What is Hacking?
Hacking involves breaking into digital systems to perform actions they weren’t designed to permit. It can be malicious (malicious hacking) or ethical, such as penetration testing to identify security flaws. Today’s hackers use a wide variety of tactics and tools to achieve their goals, from stealing trade secrets or deploying ransomware to launching supply chain attacks that lurk in networks for months. Hacking can be incredibly complex and lucrative, attracting cybercriminals, hackers for hire, and skilled programmers and computer enthusiasts who explore technology creatively and deeply.
Many hackers are motivated by a desire to get revenge on companies, individuals, or governments they feel wronged them. Others pursue espionage for financial gain or to gain access to classified information for political activism. Hacking can also be a competitive sport, with hackers challenging each other to break into new systems. Early hackers who obsessively explored low-tech methods of getting around secure telecommunication networks and expensive long-distance phone rates were known as phreaks.
Hackers can be white hat, black hat, or gray hat, depending on their intent and skill level. Those who hack for their own gain, often without the explicit permission of the system owner — or even the software creator — are called white hat hackers. Those who breach systems to improve security, such as certified penetration testers, are called ethical hackers or grey hat hackers. Those who exploit vulnerable systems for criminal purposes are known as cybercriminals or black hat hackers.