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What is the Difference Between Hacker and Cracker?

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What is Cyberspace?

Let us try to fully grasp what cyberspace is before digging into the distinction between hacker and cracker. Humans may be compared to fish in a vast ocean, where the ocean is data and we are the fish.

 If you glance around, you will see that we are surrounded by a huge amount of data. Take any educational institution for example; it runs on student data, faculty data, research data, and so on. All educational systems are linked through networks. Big data, secret data, trash data, and the universe of data are all examples of data.

Through our computers and networks, we, infinitesimally tiny humans, are attempting to gain control over the infinitely huge data around us.

The information infrastructure, where this information is created, conveyed, interpreted, maintained, and retrieved, surrounds the whole planet’s culture. This infrastructure is typically referred to as cyberspace.

Yes, cyberspace is the network of computers and computer systems that handles data and information of various forms.

Cyberspace is the system where hackers and crackers live. So, now, let us define hackers and crackers.

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Who are Hackers and Crackers?

To put in simple terms, hackers are good individuals with good motives, while crackers are terrible people with horrible intentions. The media has given the term hacker a new meaning that differs significantly from the primary.

So, basically, hackers are coders or computer professionals, with sufficient programming and coding expertise, who seek out and attempt to fix flaws in a system in order to guard it. Hackers never work with malicious intentions. They indulge in ethical hacking.

So, now, you know that crackers are from the opposite team.

Hacker and cracker are almost the same ideas. Hackers and crackers both have a working understanding of systems, programming, and coding. Cracker engage in similar actions as hackers. The goal of crackers, however, is to corrupt the system and network in order to obtain illegal access. This is the primary difference  between hacker and cracker.

Crackers engage in unauthorized actions. They utilize their coding and programming skills to achieve personal and financial benefits, steal data, damage data, and even delete vital information. Even though they might not have enough knowledge as hackers, crackers, still, can cause immense damage.

So, now you know the basic difference between hacker and cracker. Keep reading to explore more differences.

Enroll in our Ethical Hacking course and become a certified ethical hacker now!

Difference between Hacker and Cracker

Let us put all the differences into a table.

  Hackers Crackers
Definition Hackers are always on the lookout for weak spots in computer and internet security, with the exclusive motive of resolving these errors and improving the content’s security. A cracker’s job is to disrupt the security of computers and networks.
Intention Good  Malicious
Activity Legal Illegal
Also known as White hats or saviors Black hats or evildoers
Knowledge Advanced level May or may not have advanced knowledge
Professional ethics Ethical Unethical
Certification Certified Not certified
Tools Use latest and modern tools May or may not use latest tools
Known for Building innovative ideas Breaking things
Internet Security Restore security and corrupted networks Always cause damage to security systems

Terms related to Hacker and Cracker

Image of types of hackers

Suicide Hackers: People who want to bring down vital infrastructure for a cause but are neither concerned about the risks associated with it nor about spending 30 years in prison

Neophyte: A person who is new to hacking or phreaking and has little or no knowledge of how technology and hacking operate is often known as a neophyte, noob, or newbie

Script Kiddie: A script kiddie is less experienced with very little expertise in the field of hacking. They enter into a computer system with the help of built-in tools created by others. They have very little idea about the script, i.e., prearranged plan, which is why they are known as a script kiddie.

Elite Hacker: Elite is a term that is used among hackers to identify the most competent hackers. These hackers spread newly found exploits. Members of exclusive groups, such as Masters of Deception, are given a sense of dignity.

Grey Hat: A grey hat hacker is a combination of both a black hat hacker and a white hat hacker. A grey hat hacker, for example, may browse the internet and sneak into a computer system just to notify the administrator that their system is cracked. The hacker may, then, charge a fee to fix the system.

Black Hat: A black hat is a hacker who breaches computer security for no other reason than personal gain or malice. Black hat hackers break into protected networks with the intent of destroying data or making the network dysfunctional.

Career Transition

Blue Hat: A blue hat hacker is someone who operates outside of computer security consulting firms to bug test software before it is released, looking for weaknesses to repair. Microsoft also refers to a series of security briefings under the name Blue Hat.

White Hat: A white-hat hacker is someone who breaks security for non-malicious reasons such as to evaluate their own system. A white-hat hacker is an ethical hacker. The International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) provides ethical hacking credentials, courseware, courses, and online training.

Our blog on Ethical Hacking interview questions will help you crack your next ethical hacker job interview.

Interesting Facts about Hacker and Cracker Culture

Conclusion

We may infer that hackers guard the system against any type of harm or unauthorized access, while crackers strive to acquire unlawful access to the system by engaging in morally reprehensible behavior. Security examinations are carried out by white hats in accordance with a formal contract. No such contract is followed by black hats.

Facts say that there is a cracker attack every 39 seconds, but it is not something to worry about. In order for society to maintain control over this new, rapidly expanding virtual world of technology, society must first comprehend that the hacker/cracker culture already has a hold on our technologies.

Hackers can prevent and rescue cracker attacks with sound knowledge of tools, methods, and reasons used by crackers.

If you have any queries, then reach out to us at our Cyber Security Community.

The post What is the Difference Between Hacker and Cracker? appeared first on Intellipaat Blog.

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