Hacking: "Slang word for a computer enthusiast. One who breaks into the computer system of a company or government." 1 Most hackers break into computers not to wreak havoc, but simply to explore and share information with one another. A small minority, however, do wish to createmischief. These individuals are the ones who have the public fearing hackers. They are genuinely responsible for the Media calling hackers criminals. These individualsand gangs purposely break into computers for personal financial gain, or to turn your six thousand dollar state of the art computer into a six thousand dollarpaperweight. A hacker via RoadRunner can easily glide into an unprotected PC.2 There; they can potentially get credit card numbers and other valuable goodies. Instead of thinking 'criminal' or 'vandal' when hearing the word hacker, we want the public to think of 'knowledge seekers' and 'curious wanderers'. 3 Destruction and unethical ignorance has plagued the underground too long, let's bring back the old school ways of creation and system penetrating for the knowledgethat it is holding, not for the destruction of that knowledge nor the possessors of it. 3 -www.hackers.com A stereotype that is casually applied to a hacker, is that they are geeks, doofs and nerds. They have few or no friends and spend the majority of their time in front oftheir computers. In actuality a hacker could be a CEO of a multinational, or the person sitting next to you on the subway. Obviously there are some things all hackershave in common. All are able to do advanced calculations in math, are well versed in computer languages, and have a good grasp of their Native language. They musthave a state of the art computer that they know inside and out. They also have access to, or knowledge of secret codes and computer languages. Hackers have many tools in their toolbox for breaking into computers. An example of this is a Password Sniffer. This is a program, which is secre...
