How Hackers Work

Thanks to the media, the word "hacker" has earned a bad reputation. The invitation said to the evil minds of computer users finding new ways to irritate people, companies cheat, steal information and maybe even destroy the economy or start a war by infiltrating military computer systems. Although there is no denying that there are hackers out there with bad intentions, they make only a small part of the hacker community.

    The term computer hacker first appeared in the mid-1960s. A hacker is a programmer - someone who hacked out computer code. Hacker visionary who could see new ways to use computers, create a program that no one else who could get pregnant. They are the pioneers of the computer industry, the building ranging from small applications to operating systems. In this sense, people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak all hackers - they saw the potential of what computers can do and create ways to achieve that potential.

    Unifying nature of the hackers was a strong sense of curiosity, sometimes bordering obsession. These hackers prided themselves on their ability not only to create new programs, but also to learn how other programs and systems work. When a program has a bug - part of the bad code that prevented the program to function properly - hackers often create and distribute small pieces of code called patches to fix the problem. Some managed to get a job that leveraged their skills, get paid for what they will gladly do it for free.

    As computers evolved, computer network engineer from individual machines together in a system. Soon, the term hacker has a new meaning - people who use computers to search for a network that he was not included. Usually hackers did not have malicious intent. They just want to know how computer networks worked and saw any barrier between them and that knowledge as a challenge.

    In fact, that is still happening today. Although there are many stories about malicious hackers sabotaging computer systems, infiltrating networks and spreading computer viruses, hackers mostly just curious - they want to know all the ins and outs of the computer world. Some use their knowledge to help companies and government building security measures the better. Others might use their ability to seek more unethical.

    In this article, we'll explore common techniques hackers use to infiltrate the system. We'll examine hacker culture and various kinds of hackers as well as learn about famous hackers, some of which have collided with the law. 

The Hacker Toolbox
    The main resource hackers rely on, irrespective of their own ingenuity, is computer code. Although there is a large community of hackers on the Internet, only a relatively small number of hackers actually program code. Many hackers to find and download the code written by others. There are thousands of different programs hackers use to explore computers and networks. This program gives a lot of hackers power over innocent users and organizations - once a skilled hacker who knows how the system works, he can design programs that exploit it.

    Malicious hackers use programs to:
    Log keystrokes: Some programs allow hackers to review every keystroke a computer user makes. Once installed on the victim's computer, the program records each keystroke, giving all the hackers he must infiltrate a system or even steal someone's identity.

    Hack passwords: There are many ways to hack one's password, the allegations are educated to a simple algorithm that produces a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. The trial and error method of hacking passwords is called brute force attack, meaning the hacker tries to generate every possible combination to gain access. Another way to hack the password is to use a dictionary attack, a program that inserts common words in passwords.

    Infect a computer or system with a virus: Computer viruses are programs designed to duplicate themselves and cause problems ranging from computer crashes to erase everything on your hard drive that system. A hacker might install a virus by infiltrating the system, but far more common for hackers to create simple viruses and send them out to potential victims via email, instant messages, Web sites with downloadable content or peer-to-peer networks.

    Gain backdoor access: Similar to hacking passwords, some hackers create programs that look for protection to track network and computer systems. In the early days

    zombie computers: A zombie computer, or bot, is a computer that hackers can use to send spam or perform a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Once the victim executes seemingly innocent code, an open connection between the computer and the systems hackers. hacker can secretly control the victim's computer, use it to commit crimes or spread spam.
    Spy on e-mail: Hackers have created code that lets them intercept and read e-mail - the Internet equivalent to wiretapping. Today, most e-mail programs use encryption formulas so complex that even if hackers intercept the message, he will not be able to read it