What is hacking? Types of hacking

Hacking is the art of problem solving. People who engage in computer hacking activities are often called hackers. Basically Hackers are the people who do things in a smarter way which a normal person cannot. Whether its finding a solution or exploiting loopholes in programming.

Most of the people misconceive that hacking means "law breaking" which is NOT TRUE. All hackers are not criminals and neither hacking is illegal. Hacking is a sort of a power. A power of innovation , its up to a person whether to use these to be a superhero or be a wicked evil. So there is nothing wrong in learning hacking but its important to use your skills for good purpose and not to take undue advantage of your hacking skills.

And how to distinguish between these superheroes(good hackers) and these villians ( bad hackers )-which are actually called crackers. Cracker was the term coined to distinguish evil hackers who steal our credit card numbers , defacing websites etc. Hackers stayed true to the Hacker Ethic, while crackers are only interested in breaking the law and making quick money. All the bad guys of the hacking world doing piracy, defacing websites, stealing credit card information etc. are supposed to be called 'crackers' who actually are less talented than the elite hackers

If i talk in terms of US laws then it says, it is intentionally accessing a system without permissions or may be exceeding authorized access, and thereby obtaining information. The laws basically emphasize more on government computers, but intrusion made on any individual's pc without his/her knowledge will also be called as a crime.

But this term is not being used by the media and because of its ability to sensationalise has made an evil image of the word hacker, although its not. In many cases, computer hacking helps prevent identity theft and other serious computer-related crimes.

Types of hacking

Friends i searched on many site under the topic types of hacking and i have found that most of the sites have only tell some different ways of hacking and not the proper categories of types of hacking.

So i am just giving division of types of hacking done by different hackers or whatever you call :-

1. Local Hacking
2. Social Networking Hacking
3. Remote Hacking.

How to become a hacker

Certainly there are many sources of information available that can give you computer hacking basics. There is actually some misconception about who a real hacker is. Hacking computers is performed by one who knows computers very well - even the extra tricks of a computer and electronics. He can easily tweak these according to his needs and become hacker. This is the way the term was used when Bill Gates was inventing Windows.

Those who are often referred to as hackers today, should actually be called "crackers" - people who do not have unauthorized access, like a safe-cracker. If you doubt me, and want to know how to be a hacker then do a search on the term "professional hacker," and you will find many professional and legitimate computer training courses being offered. They are the ones learning the real hacker secrets.

What Are The Basics Needed To Become A Hacker

Everyone has heard of one individual or another that was caught while hacking computers that belonged to this or that organization. Because hacking into computers is highly illegal, it should be mentioned that this article will not mention any real specifics about the subject, and this author would rather gladly encourage you to become a real hacker - professionally.

This article, will however, give a brief overview of criminal hackers, some of their methods, and a few things you can do to make your own computer safer from hack attacks. Here are those things you need to learn on how to become a hacker.

■Learn Computers

It should go without saying that the first thing that is needed is to learn about computers. This means study. A lot of reading is involved along with just plain old-fashioned learning how to use a computer. Then, of course, there are the special aspects of computer study. The places where the tips are learned is often two-fold: a friend who has access to a computer, and a variety of places on the Web. But this is also an interesting thing - if a young person has the ability to learn, and wants to learn can use hacking tutorials- then why not take the time to learn the right things - things that can earn him a lot of money in the legit world? Is it possibly that it could be the friend he has that turns him away from the good?

■Learn The Websites

Special hacker Web sites, where hackers congregate, exist on the Web - as does every other known group of people - whether legal or illegal. Some of these are known to be hacker chat rooms, hacker forum, and regular hacker sites.

■Learn The Secrets

It is in these Web sites, and possibly some of the people that he may meet, maybe only online, where he will learn the hacking basics, and learn how to hack.

Tools Hackers Need To Get Into Websites

Some of the tools that a hacker may use are often varied and constantly changing. One such tool that was used last year allowed a hacker to gain control of the computers of those who simply mistyped the word Google - when trying to get the popular search engine. This automatically directed them to a special website that would give them such malware items as Trojan downloaders, backdoors and spyware.

