Security cracking

In the context of computer networking, cracking (also called black-hat hacking, although this is not considered correct usage of the term hacker) is the act of compromising the security of a system without permission from an authorized party, usually with the intent of accessing computers connected to the network (the somewhat similar activity of defeating copy prevention devices in software - which may or may not be illegal depending on the laws of the given country - is actually software cracking). The term 'cracker' was coined by Richard Stallman to provide an alternative to abusing the existing word hacker for this meaning. Hackers are not the same as crackers, as hackers do not participate in illegal activities and only modify software (typically of the Open Source variety).

Related Topics:
Computer network - Hacker - Security - Copy prevention - Software - Software cracking - Richard Stallman - Hackers - Crackers - Open Source

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Cracking techniques can vary from using advanced programming skills and social engineering to using semi-automatic cracking software developed by others without understanding how it works. The latter type of cracker is often referred to as a script kiddie (unskilled crackers are far more common than highly skilled ones). Common software weaknesses exploited by crackers include buffer overflows.

Related Topics:
Social engineering - Script kiddie - Buffer overflow

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