Is hacking ethical?

By Marcia J. Wilson

March 24, 2004 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - The definition of hacker has changed radically over the years. With the aid of the mass media, the word has developed a negative connotation rather than the positive one it used to have. Add ethical in front of hacker, and it's even more confusing.

For the purposes of this article, I'll define those hackers with malicious intent as "crackers." Hackers can be categorized into the following three buckets:

Hacktivists: Those who hack as a form of political activism.
Hobbyist hackers: Those who hack to learn, for fun or to share with other hobbyists.
Research and security hackers: Those concerned with discovering security vulnerabilities and writing the code fixes.

Since The Hacker Manifesto was published in 1986, computer security has become a national concern, especially after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The casual hacker no longer has the freedom to poke around public or private networks without raising the concerns of law enforcement agencies.

Laws have been passed or refined that make it a crime to hack. Many hacktivists and hobbyists are more careful when pursuing their activities to avoid being arrested, fined or jailed for their activities. Many have legitimized their activities and hobbies by taking jobs in the computer security profession, starting their own security consulting companies, working in the open-source community or through other openly public and cooperative ways.

The Computer Security Act of 1987 has received more notice since the Sept. 11 attacks. The act is a declaration by Congress that improving the security and privacy of sensitive information in federal computer systems is in the public interest. The threat of cyberterrorism has increased focus on this piece of legislation, as well as the more recent USA Patriot Act.

As a result of increased anxiety over terrorist threats, federal and state laws have changed to make it an offense to "break and enter" a private or public network without permission. Federal law has required companies to comply with privacy requirements, business controls and corporate governance standards. These laws have brought pressure to bear on our increasing responsibility to secure the infrastructure and have made it more difficult for hackers to practice their hacktivism, hobbies or research.

Technology has also affected hacking activities. In response to legislation about privacy, business controls and terrorism, companies interested in capitalizing on the opportunities that exist have developed and manufactured sophisticated security hardware and software. The increased sophistication of these products has made the job of the hacker more difficult, and the casual hacker may stupidly get caught when attempting to circumvent a complex security system.

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