Another tool would be the robot spider. These can be sent out and put on automatic and will look for ports of access into your computer. These spiders are running around all the time and some say that they may hit most computers that are online - up to 50 times a day. 

Other tools use email attachments. It is claimed that as much as 65% of all email is spam. And as much as 1 in about 30 emails contains a virus, or some form of malware. This is why having your own virus and spam protection is a must, as well as a good spyware remover. Someone is busy. Once someone has been hacking information on a computer they will often leave a Trojan file that will give them further access - often more than one file. Then they could use your computer to send out spam attacks - without you even knowing that it is taking place. Or, they could simply be hacking your personal information off of your computer. These are just a few of their tools.

How Hackers Avoid Getting Caught

One of the first things that someone would learn about hacking tutorials when studying to be a hacker is how to cover their tracks. Of course, some are better than others. A young hacker is less likely to know all the little things that an expert hacker might know. Besides, the young hacker may be trying to impress others - and get a little careless about covering his tracks. This is why younger hackers are often caught.

An older hacker, on the other hand, will rarely leave any tracks. They know how to use their victim's computers as a tool for a launching place to get into another computer - leaving a phony IP address.

The truth is, and it is a good thing, that computer programmers are getting better software, and hardware (firewalls) that are constantly doing a better job - both in keeping hackers out, and in recording IP addresses better for tracking purposes. 

There will always be hackers, and there will always be hackers in prison. The legislation is definitely turning against the hacker - with some hacking crimes becoming equal to terrorism, these days. Kevin Mitnick, a well-known hacker, had the Federal prosecutors accuse him of having caused $291 million in damages to corporate computers. A serious crime, and he remains in jail because of it - unable to touch anymore computers.

HACKERS ! what are they

HACKERS ! what are they ?

In common usage, a hacker is a person who breaks into computers and computer networks, either for profit or motivated by the challenge. (as per wikipedia)

Myth: Hackers are bad. Actually, hackers are merely computer programmers who go in to someone else’s code and reorganize it somehow. The term is well charted and defined by Wikipedia and doesn’t directly refer to anything malicious. Quite the opposite; hackers are programmers to whom we owe a lot of thanks for working out troubles in software and the Internet.

Truth: Hackers actually lay claim to a Manifesto from 1986 that inspires curiosity and fairness and being accountable for one’s actions. The manifesto was written just after the author’s arrest for “Bank Tampering.” His best lament is, “my crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.” Indeed, the pressure of being constantly watched forced “The Mentor”‘s resignation in 1990. To all hackers, he is considered a living legend.

The damage that’s done on the Internet and perhaps to your computer or your neighbor’s computer isn’t done by true ‘hackers.’ Would you call a graffiti vandal an artist or a ‘painter’ in the classical sense? Little folks spray paint buildings because they can. Sometimes it may feel that it’s the only way to leave any mark with a life that feels too small for anyone to notice.

The hackers are classified based on their attitude.

White hat : A white hat hacker breaks security for non-malicious reasons, for instance testing their own security system. This classification also includes individuals who perform penetration tests and vulnerability assessments within a contractual agreement. Often, this type of ‘white hat’ hacker is called an ethical hacker. //The good guys

Black hat :A black hat hacker, sometimes called “cracker”, is someone who breaks computer security without authorization or uses technology (usually a computer, phone system or network) for vandalism, credit card fraud, identity theft, piracy, or other types of illegal activity. //The bad guys, who spoil the name of hackers//they are just crackers not hackers

Grey hat : A gray hat hacker is a combination of a Black Hat Hacker and a White Hat Hacker. A Grey Hat Hacker will surf the internet and hack into a computer system for the sole purpose of notifying the administrator that their system has been hacked. Then they will offer to repair their system for a small fee. //These guys are my favorite

Script kiddie :A script kiddie is a non-expert who breaks into computer systems by using pre-packaged automated tools written by others, usually with little understanding of the underlying concept—hence the term script (i.e. a prearranged plan or set of activities) kiddie (i.e. kid, child—an individual lacking knowledge and experience, immature). /*These are the guys who always get caught and the guys who always appear in news medias, they get caught everytime since they lack in skills and knowledge*/

There do exist many other classifications but the above mentioned ones are the basic classes.

