ANSWERS: 12
  • Someone told me that hackers do it for the challenge, or to learn something. Crackers do it because they have mal intent. If the hacker is doing it for the challenge, and isn't harming anyone with that information, I don't see the problem.
  • I agree to an extent, because I would rather have a 15 year old with no life hack into high security government sites before terrorists do. But I still think it is a bad choice, because you can get charged with cyber terrorism even if you are a 15 year old loser.
  • Only if they are working for Web security companies.
  • The most ethical approach I have seen in operation is one where the hacker finds the flaw then contacts the company involved and asks them to fix the flaw. If nothing is done AND the flaw affects third parties, then the hacker contacts the technical press.
  • By that logic robbing banks would be good because it pointed out the inadequacies to the security systems and murder and rape would be good because they showed deficiencies in policing practices.
  • In a way they're right. It's like having exposure to infections, developing your immunity, then not being destroyed by them all at once.
  • That's like saying bank robbers are doing the bank a favour by alerting them to holes in their security arrangements. It reminds me of the thief who used to steal televisions who said that the customers who bought his stolen goods were responsible because if they didn't buy his stuff, he would have no reason to steal it.
  • If ALL they do is break into a system, and can explain HOW they did so to the company/service and/or other authorities, then there SNOULD be no-to-little problem with it. And, if they know how to hack in, they should know how to FIX that particular leak. However, if they do so with the intent to post it on the internet for ALL (ID theives, terrorists, etc.); to sell the info they found to the same groups; to steal themselves; or to gain publicity for themselves or destroy the faith in a company/service, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The distinction should be in HOW they handle (what they do with) the information they find.
  • I don't think it's for the "goood" of all people because most hackers do their trade with malicious intent. If they were truly doing it for the good, they would find their loopholes and report them to the proper authorities, not exploit them and ruin peoples equiptment or experience. Or steal money or pirate someone's software. As stated by several others on this thread, there are ways that a hacker could work for the "good" of the people, by having legitimate jobs with corporations in the respective field.
  • We humans are superb at rationalizing our actions..this is just another pathetic rationalization! :(
  • If you look at the big picture, hacking is good for security because of the flaws that are identified. That doesn't mean I think hackers who commit crimes with their discoveries are to be paraded as heroes, but let's look at it from a slightly different perspective. Motivation. People who go looking for security flaws for good aren't motivated by as strong a force as those who go looking for security flaws for bad. In other words, it's my belief that there's more reward in the negative motivation, which unfortunately is going to lead to more discoveries by the bad crowd. The only good part to this is that at least the flaws do finally get patched. Because the only thing worse than a flaw that has been exploited, is a flaw waiting to be exploited that very few people know about. Great question by the way.
  • I agree if the hackers are cracking systems for that sole reason. Someone told me that major corporations hire hackers to crack their systems so they will know what part of their system is vulnerable, and they make improvements on the system. But no system is invincible. There will always a possibility that even the most secure sites can be cracked too. The best way to prevent or stalked hackers is to keep improving the security systems.

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