Website Builders.com

  • Home
  • Builder Reviews
        • Our team have carefully reviewed a selection of premium website building platform, making it easier for you to choose the right one.

          While most website builders are compatible for generic  website building, including online stores, blogs and generic websites, some are better than others depending on what your website type.

        • Website Builder Reviews

          GoDaddy

          IM Creator

          Jimdo

          Squarespace

          Voog

          Weebly

          Wix

          WordPress

        • Store Builder Reviews

          BigCommerce

          GoDaddy Store

          Shopify

          Weebly

          Wix

          Yola

        • Comparisons

          Wix vs. Weebly

          Shopify vs. BigCommerce

  • Start A Blog
  • How To Guides
        • With over 500 pages of detailed tutorials and guides, our guides cover a large chunk of online topics.

          Learn crafty tips and tricks to make your time online smooth. Our directory is useful for internet newbies, as well as aspiring website builders.

          Check out the full directory.

        • Building a Website

          How To Build a Website

          Name Your Website – Domain

          Picking a Web Hosting Service

          Content and User Experience

          More

        • Searching and Research

          Searching the Web

          Doing Research Online

          The World of Wiki

          Finding Videos Online

          More

        • E-mails – Basics and Advanced

          Getting Started

          Sending an E-mail Message

          Opening Attachments

          Sending Attachments

          More

        • Social Media & Communication

          Instant Messaging

          Online Networking

          Facebook

          LinkedIn

          More

        • Files, Downloads, Software & Installs

          File Formats and Extensions

          Install Plug-Ins

          How to Download Files

          Downloading Software

          More

        • Making Money Online

          Making Money with Facebook

          Affiliate Marketing

          Virtual Assistant

          Writing Articles

          More

        • Online Shopping

          10 Tips for Smart and Safe Shopping

          Smart Shopping

          Protecting Personal Information

          Looking for Discounts

          More

  • Website Builder Tools Your Business Can’t Do Without (+ Links To Useful Resources)
    • HTML Character Codes
    • Advertiser Tracking Cookies: There ARE Ways To Opt Out – Here’s How
    • Website Glossary
  • Our Blog
        • Recent Posts

          When you have awesome writers, it is easy to spread wisdom. Take a look at some of our recent posts on various internet and website related topics.

          Have any suggestions on topics? Don’t hold back, send us your ideas:

          [email protected]

        • 12 Simple Rules on How to Use E-mail Politely

          Live Chat Software: Is it Worth It? Facebook Says Yes.

          Algorithmic Warfare: Is it the Beginning or the End?

          How to Promote Your Pet Business Online

          DIY Marketing: 7 Steps for any Business Owner

        • 20 Ideas to Generate Your First Online Sale

          Complete Guide to Content Marketing

          8 Best Free Photo Editors for Product Photosraphy

          Press Kits: DIY to Free Media Hype

          Why Backlinks are Essential for SEO – How To Build Them

  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ
    • How Did You Make This Site?
    • How the Website Is Funded
    • Our Team
You are here: Home / The Complete List Of How-To Tutorials For Internet Dummies / The Interactive Glossary: Defining the Net / Hacker Definition | The Interactive Glossary

Hacker Definition | The Interactive Glossary

Disclosure: Your support helps keep the site running! We earn a referral fee for some of the services we recommend on this page. Learn more

Contents

  • 1 Hacker
  • 2 Frequently Asked Questions
    • 2.1 How are hackers able to break into secure systems without getting caught?
    • 2.2 Is hacktivism legal?
  • 3 Glossary Index

Hacker

Slang term for a technically sophisticated computer user who exploits vulnerabilities in computer or network security systems in order to gain access to and explore computer systems and programs.

Hackers are most often associated with criminals, using their ability to gain access to secure systems in order to steal data or information. This reputation has grown more prominent in recent years due to the increasing number of large organizations that have experienced data breaches, in which hackers have managed to steal millions of data records, including personal information about customers and employees, credit card numbers, and confidential company information.

Despite this reputation, there are plenty of non-criminal hackers as well. Some hackers work to secure computers and networks by intentionally trying to break into them. Others attempt to access secure system for the sport, with no interest in stealing confidential information.

Still another group of hackers, known as hacktivists, live in the gray area between do-gooder and criminal. Hacktivist use hacking for social good, disrupting the services of companies or organizations they deem to be either conducting illegal activity or undertaking morally objectable practices. The best known hacktivist group, Anonymous, has used hacking to publish usernames from illegal child pornography sites, attack the Koch Industries website in response to the company’s actions against union members, releasing information about alleged KKK members, and organizing cyberattacks against ISIS following the 2015 attacks in Paris.

Also See: Cybercrime

Frequently Asked Questions

How are hackers able to break into secure systems without getting caught?

Some hackers do get caught, but many use tools to hide their digital footprints. In many cases, once a hacker is able to exploit a security vulnerability in a software program to gain access to computer or network, he can continue accessing that system undetected for many months or even years. Security systems look for unusual activity, so hackers find ways to mask their operation as legitimate. For instance, most company workstations send and receive data from various locations on the Internet all day long. If a hacker can gain access to an employee’s machine, he can use that system to slowly transmit company information to an off-site computer, making it look like any other regular work transmission. Unless the hacker is foolish enough to send the data directly to his own home, even if his presence is detected, determining who was behind the attack can be very difficult if not impossible.

Is hacktivism legal?

Any attempt to access or disrupt another person’s computer network is illegal; however, skillful hacktivists can be very difficult to track. There are plenty of program available that allow users to surf the Web anonymously, such as those discussed in our Mining the Deep Web article. These programs are designed to encourage free speech and protect secure transmissions, but they can also be used for illegal activities. Hacktivism also raises a number of moral questions, such as whether or not illegal activity can be justified and under what circumstances. While an attack on a private company’s website will likely result in a police investigation, chances are an attack on ISIS web accounts won’t.


Glossary Index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Latest Posts

Hosting

Black Friday 2023: Website Builder & Web Hosting Deals For Webmasters [Updated]

Uncategorized

Why WebsiteBuilders.com Got Hacked (Yes, You Can Blame Social Warfare)

E-mail Internet

E-Mail Etiquette: 12 Basic Rules For Politely Using E-Mail

Marketing social networking

Live Chat Software: Should You Invest In It? (It’s Easier Than You Think)

Computer Science

Never Heard Of Algorithmic Warfare? Then You’d Better Read This

Marketing

How To Successfully Promote Your Pet Business Online With Minimum Effort

Most Popular Reviews

  • Website Builder Reviews
  • Wix
  • Weebly
  • Squarespace
  • GoDaddy Website Builder
  • Shopify

Recent Posts

  • Black Friday 2023: Website Builder & Web Hosting Deals For Webmasters [Updated] November 5, 2019
  • Why WebsiteBuilders.com Got Hacked (Yes, You Can Blame Social Warfare) March 23, 2019
  • E-Mail Etiquette: 12 Basic Rules For Politely Using E-Mail November 15, 2017

About WebsiteBuilders.com

Everything you need to know about the WebsiteBuilders.com team.

About Us

Our Team

How The Website Is Funded

Privacy Policy

© 2017-2022 Website Builders.com | Sitemap