What Is Hacking?
Hacking is an activity involving illegally accessing, modifying, or exploiting a computer system, device, or network without the owner’s permission. It is a generalized term, and specific hacking activities can vary widely. For example, the term may refer to an individual who tinkers with their electronics and probes their circuit boards for “bends”, or it may describe a person who finds ways to circumvent technical limits. The word hacker has also been used in more specific contexts: Programmers and free software advocates apply the term to people who explore programmable systems or modify software, while cybersecurity professionals use it to describe authorized experts who test and report security vulnerabilities.
The term hacking reportedly first emerged at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the late 1950s and early 1960s, though it was used earlier to refer to altering technical systems. The earliest hacks, known as phreaking, involved telephones: one hacker (reportedly nicknamed Cap’n Crunch after his use of a toy whistle found in a cereal box) used high-frequency noise and signal manipulation to spoof phone lines and make free long distance calls.
More recently, hacking has become associated with gaining unauthorized access to online information and digital systems. News and popular culture portray hackers as criminals, cyberterrorists, socially isolated technical prodigies, activists, and defenders. The favorable usage of hack as an inventive solution has spread beyond computing in terms such as civic hacking, biohacking, and growth hacking. Hackers can be white hat, black hat, or gray hat, and their aims and motivations can range from curiosity to malice.