 |
| Image Source |
What was the first
impression in your mind when you read my blog’s title? I am very sure that most
of you have made negative impression, because of the word “hacking.” This
is not your fault. It is normal for people to think negatively when we
hear or read words, such as “hackers” or “hacking”, because of the media. These
words force us to think of malicious computer users who finds to new ways to
access secure information by infiltrating in computer systems. I am not denying
the fact that there are hackers around this world with bad intentions, who
infiltrate networks and spread computer viruses for their own benefits. We call
them black hats. However, there are several other hackers with good intentions,
who use their knowledge to help government or corporations create better
security system and we call them white hats. In fact, they have started using
words like “geek” or “guru” because of the bad reputation of word “hacker.”
 |
| Image Source |
Even when you search the
word “hacker” or “hacking” on Google, it refers to black hats who access
computer information illegally. However, there is another good way to define
these words. We can say that hacking is a process of solving computer problems
in IT industries and hackers are programmers who are expert in hacking the computer
code. Lots of computer problems are fixed, because of hacking. Hackers can
imagine new ways of using computers. They can create computer programs that no
one can imagine. In fact, they can change the whole computer industry by creating
new applications or completely new operating systems. In this sense, famous
people such as Linus Torvalds, Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak were all hackers.
They imagined a completely different world of computer technology and were
successful in changing their imagination to reality.
Whether it is to learn,
create applications, help someone or for personal profits, hacking will continue to happen in the future. It all boils down to what we think of
hacking.
Source:
Nirav, I think you did a wonderful job describing the other side of the word "hacker". I think many people have an idea that a "hacker" or someone who hacks is someone who intentionally breaks into programs and access secure information. But in the programming world many people refer to hackers as someone who creates something with it being perfect. Here in the Silicon Valley there are many events called "Hackathons" that are hosted just about every weekend. People come to these events to "Hack" something together very quickly. Not in a sense of breaking into secure information, but in a sense of creating something quickly to prototype a product or service.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Nirav. Many people don't seem to realize that the idea of hacking is a double-sided coin. On one hand, black hat hackers want to create chaos for their own enjoyment, even at the detriment of others. But on the other hand, we have white hats who seriously enjoy solving problems. Sometimes they're the same problems as the ones that black hats pursue. The major difference is that white hat hackers will report their findings to benefit possible victims before damage has been done. Unfortunately most people do not recognize this.
ReplyDeleteYes you are correct! I think very negatively of hacking. I guess, that's the perception that society puts on it. Overall, I really like your blog. I like the flow it, It's interesting that you brought up black hats because I've never heard of them. Good job!
ReplyDeleteAt first, I actually did think of hacking as bad because I usually hear about it on the news.I usually hear about hackers stealing identities or hackers breaking into websites and stealing data. Of course, those are the bad guys; they are also known as black hats. White hats, the good guys, do their hacking so they benefit the owners and other clients. I agree that no matter what, hacking will always occur no matter what happens and how many times passes. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteHi Nirav, I like how you explained the good side of hacking. In the past, I thought hacking was completely bad. Hackers would find security vulnerabilities and exploit them. Like you said, there are hackers with good intentions. Programmers like to hack for the problem solving skills or to improve one’s product. Overall, your post was informative. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete