First of all, we have to realize that the word ‘hacker’ has nothing to do with piracy or theft. The unauthorized use of a right by a person is called piracy, and the taking of a property without the right to do it called theft; whether this is done by technological or physical ways, it doesn’t matter. I attribute the fact that hackers are generally remembered as a hacker or a criminal, the people and therefore the media are more curious about crime than the progress in technology.
What the media and society understand from cyber security is the symbols of ones, zeros, and a padlock. If there is a person wears hoodie next to the ones, zeros and a padlock, that person is a criminal, if they are wearing a suit like a businessman, it means that the person is providing security behalf of the society.
Let’s not forget that: Hackers do not have hats.
One of the internationally accepted definitions for the word hacker is:
An individual who uses computer or network knowledge to overcome a problem.
Is the definition enough? Let’s think about that.
When we look at the history of the word, we see that: The word ‘hack’ goes back to an older history from the computer age.
We know that an action, performed by carpenters who used extraordinary, unique and clever ways to solve the problems they encountered in the 1200s, was called ‘hacking’.
So when did it start to be associated with technology?
In the 1950s, it is thought that computer engineers who were able to solve complex computer problems in their own unique and simple ways were called ‘hackers’, and the word ‘hack’ was associated with technology for the first time. By 1960 the word had already become an indispensable part of the colloquial language for computer enthusiasts at M.I.T. There are 8 different definitions for the word ‘hacker’ in the book named ‘Jargon File’ (written by Eric S. Raymond in 1983) which is a dictionary for computer scientists. The first of these is:
“A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.”
Is this definition enough? I don’t think so.
Richard Stallman also said:
“Hacking means exploring the limits of what is possible, in a spirit of playful cleverness. Activities that display playful cleverness have ‘hack value’. “
How about that? I think we are getting closer to final answer.
If you want me to explain why it’s not enough, let me tell you a few important news.
We have the technology to recode human cells and therefore DNA. 4-5 years ago, a friend of mine with whom I shared the same class in high school told me that they coded cells to treat bone diseases. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard that. Later, I did some research and realized that this is actually a very small part of what we can do, and I was introduced to the concept: ‘bio-hacking’. Bio-hackers are among us too! Who are they? I suppose its definition in its crudest form would be: A subculture and group of people who are keen on human-machine interaction, who make an effort to create cyborgs by placing implants with their own resources and possibilities, perhaps by placing small computers, or who advocate that the human can be organized biologically (Also known as body-hackers).
Is it a dream? Not anymore. Approximately 3000 people were implanted with subcutaneous microchips for identity verification in Sweden in mid-2018 shook the whole world. Unfortunately, like everything popular, that news entered our world very quickly and was erased very quickly. When we take a moment to investigate, it turns out that this is a piece of cake for body-hackers. For body-hackers, a human is defined as ‘wetware’ (Hardware, Software and ‘ Wet’ware). So we can say that we are DNA-based computers.
I am sure that in 2008, many of us have seen the monkeys feeding them by managing robot limbs with brain waves. If we examine it in-depth, it will not be difficult to trace these cybernetic developments until the 1980s …
So how can we define the word ‘hack’, which is used by carpenters, computer engineers or bioengineers, without distorting its meaning and importance that it has gained for hundreds of years?
I think the most accurate and simplest definition for ‘Hacking’ would be:
“Exploring the limits of the possible.”
It doesn’t matter what field you are in. Because this is the hacking philosophy. Focusing on what has not been done, exploring the possibilities and accomplishing the impossible.
And my personal opinion: I don’t think there can be such a thing as ‘hacker training’. This is a bit of human mind, something that is in it, a culture. You cannot teach curiosity.
This article has written by Sercan Sayitoglu and has published in “PwC Turkey – Cyber Security Blog” previously. Reference