Hacking: What does it really mean?

Most of us are really confused about what "hacking" really implies....
Well, the term itself is rather indeterminate in exact meaning, but here's a standard definition:
"Hacking is an act of penetrating computer systems to gain knowledge about the system and how it works."

90% of the hacking is non-malevolent, and just a way to learn more. This is the way to go and possibly the only way to master your craft.


Technically, a hacker is someone who is enthusiastic about computer programming and all things relating to the technical workings of a computer. Under such a definition, I would gladly brand myself a hacker. However, most people understand a hacker to be what is more accurately known as a 'cracker'

Crackers are people who try to gain unauthorized access to computers. This is normally done through the use of a 'backdoor' program installed on your machine. A lot of crackers also try to gain access to resources through the use of password cracking software, which tries billions of passwords to find the correct one for accessing a computer.

So you succesfuly got through the anti-porn software that your dad installed, or did you beat your school computer which prevents social-networking sites(orkut,facebook,etc)? Congrats, you are on your way to become a hacker, though not quite there yet. The most important attributes required here are:
1. The dire hunger to learn more and more, and more all the time.
2. Patience, and hard-work.

What I wanted to convey through this post, is that hacking is not like they show in TV(a 12 yr old kid phreaking into Ambani's account in a couple of minutes), but it sure is fun; so don't misuse what you have, dont be a snob(like me), and keep that curiosity alive.