Hacking 

(English verb to hack, singular noun a hack) refers to the re-configuring or re-programming of

a system to function in ways not facilitated by the owner, administrator, or designer.

The term(s) have several related meanings in the technology and computer science fields, wherein a
"hack" may refer to a clever or quick fix to a computer program problem, or to what may be perceived to
be a clumsy or inelegant (but usually relatively quick) solution to a problem, such as a "kludge".

The terms "hack" and "hacking" are also used to refer to a modification of a program or device to give the
user access to features that were otherwise unavailable, such as by circuit bending.

It is from this usage that the term "hacking" is often used to refer to more nefarious criminal uses such
as identity theft, credit card fraud or other actions categorized as computer crime.

 a hacker is a person who breaks into computers and computer networks, either for profit or motivated by
the challenge.

Hacking may refer to:

 Computer hacking, including the following types of activity:

 Hacker (programmer subculture), activity within the computer programmer subculture
 Hacker (hobbyist), to heavily modify the software or hardware of one's own computer
system
 Hacker (computer security), to access computer networks, legally or otherwise
 Computer crime
 Illegal taxicab operation
 Pleasure riding, horseback riding for purely recreational purposes
 The act of stealing jokes
 Hacking, an area within Hietzing, a municipal district of Vienna, Austria
 Ian Hacking, Canadian philosopher of science

Hacker attitudes
Several subgroups of the computer underground with different attitudes and aims use different terms to
demarcate themselves from each other, or try to exclude some specific group with which they do not
agree. Eric S. Raymond (author of The New Hacker's Dictionary) advocates that members of the
computer underground should be called crackers. Yet, those people see themselves as hackers and even
try to include the views of Raymond in what they see as one wider hacker culture, a view harshly rejected
by Raymond himself. Instead of a hacker/cracker dichotomy, they give more emphasis to a spectrum of
different categories, such as white hat, grey hat, black hat and script kiddie. In contrast to Raymond, they
usually reserve the term cracker. According to (Clifford R.D. 2006) a cracker or cracking is to "gain
unauthorized access to a computer in order to commit another crime such as destroying information
contained in that system".[9] These subgroups may also defined by the legal status of their activities.[10]

[edit]White hat

Main article:  White hat

A white hat hacker breaks security for non-malicious reasons, for instance testing their own security
system. This classification also includes individuals who perform penetration tests and vulnerability
assessments within a contractual agreement. Often, this type of 'white hat' hacker is called an ethical
hacker. The International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants, also known as the EC-
Council has developed certifications, courseware, classes, and online training covering the diverse arena
of Ethical Hacking.[10]

[edit]Grey hat
Main article:  Grey hat

A gray hat hacker is a combination of a Black Hat Hacker and a White Hat Hacker. A Grey Hat Hacker will
surf the internet and hack into a computer system for the sole purpose of notifying the administrator that
their system has been hacked. Then they will offer to repair their system for a small fee.[4]

[edit]Blue Hat
Main article:  Blue Hat

A blue hat hacker is someone outside computer security consulting firms who is used to bug test a
system prior to its launch, looking for exploits so they can be closed. Microsoft also uses the term Blue
Hat to represent a series of security briefing events.[11][12][13]

[edit]Black hat
Main article:  Black hat
A black hat hacker, sometimes called "cracker", is someone who breaks computer security without
authorization or uses technology (usually a computer, phone system or network) for vandalism, credit
card fraud, identity theft, piracy, or other types of illegal activity.[10][14]