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Hacking is a term used to describe working with computer code to find shortcuts and improve efficiency. The term has also been taken on a more sinister meaning in modern culture, where it refers to illegally gaining unauthorized access to computer systems and networks. There are some people who use their hacking skills in a legal way for a living (they are called white hat hackers) and others who get paid to go after bad hackers (called black hat hackers). In the past, the negative connotation of the word hacker was more widespread than it is today.

Some hackers use their skills to benefit society and help companies secure their information systems. The most common goal for hackers is to steal information from businesses, such as hi-tech designs for new products or confidential financial data that could be used to profit on the stock market. Hackers can do this in a number of ways, including social engineering (telling a company employee they need their password to fix an issue) or dumpster-diving for information and documents in trash bins.

Other hackers have political or ideological beliefs and want to raise awareness for these issues by defacing websites and launching distributed denial of service attacks. The hacker collective Anonymous is well known for these types of activities. Nation states also have their own hacking groups that work with the government to spy on adversaries and disrupt infrastructure. This activity is called state-sponsored hacking.