DARKSIDE HACKER

dark-side hacker: translation

n.

A hacker who uses his or her talents for malicious or criminal ends. (Also known as acracker.)

Having a DSL or cable modem service means you have high-speed access to the Internet, but there is a downside. Your computer becomes a tempting target fordark-side hackerswho can more easily break in and steal your banking records, credit card numbers and passwords. If you've graduated from a dial-up connection, you should get some kind of firewall protection.

— Mark Frauenfelder, "Living online,"Playboy, June 1, 2001

When computer hacker Kevin Mitnick arrived at a Calabasas parking garage for a meeting with his friend Lenny DiCicco four weeks ago, DiCicco reached up and casually scratched his head, a prearranged signal to federal agents hiding nearby.

Quickly, with the sound of screeching tires and shouted commands, a half dozen men closed in and handcuffed Mitnick. "Len, why did you do this to me?" Mitnick asked as he was being led away, DiCicco recalled later.

"Because you're a menace to society," DiCicco replied.

Law enforcement authorities couldn't agree more. Mitnick, 25, an overweight, bespectacled San Fernando Valley computer junkie known as a"dark side" hackerfor his willingness to use the computer as a weapon, has been accused of causing $4 million in damage to computer giant Digital Equipment Corp. in Massachusetts.

— John Johnson, "Computer an 'umbilical cord to his soul',"Los Angeles Times, January 8, 1989

back hacking

beehacker

billion laughs

biohacker

bot herder

cracker

crimeware

dark biology

DDo$

distributed denial of service

doorknob rattling

ethical hacker

griefer

hackathon

hacktivist

honeynet

kiddiot

man in the middle attack

packet sniffer

packet monkey

password trap

patriot hacker

phishing

samurai

script kiddie

spyware

white hat hacker

zombie computer

Hacking and Hackers

People