The Jargon Buster
For those new to Internet security, some
of the terms used in the industry can be quite confusing, particularly given the
inconsistencies with which terms are applied in the media.
To help our customers understand "the lingo" we present the
jargon buster:
Hacker
The term “hacker” didn’t originally have
the sinister connotations that it has today. In the early
days of computing, a hacker (originally meaning someone who
makes furniture with an axe) was a person who, despite a lack of
resources and often without formal training, could apply their
ingenuity to create a clever result. The result would be
inelegant, but quick and effective. Think of the first car
you ever bought as a teenager - the one that always broke down
at busy intersections and had bits of uncertain function fall off it whenever you went
over a speed hump that you then had to pull over and tie back
on. If you managed to keep it on the road for more than a
couple of weeks then you would have mastered the art of hacking
for automobiles.
Cracker
In recent years the term “hacker” has been misappropriated by
journalists to describe those who maliciously break the security
on systems with intent to vandalise or steal. In an attempt to
distance themselves from this sort of behaviour, the hacker
community coined the derogatory term “cracker” in the mid-80s,
but the name has never really gained widespread acceptance in
the mainstream media. See also Black
Hat.
"Script Kiddie"
At the bottom of the totem pole is the
“script kiddie”. Having watched too many movies, script kiddies
yearn for the status they imagine will come from being a
cracker, but lack the wit or patience to learn how. Instead,
they download cracking scripts from the Internet (easily found
through any major search engine) and use them to attack
websites. When they eventually stumble across a site that is
vulnerable they will generally vandalise it and leave behind a
message about how clever they are – despite the fact that they
had no idea what they actually did or how they did it.
Despite their ignorance, script kiddies do present a real
threat because of their vast numbers, persistence, and complete
disregard for the property of others’. Fortunately, they
are also extremely simple to thwart with a good security plan
and regular reviews of your website security.
White Hat
A term used to describe a security specialist with the same
knowledge as a cracker, but who uses
their skills to protect systems from break-ins. Compare
with Black Hat.
Black Hat
A cracker - specifically, one intent
on breaking into one of your systems to cause malicious damage.
The term derives from the dress code of traditional Western
movies, where the bad guys wore black hats and the good guys
white ones.
More
For an authoritative guide to the
difference between a
hacker, a
cracker, a
sneaker, a
womble and dozens of others, you can’t go past the MIT
Jargon File at
http://catb.org/~esr/jargon.
