Hackers

While in the Introduction To Basic Computing course last semester, I learned that hackers come in different types and specialties. For example, there are white hat and black hat hackers who use programs such as Trojan horse malware, firewalls, and different means of technology and software to get things accomplished. When the question was posed to me during the class lecture, 'What comes to mind when you hear the word 'hacker?' I could not help but to rely on knowledge I have gained from CIT 105 lectures, as well as the generation I was born into, that is filled with people of the frontier of this technologically advanced world.

Just like super heroes, hackers can use their powers for good or evil. My definition of a hacker is an individual who has the capability of retrieving information from another’s desktop, accounts and much more depending on how talented the person is. The way I remember them, white hat hackers are 'the good guys' so to speak, as their main objective is to protect and teach companies how to program better security and be less vulnerable on the web. This type of hacker tests out the online defenses of a firewall and pretends to be the enemy to figure out and strengthen the people the hackers were hired by.

Also, another benefit of hackers is the confiscation of information that would otherwise come from an unwilling source. Child predators run rampant online and the more preventative measures our hackers on the frontlines can make, the safer our youth is and will stay. Though it is kept confidential, I can only imagine that hackers work in the Pentagon to access any online resources for terror/anti-government information.

Black hat hackers are more obviously the opposite of white hats. The first memory I have of hackers in general is the film Hackers (1995) staring Angelina Jolie. The plot was about a teenager who created and wrote his own virus, only to be caught and punished by the secret service. His hacking skills were so advanced that his punishment was banished from using any computer until he turned 18 and became an adult. These hackers have one motive to benefit themselves by taking advantage of less computer savvy internet patrons. They are con-artists who steal identities, social security numbers, credit card information and spam email addresses all by means of the World Wide Web.

Many people can be caught into the label as a harmful hacker, such as the teen boy from the Hackers film. Simply downloading an illegal movie online or songs without paying for them with software such as Limewire, Frostwire and Kazaa is considered illegal. Black hat hackers plant viruses into computers to get past firewalls, such as Trojan horse software, and are deviant Cowboys getting away quickly and leaving computers in ruins. Once a computer gets a virus, in some instances the hardware/motherboard is fried and useless afterwards.

Whether they are on our side or not, hackers are more prominent today than ever, as we utilize technology for almost every task imaginable. They are scary and illusive but can also be a big help to corporations and people starting small businesses with websites.