HACKINGIrene GerasklisAthina Zaharaki

2nd Lyceum of Kos

For years, "hacker" was a positive term that described computer enthusiasts who had a zeal for computer programming. Those who hacked took pride in their ability to write computer programs that stretched the capabilities of computer systems and find clever solutions to seemingly impossible problems. Although many computer enthusiasts still ascribe to this definition, the everyday usage of the word has changed significantly. Today, "hacking" generally refers to individuals who break into computer systems or use their programming skills or expert knowledge to act maliciously.

Some of the most common types of hacking include:

Breaking into computer networks.Bypassing passwords or copy protection in computer software.Defacing and damaging Internet web sites.Causing a denial of service attack on a web site or network.Stealing valuable information such as passwords and credit card data.

What are hackers?

Hackers are people who try to gain unauthorised access to your computer. This is normally done through the use of a 'backdoor' program installed on your machine. You can protect yourself from these by using a firewall and a good up-to-date anti-virus program. You would normally get such a backdoor program by opening an E-mail attachment containing the backdoor program. It is normal for such a backdoor program to send out more copies of itself to everyone in your address book, so it is possible for someone you know to unintentionally send you a malicious program. A few backdoor programs can work with any e-mail program by sitting in memory and watching for a connection to a mail server, rather than actually running from within a specific mail program. These programs automatically attach themselves to any e-mail you send, causing you to unintentionally send out malicious programs to your friends and associates.

Why do hackers hack?

To a hacker, breaking into someone’s computer is simply a challenge. They may not specifically intend to do damage to the computer. The thrill of simply gaining access is often enough. Hackers often try to show off their skills to the world by hacking into government computers, or as revenge against another user or agency. Hackers are indeed as the stereotype depicts them as young males with a thirst for knowledge. Despite rumours, all hackers do not wear nerdy glasses.

What damage can a hacker do?

This depends upon what backdoor program are hiding on your PC. Different programs can do different amounts of damage. However, most allow a hacker to smuggle another program onto your PC. This means that if a hacker can't do something using the backdoor program, he can easily put something else onto your computer that can. Hackers can see everything you are doing, and can access any file on your disk. Hackers can write new files, delete files, edit files, and do practically anything to a file that could be done to a file. A hacker could install several programs on to your system without your knowledge. Such programs could also be used to steal personal information such as passwords and credit card information. Some backdoor programs even allow a hacker to listen in on your conversations using your computer's microphone if one is attached!

Types of hackers

Hackers often can be characterized by their motives. The following are the more common types of hackers and the motives they cite:

Pranksters: These hackers are the mischief-makers of the bunch whose intention is merely to be a nuisance. They are the equivalent of individuals who pull fire alarms or make phony bomb threats. Copycat hackers would also fall into this category.Fame seekers: This group hacks seeking attention or notoriety. Using a code name, these individuals target high-profile sites such as Yahoo, eBay, or NASA to achieve bragging rights among their peers.Educational: Students justify hacking into systems by saying that they are honing their programming skills.Criminals: When bank robber Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he replied: "That’s where the money is." Stored data or "data at rest" is more profitable to steal than data moving over the Internet. Why steal one credit card number at a time when you can steal tens of thousands to millions with one break-in? This happened to CDUniverse and RealNames. Pacific Bell had to have more than 60,000 customers change their passwords after hackers stole them.

Jonathan James

Kevin Mitnick

Albert Gonzalez

Kevin Poulsen

Gary McKinnon

5 Of The World’s Most Famous Hackers

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Hacking.aspx

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-of-the-worlds-most-famous-hackers-what-happened

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_(computer_security)

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