101” article focus on how ethics is related to teaching hacking. Famous university professors teach their student the principle of hacking but expect from them in return to be ethical in what they do. For example professor Sujeet Shenoi at the university of Tulsa teaches his students on how to hack into oil pipeline and electric power electric plants but won’t accept students into his program unless they promise to work , if hired for the National Security Agency, the Energy Department or another U.S. government agency. David Brumley at Carnegie Mellon University instructs students on how to write software that enable user to hack into networks. George Hotz who made

A hacker is a person who breaks into computers, usually by gaining access to administrative controls. There are several types of hackers. The black hat is someone who breaks computer security without authorization or uses technology for credit card fraud, identity theft, and piracy. A security exploit takes advantage of a known security weakness. These are very common in website/domain hacking. A packet sniffer is an application that captures data packets, which can be used to capture passwords and other data in transit over the network. A spoofing attack involves one program, system, or website by pretending to be the real trusted program, system or website and then stealing your usernames and passwords. A keylogger is a tool designed to record every keystroke on an affected machine stealing user's passwords.

Precedence shows a strong desire among governments and corporates to limit the legal space for hacktivist operation. Such moves resonate with the fundamental reasons for the existence of hacktivist organizations. However, in the pursuit of the truth and justice, it is critical that hacktivist engagements be informed by some sense of ethical direction. Matters like individual privacy and national security ought to be navigated with utmost care to avoid harm to a person or

“We cannot defend ourselves with a weapon…but we can do this with their cars, homes, bars, brothels and everything else in their possession. It won’t be difficult; we all know who they are and where they are located.” Quoted from an Anonymous member. (Schiller, A.6.) Computer hacking began in the 1950s with an individual looking out for his own personal gains; like free phone calls for instance. The perception of hackers ever since has become very negative. Hacking has evolved over time, with many modern hackers following their own set of values that they believe are, arguably positive motives.

The Certified Ethical Hacker program is the pinnacle of the most desired information security training program any information security professional will ever want to be in. To master the hacking technologies, you will need to become one, but an ethical one! The accredited course provides the advanced hacking tools and techniques used by hackers and information security professionals alike to break into an organization. As we put it, “To beat a hacker, you need to think like a hacker”. This course will immerse you into the Hacker Mindset so that you will be able to defend against future attacks. The security mindset in any organization must not be limited to the silos of a certain vendor, technologies or pieces of equipment.

Hackers can also be prosecuted if they deliberately deliver, communicate or transmit any sensitive data to a person other than the rightful owner.

Pointing out two terms about hacker and cracker. A hacker is a person who has wide-ranging computer knowledge and enjoys tackling technical issues. The objective of

Computer hacking: Is the practice of modifying computer hardware and software to accomplish a goal outside of the creator’s original purpose. People who engage in computer hacking activities are often called hackers. Since the word “hack” has long been used to describe someone who is incompetent at his/her profession, some hackers claim this term is offensive and fails to give appropriate recognition to their skills. The majority of hackers are technology buffs. They are self-motivated and learning about computers is their true passion. ("What Is Computer Hacking?" WiseGEEK. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2013).

"Hackers", on the other hand probably view the system more abstractly, as a resource waiting to be used at the end of a telephone line, a challenge beckoning them, calling to them irresistibly, whispering to them, "There will be no damage done and no one will be the wiser."

As the world becomes more and more reliant on computers the computer hacking industry is greatly rising. With people such as Kevin Mitnick, who is known as a "computer terrorist" (Kjochaiche 1), computerized information isn't safe any more. Kevin is known as "the most high-profiled computer criminal and responsible for more havoc in the computer world today."(1) He considered this a fun and easy task. He got caught and thrown into prison, but once he got out nothing changed. Kevin stated that as long as the technology is there it just calls to people to break into it. Computer hackers usually start off young, thinking that it is nothing but a little harmless fun. But as they get older, they realize it has turned into

Crackers use viruses for their destructive ways. Crackers are people who go out of their way to cause damage to other peoples systems through the use of viruses and direct hacking. Crackers are not hackers. Calling a Cracker a hacker is like comparing a red delicious apple to a golden delicious apple. Hackers are computer enthuses that hack, break in to, systems in order to learn about the system. Hackers as a rule do not do any damage to the system. Crackers are the ones to give hackers bad repartitions. Crackers use virus