Hacking is a relatively young yet elusive term being thrown around ever since computers started to become a part of our lives. You’d hear it in the news and ads: “HACKERS CRACK BANK X’S NETWORK STEALING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!”, “PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HACKERS WITH THIS HOT NEW VPN!”, “HERE’S HOW HACKERS CAN HACK YOUR TOILET”, among others, humorous or not.
However, this only creates misunderstandings, and those not aware who want to learn hacking will likely encounter trouble down the line if they do not exercise discretion and awareness.
OK… So what is hacking?
The Oxford Dictionary defines “hacking” as:
The activity of using computers to get access to data in somebody else’s computer or phone system without permission.
Oxford Dictionary
Sounds straightforward, isn’t it? But this is NOT what defines “hacking”. The unauthorized act of breaking into computers and networks is known as “cracking”. Luckily for us, there is an already established definition of hacking, by pioneers and hackers themselves:
A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.
Jargon Files (http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/H/hacker.html)
When I first got hooked on hacking, I was enthralled by the bogus, first definition: cracking open computer systems for sport. As I learned the art, slowly but surely I realized how foolish such an endeavor would be to live for the sole purpose of testing the security of a computer or a network.
No, I’m much more attached to the true definition: having a close understanding of how computer systems work. And that is never ending as technology keeps moving forward, especially with computer security finding insane ways to attack and defend systems.
Can I learn how to hack?
Well let’s see here… Taking into consideration how everyone has computers either on their desks or pockets and how everything these days are going through computers, then the answer is: “HELL YES!!”
Anyone can learn how to hack. “All it takes is one search bar search, and everything flows…” is what some ol’ geezer would say, but he is not wrong.
It’s one thing to read books and watch video tutorials, but the most important part of learning is gathering experience! Experience comes from doing and sharing it with likeminded peers. Don’t have likeminded peers? Then find them! They are all over cyberspace!
This Blog
With this blog, I will pour out my knowledge and experiences I have earned of the art of hacking, among other content related to computers. This will help me to keep track of my progress, and for you to learn from my experiences, all of it in one place.
Whatever the future may be, I will hack through it with my skills.
HACK TO THE FUTURE!!
Awesome to see you!
Yeah, I remember when everyone just knew that hacking meant doing something cool/creative with computers. Then for some odd reason, the media got the term wrong (not sure if intentionally or they’re just stupid) and then everyone confused hacking with cracking.
Yeah. The media is partly to blame. I’m most certain they reported out of ignorance, though I won’t discard the possibility of intentions.