What is a Hacker?
The term hacker has a double meaning within the field of computing. A hacker can be an expert computer programmer
who creates complex software and hardware. These hackers are experts
in the field of computing and have achieved a certain elite status
within their field. The other commonly known meaning of the word is
someone who breaks into computer security networks for his own purpose.
The media has perpetuated the more exciting connotation of the word hacker with films and books on the subject. Films such as War Games
portray breaking into the Pentagon’s security system as similar to
playing a computer game. A film about the computer hacker designing a
software system would probably not do very big business at the box
office.
A hacker who who breaks into systems primarily to steal is
not regarded as a computer expert, although she can be. A hacker
within the professional world of computing is regarded as a professional
computer expert within his field. In the professional computing world,
a hacker can be a computer and network security expert. She can also be a highly skilled software programmer
or a hardware modifier. The type of hacker who breaks into bank
accounts or a company’s network does exist, but the meaning is entirely
different from that of a professional hacker.
The stereotypical image of a computer hacker, as portrayed by the
media, is one of a shadowy figure, alone at a computer, stealing secrets
and money. This type of computer hacking
can bring rewards, but it can also bring huge fines and prison
sentences. Thanks to the media, the average person is likely most
familiar with this definition of a computer hacker.
It is true that computer crime is on the increase, but it mainly takes the form of computer fraud.
People are duped into giving out their bank and personal details after
receiving bogus emails. This is not computer hacking, as it does not
involve an attempt to break into a computer’s software system.
It is not altogether difficult to gain access to someone’s email password.
There are many Internet sites that claim to be able to gain access for
a fee. However, these sites usually work by sending bogus emails
asking the recipient to verify passwords for security reasons. This is
not real computer hacking.
A real hacker in the field of computer security is someone employed
to stop any unauthorized access to a network’s security system. If
someone tells you that he is a computer hacker, it is not necessarily a
bad thing. He may be able to help upgrade your computer instead of
breaking into it.
What is a Password Cracker?
A password cracker is a computer software
program used to recover user names and passwords stored on computers.
As more computing functions have a need for enhanced security, passwords
have become more standard. As a result, password crackers have also
gained in popularity.
For those in need of a password cracker,
there are plenty of options from which to choose. Some may work when the
computer boots up. This may be helpful if one needs to recover a login
password. Others work once the computer is running to recover other
types of passwords.
The type of password cracker you may need is
dependent upon a number of other variables as well. First, if a user is
able to get on the computer in question, it is likely he or she does not
need a password cracker that works at startup. Second, some password
crackers work with certain operating systems, so looking at the software
requirements before installing a password cracker is important.
The
most common legitimate use for a password cracker is when there is a
forgotten password. With more applications, both on and off the
Internet, requiring passwords, this can be a common problem. When a user
must keep track of many passwords, there is a greater likelihood of
forgetting one or more.
Though most people try to use the same passwords over multiple
applications, there are cases where that is not possible. Some passwords
require certain features or characters to ensure greater security.
Those may not be in a user's normal password so a different, but perhaps
similar, password is required. Other systems may require users to
change their passwords periodically. These situations are what make
password crackers so convenient.
However, some have been critical of password crackers and security
experts need to be aware of them for a number of reasons. Though a
computer user could use a password cracker for legitimate purposes, a
user can also use one for nefarious purposes. Computer hackers know the benefits of a good password cracker and can uncover valuable information with its use.
This is why system administrators have to be constantly vigilant in
matters of security. Some techniques, like the requirement of changing
passwords frequently, are specifically designed to help mitigate the
harmful uses of password crackers. There are other software applications
specifically designed to block password crackers. However, with new
password crackers coming onto the market all the time, it may be hard
for some security applications to keep up.
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