Remember this scene from Mission Impossible? Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) repels from the ceiling. He is just a few inches from the floor. His mission - to hack into CIA computer. Photo from the movie.
Whichever side of the law, there are the tools or technology available for anyone around the globe to break into computer systems and websites. This is hacking, the unauthorized break-in into a communications network like the Internet.
Black and White Hats
In the early days of the Internet and Silicon Valley, hacking had an artistic characteristic. To qualify as a hack, the feat must be “imbued with innovation, style and technical virtuosity.”
There are two (sometimes three) types of hackers. The good guys are the white hats. They are ethically and legally opposed to the attack and abuse of computer systems. The early white hats came from the first hackers at MIT and the Homebrew Computer Club in Silicon Valley. They maintained the values and principles of openness and sharing, or more simply, a better world. A white hat is sometimes a bad guy turned good and nows works for IT companies or even government. He tests security measures, fixes security problems, and makes sure the bad guys can’t hack into these systems.
Then, there are black hats. They are driven by the challenge or curiosity (or the money) to shutdown down a website or even a government. A black hat maliciously exploits vulnerabilities to his advantage. Many black hats argue individual freedom over security, accessibility over privacy. Others simply just want to get their names in mass media or blogosphere. Or just want to have fun.
In early 80s, there were six teenage hackers in Milwaukee known as the “414s.” They sound like a new wave band. Remember, the B52s? They hacked into computer systems of laboratories, banks and even a cancer center in Canada and the United States. They quickly caught the attention of media. A 17-year-old Neal Patrick became the spokesman for the “414s” which led to a cover story in the September 1983 issue Newsweek entitled "Beware: Hackers at play." The young hackers were quoted as “just having fun.”
In-between black and white is a grey hat. He is also a skilled hacker who sometimes acts legally and illegally.
