Person who uses technical skills to gain unauthorised access to systems, with varying motivations and ethics.
A hacker is someone who uses technical skills to access computer systems, often without authorisation. The term has evolved—originally describing creative programmers, it now commonly means cyber attackers. Hackers are categorised by ethics: black hat hackers act maliciously for personal gain, white hat hackers (ethical hackers) work within the law to improve security, and grey hat hackers operate in ethical grey areas. Motivations range from financial gain to ideology, curiosity, or nation-state objectives.
Why It Matters
The DSC Perspective:
Understanding hacker motivations helps assess threats. Most attackers seek financial gain through ransomware or data theft. Defence, CNI, and high-profile organisations also face ideologically or politically motivated attackers.