Hackers – What Motivates Them?
We have all heard about hackers breaking into businesses and stealing information, but did you know that hackers follow some sort of evolution? They don’t just magically wake up one day and start breaking into stuff. There are three basic levels of hacker out there. I will introduce each level to you.
The level one hackers have an advanced knowledge of computer and information systems. Hacking to them is more than just a hobby; it’s a way of life. They devote a lot of time to it and genuinely try to make the world a better place. Some of the hackers in this category are what are referred to as script kiddies, a script kiddie is a person who searches for publicly available exploits and then searches the internet at large for a host to compromise. You will often find these people posting to message boards or IRC channels asking for exploits or other nefarious things.
Level two hackers are more or less system administrators. They possess knowledge about a wide variety of operating systems and are comfortable with them. A lot of security consultants fall under this category, ahead of the pack, but still chasing the wolves. Hackers in this category have worked with computers for most of their careers and some lament about the good old days (Commodore 64 yeah!). Hackers in this group like the smell of new software on their hard drives, they like to fool with beta software and help make it better. The people that represent this category also represent the majority of the “hacker” conferences.
The final level, level three is your typical programmer. They possess the ability to analyze software code and find vulnerabilities in it. They often a very good understanding of the networking models and how they relate to communication, the level three hacker is not seeking publicity at all, their goal is more of knowledge and finding out how the computer world works. A lot of level three hackers will work on making secure protocols or making communication in general more secure. They seek the satisfaction in a job well done.
There you have it; hackers come in three basic skill levels. They generally move from level three to two and then stagnate. Some level two hackers don’t have the time or devotion to make the leap to level one but some do. The level one hackers are truly masters of computers and technology at large. In addition to what I’ve already said, many level two and level three hackers will mentor hackers at lower levels than themselves. To them it’s all about learning. Learning is the key to hacking and the world of technology, without thought, without insight, and without hard work and devotion to a job, where would the world be? Hackers have helped technology advance and yet we criminalize them, the world would be a better place if we let the online war be fought between hacker groups than between the government and everyone else. I apologize for making a political statement, however, think about it, and give the people who have the skills the employment. It will make everyone’s life a lot better.
