Hackers- Who Are They? And What Do They Do? Essay -- essays research pa

Computer Hackers Outline Thesis : Contrary to popular belief, not only do you not have to be smart to be a hacker, you do not even need to know much about computers. I. Hacking today A. More like exploration in the 60's and 70's B. Cannot call themselves hackers II. Different Types of hackers A. A hacker defined B. A cracker defined C. A phreaker defined III. You do not have to be intelligent A. Not like you have seen on television B. Programs used are highly accessible on the Internet C. Some start out with trial and error VIII. Online Legalities A. Unauthorized access to, or use of a computer B. Alteration or destruction of data without authorization C. Theft of computer services D. Computer fraud (using a computer to commit other crimes) E. Denial of access to a computer F. Unauthorized possession of passwords __________________________________ Hackers Many of the people in our society today often think that computer hackers are very smart individuals, who have special talents and abilities enabling them to crack passwords, enter mainframes, send viruses, and crash computer systems. Contrary to popular belief, not only do you not have to be smart to be a hacker, you do not even need to know much about computers. Modern day hacking usually ends in destruction of other peoples property, or changing important private information. Also, as stated by a 42-year-old security agent in San Francisco, â€Å" ‘Hacking in the 1960s and 1970s was a little more like gentlemanly exploring than it was taking things from people† ’(Weise). These days hackers cannot call themselves hackers without the threat of being called a â€Å"hacker wanna-be† or a â€Å"script kiddie.† A â€Å"hacker wanna-be† is the same thing as script kiddie, but is another slang term for a person who uses guess-work and programs that he did not write (Weise). Although, most people think of a hacker as someone who breaks into computers and sends viruses, there are several different types of hackers, broken up into three different groups. The first type of hacker is the hacker himself. The defination of a hacker is : â€Å"[hack$dr (hà £k=dr)] One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations† (Dict... ...ere are actually very strict guidelines on the Internet of what you can and cannot do.The Book of Online Law states that it is illegal for you to have "unauthorized access to, or use of a computer, alteration or destruction of data without authorization, theft of computer services, computer fraud (using a computer to commit other crimes), denial of an others access to a computer " (Smedinghoff). Hacking is starting a program that grants you access to things you normally would not be able to do, or access. You do not have to be smart to be a hacker. Anyone can get hacker tools and programs just by looking for them, downloading them, and then putting them to use. Modern day hacking is not how you see it on television. It is a simple process which any one can do using one of many programs that are available online. There are several different types of hackers. They each depend on what type of hacking is being done. There is one last thing for you to be aware of, now that you know how easy it is to be a hacker. You have to be careful of all the many Internet legalities. You can get in serious trouble and not know you were doing anything wrong until it is too late.