̈ɪhæk verb and noun (Science and Technology) In computing
slang,
transitive or
intransitive verb: To
gain unauthorized access to (a
computer system or
electronic data); to
engage in computing as an
end in
itself,
especially when this involves 'outwitting'
the system (an
activity known as hacking). noun: A
person (also known as a hacker)
who enjoys using computing as an end in itself, especially when it involves
trying to break
into other people's systems.
Also, an
attempt to break into a system; a spell of hacking.
Etymology: In
both parts of
speech, this is a specialized
sense development relying on
more than one existing sense. The verb probably arises
from a US slang sense of hack
meaning 'to
manage,
accomplish, comprehend' (usually in the
phrase to hack it),
since it
first appeared in computing slang to
describe enthusiastic use of computers,
without any connotation of looking at other people's
data; as a
word for breaking into other computer systems,
though, it must also be influenced by the
original sense of the verb, 'to
cut with heavy blows'. The noun
was probably back-formed from hacking, but in the sense of an attempt to break into a computer system it
has links with a more
general US sense, 'a
try, attempt'.
History and
Usage: Computing enthusiasts first used this
group of words in
print to
refer to enthusiastic (if
not obsessive) use of computers in the mid seventies,
although they were almost certainly using
them in speech
before that. By the
early eighties, the 'sport' of breaking into computer systems,
whether purely for
pleasure, to
expose some form of
corruption, or as
part of a more
complex crime,
had begun to be reported in the media, and
soon appeared to be reaching
epidemic proportions. Certainly it is the unauthorized
type of hacking that has received greater media
exposure, and
therefore this set of meanings that has
become widely popularized
rather than the earlier ones (which
nevertheless remain in use
among enthusiasts, who still
call themselves hacks or hackers). The verb is used
either transitively (one can hack a system) or intransitively,
often followed by the
adverb in or the
preposition into. With the almost
universal use of computers in the
business world and in
defence planning and
research in the
late eighties, the activities of hackers
could prove expensive or
dangerous to
their targets and
various measures were taken to
make systems hacker-proof or to
provide an electronic
hacker watch to
catch the culprits red-handed. In the UK the Computer
Misuse Act (1990) was a
formal attempt to
limit the
damage. The jargon of hackers (enthusiasts or criminals) has
been called hackerspeak. A specialized form of hacking practised by youngsters involves breaking the
software protection on computer games; this is also known as
cracking. If
you want to
keep your street cred in the hacking
fraternity, you've
got to
have an
introduction screen with
stunning graphics, a
message to
all the other hacking groups
saying 'Hi guys. We
did it first,' and comments on how
good the software protection was.
Guardian 27
July 1989, p. 25 Hacking uncovers
design flaws and
security deficiencies...We must
rise to
defend those endangered by the hacker witch-hunts. Harper's
Magazine Sept. 1989, p. 26 1988: Hacker Robert Morris releases a software
virus that kayos 6,000 computer systems.
Life Fall 1989, p. 30 The
cost of restoring a computer system
which is hacked into can
run into hundreds and thousands of pounds for investigating and rebuilding the system. The Times 11 Oct. 1989, p. 2