A hacker is an individual who is knowledgeable enough to gain access without authorization to computer systems to identify security flaws.
Hackers break into, or ‘hack’ into a system. Hacking can be undertaken for a variety of reasons, such as the wish to damage a system or the wish to understand how a system works, so that money can be made out of it. Alternatively, there might be a desire to alert people to the fact that a system is insecure and needs improving. Due to this some argue that there are ‘hacker ethics’. Hacking can present a moral dilemma. This is because ‘reformed hackers’ sometimes offer their expertise to help organisations protect themselves against other hackers. Hackers cannot just wander into a system, as they could into an unlocked door. Instead, it requires a lot of skill. With this skill hackers can demonstrate that a system is insecure and needs improving. In this way, it could be argued that hackers play a valuable role. Many argue that hacking might lead to some improvements, but that it causes such a lot of disruption that it is not worth it in the long-run (McCarthy, Halawi ., Aronson, 2005).
