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Definition: hacker from Philip's Encyclopedia

In computing, a person who obtains unauthorized entry to a computer database. A hacker, who usually gains access through the public telephone system using a modem, may read or even alter the information in the database.


hacking

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Unauthorized access to computer systems, either for fun or for malicious or fraudulent purposes. Hackers generally use computers and telephone lines to obtain access. In computing, the term is used in a wider sense to mean using software for enjoyment or self-education, not necessarily involving unauthorized access. The most destructive form of hacking is the introduction of a computer virus . There is some dispute over the correct use of the term hacker. Some believe hacker should be used to describe someone who develops computer software, with the term cracker being used for a person who breaks into a computer system. Some hackers call themselves ethical or white hat hackers. Ethical hackers probe Web sites for holes in the security system, either fixing the holes themselves or alerting the company in question. White hat hackers are computer experts employed by companies to hack into their networks to expose weaknesses in security. In the UK, hacking is illegal under the Computer…
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Full text Article Hacker

From The Johns Hopkins Guide to Digital Media
Hacker
Hackers—they seem to be everywhere, landing headlines in the news, founding companies in Silicon Valley and hacker spaces around the world, and, at times, facing years in jail. Despite this presence, they are everywhere misunderstood. Generally, a hacker is a technologist with a penchant for…
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Full text Article Computer Crime

From World of Criminal Justice, Gale
Hacker “Mudge,” testifying before Senate...
Computer crime is a popular label for crimes committed by using a computer or crimes involving the misuse or destruction of computer equipment or computerized information. Computer crime can include theft of credit card numbers from an Internet database or the use of these stolen credit card numbers…
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Full text Article hacking

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Unauthorized access to computer systems, either for fun or for malicious or fraudulent purposes. Hackers generally use computers and telephone lines to obtain access. In computing, the term is used in a wider sense to mean using software for enjoyment or self-education, not necessarily involving…
| 263 words
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Full text Article hackers and hacking

From Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology
Starting in the late 1950s, in computer facilities at MIT, Stanford, and other research universities people began to encounter persons who had both unusual programming skill and an obsession with the inner workings of the machine. While ordinary users viewed the computer simply as a tool for solving…
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Full text Article HACKERS

From 100 Ideas that Changed the Web
Steal this network! The use of the term ‘hacker’ to mean someone who exploits weaknesses in a computer system is controversial. In computer subculture, it is a badge of honour, meaning someone with an advanced understanding of computers. Hackers are fundamentally nerds, young engineers who play with…
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Full text Article hack

From Word Origins
English has two distinct words hack . By far the older, ‘cut savagely or randomly’ [OE], goes back via Old English haccian to a prehistoric West Germanic *khak- , also reproduced in German hacken and Dutch hakken . It perhaps originated in imitation of the sound of chopping. Hack ‘worn-out horse’ …
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Full text Article hacking

From Collins Dictionary of Law
the accessing of a computer system without the permission of the owner of that system. Originally the practice proved difficult for the legal system mainly because many hackers caused no actual damage - they would simply enter the system, leave proof of their cunning and skill and exit. Others, …
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Full text Article hack 1

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
To cut or chop with repeated and irregular blows: hacked down the saplings. To make or shape by hitting or chopping with a sharp implement: hacked a trail through the forest. To break up the surface of (soil). a. To alter (a computer program): hacked her text editor to read HTML. b. To gain access…
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Full text Article Hacker, hacktivist

From Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies
Just as the tomb robbers of ancient Egypt broke into seemingly impregnable pyramids and underground tombs, so the ‘hacker’ breaks into computer codes and computer systems. All the hacker needs is the technology, the know-how and persistence, and some of the world's most closely guarded information…
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Full text Article hacker 1

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
a. One who is proficient at using or programming a computer; a computer buff. b. One who uses programming skills to gain illegal access to a computer network or file. One who demonstrates poor or mediocre ability, especially in a sport: a weekend tennis hacker. [Perhaps from hacker, amateurish or…
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