Outlaws of Technology!

I n order to study the comparison the between the hackers and crackers, it is important to understand the respective definitions. While apparently the words hacking and cracking seems synonymous, yet there exist certain points of distinctions between the two and the meaning of the words will always be heated topics of debate. Since the very dawn of the civilization, man's hunger to attain the unattainable have went on opening new horizons in almost every aspects of life, and the technology is of no exception to this nature of human. A cracker is a technical person who has mastered the art of breaking systems, often not for acquiring knowledge, by the dint of few programs and softwares used as tools. They are more interested in the system's security without the need of great deal of knowledge, thereby not benefiting much. On the other hand, a hacker who cracks and hacks systems is not only interested in breaking the security of the system but also in knowing about the system's details, by which he gains much more than by simply cracking systems. Unlike a cracker, a hacker generally does not have intention destroy data maliciously or to steel things. A cracker who is often termed to be a cyber burglar brings out significant harm to the network or steels the information like passwords or credit card numbers. A Trojan is capable enough to recognize and record even every single keystroke that you make. Hence even if you do not store any personal or financial records in your system, the hackers can still be able to obtain the information by recognizing the keystrokes.The computer hackers actually trespass or circumvent artistically, yet scientifically into the other computer system with a hunger to know the programmable systems, how they perform and their internal structures, while cracking is slight different in sense. Cracking means to break off the computer's security system. This is a subject matter of hard-core science with an aesthetic undertone of artistic skill that has attracted a few millions of teenagers and young adults all over the world. Delving deep into the concepts, we can compare the hackers and crackers. A hacker is a person who commits the fraudulent act or the penal offense of exploring into the other computers in order to know the details of the programmable system and how they work. On the other level, a cracker is a person just more secretive as compared to the hacker. The cracker breaks through the system's security and proves to be far more dangerous than the hackers who just quench his or her thirst by simply discovering the workings of a system. Hence the crackers can potentially be much more perilous as compared to the hackers. While it is often believed that the hacking is simply exploring into the other computer system with an intention to know how the programmable system works, which is not a fraudulent task unless any sort of vandalism and theft is done by this, another huge section stands strictly against the view and look at the act from the view point of a crime.

Doubting if you are a hacker? Remember phone booth era

By RICHARD GITONGA

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Over the past couple of months a new “ism” has been introduced to our vocabulary. Julius Assange of Wikileaks has brought the world’s attention to a form of Internet activism called hactivism. Hactivism is the process of hacking for a particular cause aimed at the greater good of society. Wikileaks has exposed confidential documents that have embarrassed many governments.

</p>There have been efforts by guilty actors to gag Wikileaks, but most have been unsuccessful. Even the initiative to pass legislation to block internet service providers and hosting facilities to restrict Wikileaks from using their networks failed. Hacking has been regarded as a profession that lingers on the fringes of criminality and fraud. There are different types of hackers, some of whom have a positive contribution to business and the society, and others who have a negative contribution to business. One category of hackers is the one referred to as “White Hats”. White hats are ethical hackers who work to protect a company’s information system. They have a good knowledge of information system security and the various tools used by malicious hackers. The Kenya Police should consider hiring white hats bearing in mind the recent attack on their website by cheeky local hackers.“Black Hats” on the other hand are malicious hackers who penetrate information systems with the intention of causing harm, either by corrupting data, stealing confidential information or simply infecting systems with viruses. Most western Governments public relations machinery have described Julian Assange as a black hat hacker. However, there are many who disagree with this description and feel that he is the quintessential white hat hacker whose actions are for the greater good of society. It may be interesting to note that it was Wikileaks that courageously brought to the world’s attention the massive looting of state corporations and government coffers by the leaders of the Kenyan Government a decade ago. “Grey Hats” are like some Kenyan politicians who have been described as “watermelons”.

<P>Grey hats alternate between being white hats and black hats. They are at times given contracts by institutions to conduct ethical hacking procedures to test the robustness of information security systems. However, in their spare time, they amuse themselves by hacking into vulnerable information systems. Most grey hats are very brilliant at computer technology, but tend to have eccentric tendencies.Just in case you thought that you have never been a hacker, consider the time that we had pay phones or what were once referred to as telephone booths. Many of us discovered the art of tapping the phone to mimic tone sounds in order to avoid paying for calls. If you engaged in this illegal activity, then you can describe yourself as once having been a “Phreaker”.

</p>Phreakers are hackers who penetrate communication systems or devices with the intention of illegally obtaining goods, for example, call card numbers or free telephone calls.Many young Kenyans who use the Internet have become accustomed to downloading tools that enable them to hack into peoples’ computers. These Kenyans can be described as “Script Kiddies”. Script kiddies are hackers who Then there are the “Software Crackers”. These hackers specialises in reverse engineering softwares. They are capable of introducing malicious code into software programmes which is then downloaded and installed by end users. Then there are the “Software Crackers”. These hackers specialises in reverse engineering software’s. They are capable of introducing malicious code into software programmes which is then downloaded and installed by end users.