Computer hackers are people who have a desire to find out how computers work and look for holes in the software that might allow activity that would damage the owner of the computer. They also look for flaws in the software that could cause you problems. Most of the time they wear a white hat. They do it because it is fun. They may get into your computer and cause a message to appear on your screen to let you know they have been there. They found flaws in the Tesla electronics and told the company about it. Sometimes they are listened to, sometimes not.
Sometimes they wear a black hat. It is possible for hackers to cause a lot of problems for others. One of the concerns of the white hats is the vulnerability of our electrical grid. There are hundreds of ways that it can be attacked by malicious individuals or countries and bring us to our knees. It is controlled by computers. Many of the decisions being made are being made faster than people can think. What would happen to your morning if a few select power managing stations were hacked to deny you power. It has already happened in sections of the country. Think of the millions being lost by banks and corporations because hackers get into the system. Think of all the parts of our society that are dependent on the GPS systems. Hackers can be criminal and destructive.
Fortunately most of them are not out to destroy you, just annoy you or get the ego trip of showing you how you are open to manipulation. This causes them to have a flexible code of ethics which means that sometimes the hats are gray. It is often a fine line between curiosity and criminal. The hackers that I met years ago were concerned about the freedom to push the limits. They were concerned about government control. They wanted to see what was possible. This tends to make them have a sense of right and wrong that is a bit myopic. They often tend to think that an action is okay for them but wrong for others. For instance, they see no real problem with having access to your computer if you leave it unprotected but they overflow with righteous indignation if the government does it to them.
They can make the world a better place. They can bring it to its knees. Let’s hope the white hats win.
homo unius libri
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