Now, what are the basic skills.

1. Learn how to program.
2. Get one of the open-source Unixes and learn to use and run it.
3. Learn how to use the World Wide Web and write HTML.
4. If you don’t have functional English, learn it. //Optional to some extend.

Actually i was planning to write the above post myself with my own language, but found that there are many good articles on the internet, so i complied them into a new article.
source: wikipedia.com, plus some other odd websites

By Sumit Ojha...

What is a 'Hacker'?

A hacker is a computer user who, for either negative or positive motivations, will manipulate and break into computer systems. You will see the "hacker" term spelled creatively in different ways, such as "haxor", "Hax0r", and "H4X0R", all of which mean the same thing.



Originally, a hacker of the 1980's was strictly evil and dishonest: a criminal who would illegally and unethically take control of computers and networks. And indeed, that criminal definition still applies today in the 21st century. However, the term hacker has also broadened to include non-criminal computer users. Today, "hacker" encompasses "black hat", "white hat", and "grey hat" computer users:

There are 3 modern types of hackers:

1. Black Hats: Criminal Hackers. Common job: Penetration Tester.
2. White Hats: Ethical Hackers. Common job: Network Security Specialist.
3. Grey Hats: Deals in both of the above (jack of all trades, master of none).

1) Classic "Black Hat" Hackers = Criminals/Lawbreakers
This is the classic definition of a hacker: a computer user who willfully seeks to vandalize or commit theft on other people's networks. This classic hacker is also known as a "black hat hacker" because of his malicious motivations. Black hats are gifted but unethical computer users who are motivated by feelings of power and petty revenge. They are electronic thugs, in every sense of the word, and share the same personality traits as punk teens who smash bus stop windows for personal satisfaction.

Black hat hackers are renowned for the following common cybercrimes:

• DOS/DDOS attacks that overload Internet servers.
• Defacing websites by hijacking control and replacing the main page photos with rude slogans.
• Performing identity theft by stealing private information of individuals.
• Botnetting: taking remote control of dozens of personal computers, and programming them to "zombie" as spam broadcasters.

2) White Hat "Ethical Hackers" = Network Security Specialists
Different from the classic black hat hackers, white hat hackers have honorable, or at least benign, motivations. A white hat "ethical hacker" is a talented computer security user employed to help protect computer networks. These white hats are not unlike former convicts who take on work as store security guards. While they themselves may not be completely ethical, their vocation is considered white hat. Ethical hackers are usually motivated by a steady paycheck. It is not surprising to see ethical hackers spending those paychecks on very expensive personal computers in their personal lives, so they can play online games after work. As long as they have a good-paying job to support their personal habits, an ethical hacker is usually not motivated to destroy nor steal from their employer.

Related: White Hat "Academic Hackers" = Creative Computer Artists
Another kind of white hat is the "academic hacker": a computer artisan who is not interested in protecting systems, but rather in creating clever programs and beautiful interfaces. If you are an academic hacker, for example, you will take existing programmatic code, and improve upon it through clever alterations and additions. "Academic hacking" is about obsessively innovating computer code so that it becomes more beautiful or more efficient as a program. Academic hackers, in general, are harmless and do not seek to hurt other people's networks. Academic white hats are often graduate students in computer programming.

3) Grey Hat Hackers = Uncertain which side of the law to stand for.
Grey hats are often "hobby hackers": users with basic or intermediate tech skills who like to disassemble and modify their own computers for hobby pleasure, and who also dabble in minor white collar crimes, like file-sharing movies or cracking software. Yes, millions of p2p downloaders are hobby hackers. And indeed, if you have ever modified your router and firewall to allow faster p2p downloads, you could describe yourself as a "grey hat" hobby hacker. Gratefully, only a small percentage of hobby hackers ever escalate into becoming serious black hat hackers.