Hacking

Hacking, more accurately referred to as cracking, typically refers to the act of penetrating a computer system or network. Hacking also may refer to a number of other activities, both legal and illegal. These include:

* Modifying software or hardware in order to violate copyright law or software licensing agreements (this is also referred to as "cracking" and "piracy")
* Modifying software or hardware for extra functionality or performance
* Creating software or devices to solve problems
* Using an existing computer system in an unusual, clever way to solve a problem
* Staging pranks

Hackers act for a variety of reasons, ranging from curiosity and bragging rights to personal gain or vandalism.

Crackers who act with criminal intent are known as "black hat" hackers. Crackers who don't have a criminal intent (e.g., those paid by software companies to research security issues or investigate new computer viruses) are referred to as "white hat".

## See also[edit]

* Cyber-terrorism
* Internet Crime
* Metasploit Project