In the simplest terms, hacking means looking for weaknesses in a computer network or system, and exploiting the same for multiple reasons. A computer hacker would employ different techniques to find out a computer's weaknesses. The reasons behind hacking could be several; it could be for a challenge, monetary gains, or could be inspired by various agendas. Whatever the intent or the reasons, webmasters or website owners should be on constant guard or they could run the risk of their website coming down. They would, as a result, undergo losses and also have their business reputation taken for a ride.
To some individuals, hacking would just be a fun activity. They might indulge in hacking only to prove their smartness to other people. A characteristic that is common among most computer hackers is a sense of curiosity. They take pride in their skills and abilities to devise new computer programs. A website owner might install several protection systems on his or her computer, but hackers only see this as a challenge and not as hindrance. Having surpassed the security defenses and seeing a computer crash is like adding another feather to their cap. Though such hackers could be very annoying, the ones that could inflict serious dangers are hackers who hack systems for money. These hackers are usually referred to as criminal hackers. The following are some of the major reasons why a hacker might attack a website or a computer system.
Computer-Usage
Hackers, though having their own computers, like to use other people's systems. Computer hackers use other systems to indulge in online activities that they do not prefer to do from their own servers. They gather illicit content, such as pirated music, pornography, pirated software, etc. on other computers to save their identity.
Stealing
Some hackers indulge in the act to steal valuable files, services, or other personal credentials for accessing accounts of the webmaster or the visitors of the website. Computer hackers use such confidential information to gain access to merchant accounts, billing, and most third party systems. If such kinds of personal data are stored on the database of a website, it could lead to a terrible lawsuit against the website owner for having caused damages to the website users.
Profit and Personal Reasons
Spying on family, friends, colleagues, etc. are some of the probable personal reasons. Some computer hackers might indulge in hacking just to seek revenge on others. As far as profit-making with hacking is concerned, there is tremendous potential. In fact, most professional hackers intend to benefit monetarily out of their actions. They would usually employ hacking strategies and techniques for setting-up fake e-commerce websites to gain entry into servers that store credit card information, and other confidential data.
