Computer Hacking and Cracking basics

Nuts and Bolts

To know what is computer hacking, one must know their terms. A list of certain significant ones is described below.

Hacking run

essentially, a hacking run is a hacking session that lasts longer than normal working times, i.e. a hacking run that lasts for in excess of eight to ten hours.

White Hat

considered one of nice guys, a white hat hacker is one who hacks and the informs the owner of the hacking

Black Hat

in contrast, the black hat hacker is considered a criminal and uses his/her skills to break the law

Gray Hat

as one would imagine, a gray hat hacker sometimes is good, and sometimes is criminal; a combination of the white and black hat

Script Kiddie

a demeaning term, used for those who hack but do so by following directions and not creating anything of their own

Trojan horse

deceptive programs that pretend they do one thing, only to enter the computer system and do another; however, they need not be bad for the computer

Virus

a self-replicating program that inserts itself into executable codes or documents

Worm

also a self-replicating program, but a worm breeds itself in computer systems.

Software, Hardware, and Internet Hacking

Although the computer languages should solely be used for the legitimate purposes such as learning and other constructive purposes, yet there are lots of ways these languages are used as the means of destructions. The languages such as C, C++, java, Pearl and few more like these are used for hacking. Hackers are the programming experts who have sound grips in the language mentioned above. The language C is the utmost flexible and is the widely accepted one as the ported language in the community of the hackers.

Linux is the strongest hacker-friendly operating system that can be used by the hackers intending to hack another system. The hackers use wide range software to break into the remote systems. Although these programs and software were constructed for some legal purposes, yet they have turned to be the serious hacker tools. A few worth mentioning software and programs are DeCSS 1.2b, Coldlife 4.0, PCHelps Network Tracer, IntelliTamper 2.07 and etc.

Software hacking is best achieved through the use of a virus that is delivered via Internet. When a virus is loaded on the computer its affects varies within a great range -- from a trivial damage that may be negligible to a great loss by altering or wiping off the entire content of the computer hard disk.

However, a worm nests in the hardware and is activated simply by turning on the machine in the affected network. It has the potential to wreak havoc by crashing an entire system. Hardware hacking is a fresh new aspect that has been expanded on a new generation of tinkerers. The process of hard hacking by means of then application specific IC's ASIC is the mentionable issue. The world's business is suffering the menace of bots and the network worms.

Furthermore, hackers can alter content on a website or steal information in encrypted pages by cracking the "code" which programs the site. The website hacking through network hacking system is another alternative. A bot network invasion can be launched to bring serious harm to the remote system. The websites are hacked to satisfy the hacker's hunger of information and other records.

Those who engage in this are also hackers, but they specifically devote time to studying cryptography in computers and putting this into practice. However, this is not all done by the individual. A series of mathematical functions, performed and run through computers, are used to crack the encryption of a system that was usually made to be exceedingly difficult to figure out. All of the above can be done by employing a careful process of reverse engineering (RE), which is simply trying to uncover the functioning principles of an application by "deconstructing" the way it was initially put together. The effect of the computer hacking is going to be more and more horrendous with the emergence more and more advanced technology and tools.

Hacking and cracking has become mainstream language since its beginnings in the late 60s. Today, it stands as one of the foremost concerns in computer safety and as it continues, the measures to combat it are getting increasingly more sophisticated. In this battle, sites on the Internet abound for both hacking tutorials and ways to protect the computer. This battle against the computer hacking has to be waged as long as computers, and the valuable information they store, are part of our lives. As an art of exploitation, hacking and cracking networks is a menace to the world of computer at the moment.