Whats the difference between a Hacker and a Cracker ?

Question

Or is there such thing as the latter of the two

Answer 1

i am a hacker/cracker so i will explain them to u

a hacker will seek out a hole in a piece of software or firewall etc. and manipulate it to break into a system sometimes to plant a virus or tracker sometimes to steal information but not all hackers are bad there are good in our world also [this is me] we track down a hacker by tracing him with an encrypted pice of software and bust him so that he quits his evil ways


A cracker is a person who uses their mathematical software to break codes and encrypt or unencrypt passwords, software, and firewalls.these people have to have quick fingers tho because they work for speed. The faster u can crack something the less chance of being traced or getting a "bugger" or a virus that will plant itself into an intruders software and corrupts it.

Answer 2

A hacker is a person intensely interested in the arcane and recondite workings of any computer operating system. Hackers are most often programmers. As such, hackers obtain advanced knowledge of operating systems and programming languages. They might discover holes within systems and the reasons for such holes. Hackers constantly seek further knowledge, freely share what they have discovered, and never intentionally damage data.

A cracker is one who breaks into or otherwise violates the system integrity of remote machines with malicious intent. Having gained unauthorized access, crackers destroy vital data, deny legitimate users service, or cause problems for their targets. Crackers can easily be identified because their actions are malicious.

Answer 3

Use of the term "cracker" is mostly limited (as is "black hat") to some areas of the computer and security field and even there, it is considered controversial. Until the 1980s, all people with a high level of skills at computing were known as "hackers". A group that calls themselves hackers refers to "a group that consists of skilled computer enthusiasts". The other, and presently more common usage, refers to those who attempt to gain unauthorized access to computer systems. Over time, the distinction between those perceived to use such skills with social responsibility and those who used them maliciously or criminally, became perceived as an important divide. Many members of the first group attempt to convince people that intruders should be called crackers rather than hackers, but the common usage remains ingrained. The former became known as "hackers" or (within the computer security industry) as white hats, and the latter as "crackers" or "black hats". The general public tends to use the term "hackers" for both types, a source of some conflict when the word is perceived to be used incorrectly. In computer jargon the meaning of "hacker" can be much broader.

Usually, a black hat is a person who uses their knowledge of vulnerabilities and exploits for private gain, rather than revealing them either to the general public or the manufacturer for correction. Many black hats hack networks and web pages solely for financial gain. Black hats may seek to expand holes in systems; any attempts made to patch software are generally done to prevent others from also compromising a system they have already obtained secure control over. A black hat hacker may write their own 0-day exploits (private software that exploits security vulnerabilities; 0-day exploits have not been distributed to the public). In the most extreme cases, black hats may work to cause damage maliciously, and/or make threats to do so as extortion.

Answer 4

hacker n.

1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.
2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming.
3. A person capable of appreciating hack value.
4. A person who is good at programming quickly.
5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it; as in `a Unix hacker'. (Definitions 1 through 5 are correlated, and people who fit them congregate.)
6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker, for example.
7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations.

cracker n.

One who breaks security on a system. Coined ca. 1985 by hackers in defense against journalistic misuse of hacker (q.v., sense 8). An earlier attempt to establish `worm' in this sense around 1981-82 on Usenet was largely a failure.


* A hacker is a person intensely interested in the arcane and recondite workings of any computer operating system. Hackers are most often programmers. As such, hackers obtain advanced knowledge of operating systems and programming languages. They might discover holes within systems and the reasons for such holes. Hackers constantly seek further knowledge, freely share what they have discovered, and never intentionally damage data.
* A cracker is one who breaks into or otherwise violates the system integrity of remote machines with malicious intent. Having gained unauthorized access, crackers destroy vital data, deny legitimate users service, or cause problems for their targets. Crackers can easily be identified because their actions are malicious.

Answer 5

danr1475 is more or less correct. Hacking though, is the action of accessing another computer or server without the owners permission. So it is like trespassing. I can't say it is illegal, being there are people in the govenment (police, fbi, etc) who do this legally to bring down criminals. However for malicious purposes it is illegal. If you do not have the owners permission it is illegal. Hacking is using exploits and flaws to gain access. Cracking is using software pre-made. Unlike hackers whom have gained knowledge and actually can make there own programs and viruses, crackers just use things like Cain and Abel or Bruteforce to gain access to passworded areas.

Answer 6

Depends but here are the two main profiles of each:

A Hacker is someone who specializes in hacking into systems a lot of the time undetected and causing havoc and ultimately reaching their goal of something not tangible, something on the computer.

A Cracker is someone who specializes in cracking codes, passwords, and main frame systems including security and banks systems. . . Unlike a hacker, a cracker is trained for speed not for being stealthy.

Answer 7

It depends who you ask. If you ask the media then there is no difference. They are both equally bad in their eyes. People who break into systems and do bad stuff.

Now, if you ask people in the industry the answer is completely different. A haker is a person who is always thinkering and learning how things work. He/she is always doing some weird experiment, reading manuals or specifications manual, taking things apart and creating new inventions of ways to improve things. Haker is usually reffered to software but it can be anything technological like hardware. For example someone who takes electronic devices and makes them do things that where not menat to or design to. By this definition a Haker is not an evil person much like owning a gun meakes you evil.

A cracker is someone who dedicates themselves to breaking software to brake their copy right protection and or to make it work ilegaly. For example the people that make those key generators are crackers because they made a software that generates an ilegal code that allows anybody to use a software freely. Crackers also, brake into systems by bypassing securities stealing or fooling people into giving them their passwords. Look up social engineering.

Answer 8

Hackers are super- programmers who break into secure sites and then inform the site owners how it was done and what they can do to prevent further breakins.
Crackers are the ones who get into sites in order to cause damage or to steal identities or money or whatever.
Well, now you have two opposing opinions. Go to a hacker site;there are lots of them, and find out for yourself.

http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html#believe1

Answer 9

A hacker breaks into computers. A cracker is a white guy

Answer 10

Hackers are bad ppl, who use technology to steal passwords. And break into technology. Crackers, find and crack codes and stuff. Sorta the same thing.