What is Hacker? – Definition, Origin, Types, And More (2023)

Definition Hacker

The term hacker refers to a computer expert. The concept has two primary meanings since it can refer to a hacker (a person who illegally accesses a system to take control or obtain private data) or an expert who is responsible for protecting and improving computer security.

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ORIGIN

The first thing we have to learn about the term hacker in its etymological origin. In this case, we can indicate that it is an anglicism that we use within the field of computer science and that it is the result of the sum of two lexical components of English:

-The verb “hack,” which means “damage” or “break.”

-The suffix “-er,” which means “agent.”

Both meanings are accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) in their dictionary. In any case, the word cracker is typical to explicitly name the cybercriminal and reserves the use of a hacker for the specialist who analyzes the security of a system to improve it.

A [hacker] is a programmer who is using his technical knowledge, can study the security of software. It is common for the hacker to look for system failures or vulnerabilities to report these flaws to the developer or even to users in general.

Hackers work to solving problems that affect a system. Many times its function is to find an alternative or a way that developers failed to discover.

There is an ethical [hacker] and an [hacker] attitude that is usually a cause for reflection. These principles are from postulates that indicate how hackers must act morally to avoid causing evil.

When the hacker idea wants to hack, no ethic regulates the action. In these cases, the hacker uses his knowledge to take personal advantage, violating the rights of other people.

It is necessary to establish that within the world of hackers, there are different denominations to refer to them based on, among others, the degree of knowledge and skills they possess.

Hacker has the following typologies

-The lammer

As script-kiddies, this other hacker is also known that has the peculiarity of being a rookie who boasts knowledge and skills that he does not yet possess. Hence what you do is “use” or “steal” the ideas and works of others.

-The Wannabe

The wannabe is a rookie who has everything necessary to become a great hacker because, in addition to knowing, he learns from the experts and works hard to get to be at the level of those.

-The buccaneer

Under this unique name, there are other hackers who, more than technological knowledge, stand out for their financial capacity.

-The copy hacker

-The copy hacker is a figure that has been growing in recent years and has a particular mission regarding hardware cracking. He works close to the hackers specialized in a cracker and then copies their methods and work.

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