Hacking: Hackers and Crackers

When I read and heard the word “hacking,” I think of hackers breaking into your email account or your social media profile and stealing your personal information. Hacking could be considered a major threat to us. My dear friend, Urban Dictionary, defines hacking, in computer terminology, as “the gaining of access (wanted or unwanted) to a computer and viewing, copying, or creating data without the intention of destroying data or maliciously harming the computer.” There are good hackers (such as Homeland Security personnel) who try to protect the citizens of the United States against internal terrorism. On the other hand, there are “crackers” who can gain unauthorized access to your personal accounts. I, for one, believe that “crackers” can cause chaos in one’s life, stealing their social security, bank account numbers, personal emails, etc. Sometimes the damage done is so great that is irretrievable.

In an ABC News article titled “15-Year-Old Admits Hacking NASA Computers,” a 15-year-old boy “caused a 21-day shutdown of NASA computers that support the international space station, and invaded a Pentagon weapons computer system to intercept 3,300 emails, steal passwords and cruise around like an employee.” This boy, using the pseudo-name of “c0mrade,” has been identified as the first and youngest hacker imprisoned for computer crimes. He is currently serving six months of imprisonment in a state detention facility. Two different things might have been going through his head while committing the crime. First, he might have been thinking that he is the smartest teenager in the United States and would be recognized for his intelligence. However, this backfired on him. Second, he might have been under the impression what he was doing would be harmless. Whereas now, we know the extend of damages he has caused.

If you have the prominent programming skills, why not put them in greater use?