What Is Hacking?
Hacking is using a variety of tools and methods to gain unauthorized access to a digital device, computer system or computer network. The classic view of hackers is that of a rogue programmer who gains access to sensitive data and uses it for illicit purposes. However, hacking is much more sophisticated than that. Increasingly, hackers are targeting entire systems, and their attacks can be deeply disruptive. They can also use stealthy methods to go unnoticed by cybersecurity software and teams.
Hackers often target vulnerable hardware and software components. They use a wide range of tools such as packet sniffers, port scanners and vulnerability scans to gather intelligence on the system they are attacking. They then use this information to create attack chains, which can include credential stealers, lateral movement tools, privilege escalation scripts and exfiltration mechanisms. Modern hackers are more assemblers than coders, building threat chains from modular hacking modules.
Historically, the term ‘hacking’ was used by members of the MIT Tech Model Railroad Club, who would modify their high-tech train sets to expand their capabilities. Computer hacking really took off in the 1970s, when a group called ‘phreakers’ exploited operational characteristics of telephone switching networks. They discovered that a toy whistle found in Cap’n Crunch produced the exact frequency – 2600 hertz – needed to trick the phone system into routing calls free of charge.
The most common motivation for hacking is financial gain. Cybercriminals can make money by stealing passwords, compromising bank accounts or holding data hostage for ransom. But hackers can also be motivated by a desire for revenge – one of the best known examples is when a teenager hacked into NASA and the Department of Defense in 1999.