Hack I.T.: Security Through Penetration Testing

Chapter 2. Defining the Hacker

In this chapter, we categorize hackers into three groups that reflect different levels of experience and capabilities. Our objective is not to propagate any stereotypes but merely to create a framework so that we can talk about the “other side” and their skill levels. This information is provided to facilitate an understanding of the different types of people who are commonly called hackers. Security professionals have started using the term cracker to refer to malicious computer hackers. Unfortunately, the media and general population have given the term hacker a negative connotation, so we use it to describe any person who attempts to access a system through unauthorized channels. This chapter also presents a profile ...