Getting into the hacker mindset

[r33per]

Thank you for that intro it's left me with a lot of reading material to gather and as a noob it has given me a valuable in site to what I'm getting myself into will be eagerly awaiting updates.

[hanorotu]

Good read, I only really social engineer these days. Need any pointers, I'll be happy to share some tricks and tips.

[Z3R0]

Well then technically, according to everyone's definition of a cracker, penetration testers would be crackers. I've never seen a pentester fix something after breaking into it, or do anything to make the company better, other than writing up a report of what they broke into, and very generalized solutions.

Just thought I would throw that out there since everyone seems to forget that whitehats and blackhats do the same fucking thing. Call it what you want, but stick with one label. This hacker/cracker nonsense is retarded. Do you guys even know who introduced the term, "cracker," as it relates to computer security? Eric S. Raymond did, and the man is a drooling fucking idiot. His definition of a hacker is:

Someone who creates, or modifies, computer programs.

Let's look at google and ask it what a programmer is:

define: programmer
pro·gram·mer/ˈprōˌgramər/
Noun:   
1.    A person who writes computer programs.
2.    A device that automatically controls the operation of something in accordance with a prescribed program.

Let's ask google what a hacker is:

define: hacker
hack·er/ˈhakər/
Noun:   
1.    An enthusiastic and skillful computer programmer or user.
2.    A person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data.

To reiterate my point, let's ask google what a cracker is:

define: cracker
crack·er/ˈkrakər/
Noun:   
1.    A thin, crisp wafer often eaten with cheese or other savory toppings.
2.    A person or thing that cracks.

Just to elaborate on the meaning behind #2 in that last one, let's define what cracking is:

cracking present participle of crack (Verb)
Verb:   
1.    Break or cause to break without a complete separation of the parts: "the ice had cracked"; "a stone cracked the glass on his car".
2.    Break or cause to break open or apart: "the landmasses have cracked up and moved around"; "she cracked an egg into the pan".

Finally, just to show you bickering idiots that hacker is a widely accepted term for someone who gains unauthorized access to computers, let's look at The Oxford Dictionary - the single most accepted dictionary in the world.

Code: [Select]

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hacker?q=hacker


hacker
 
Pronunciation: /ˈhakə/
noun

    1. a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data.
   

• informal an enthusiastic and skilful computer programmer or user.

2. a person or thing that hacks or cuts roughly.

Rant over.

[lucid]

Well then technically, according to everyone's definition of a cracker, penetration testers would be crackers. I've never seen a pentester fix something after breaking into it, or do anything to make the company better, other than writing up a report of what they broke into, and very generalized solutions.

Just thought I would throw that out there since everyone seems to forget that whitehats and blackhats do the same fucking thing. Call it what you want, but stick with one label. This hacker/cracker nonsense is retarded. Do you guys even know who introduced the term, "cracker," as it relates to computer security? Eric S. Raymond did, and the man is a drooling fucking idiot. His definition of a hacker is:Let's look at google and ask it what a programmer is:Let's ask google what a hacker is:To reiterate my point, let's ask google what a cracker is:Just to elaborate on the meaning behind #2 in that last one, let's define what cracking is:Finally, just to show you bickering idiots that hacker is a widely accepted term for someone who gains unauthorized access to computers, let's look at The Oxford Dictionary - the single most accepted dictionary in the world.

Code: [Select]

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hacker?q=hacker
Rant over.

You truly are the master debator

[ande]

Well then technically, according to everyone's definition of a cracker, penetration testers would be crackers. blablablabla --

Just because you disagree with what Kulverstukas posted (or so I presume, I don't really know who you are ranting at) doesn't make Kulverstukas's definition of a cracker everyones definition. And also, what makes a cracker a cracker is not how actions but his intentions. Thats the difference between a cracker and a pentester.

[noob]

m0rph your logic is right if you look from perspective of common people and media.But if you look from perspective of people involved in hacking you cant put them all in same box.