What Computer Hacking Really Means?
Computer hacking is a vast subject and it has several different meanings. For example, when someone superficially asks how to hack a computer, it can simply mean how to break the password of a local or remote computer so as to gain access to it. However, hacking is not only that which involves breaking into a computer. If you go deeper, computer hacking can also involve things like techniques to bypass the authentication of a system, hack Internet users, computer databases, software programs and so on.
So, to define in simple words computer hacking is a means of exploiting the weakness in a computer system or network in order to gain unauthorized access to its data or take advantage of it.
How Can I Begin to Hack?
To hack a computer, you need to do know how computers actually work and learn some basic concepts on the subject. If you are serious and passionate about it, you can take up an ethical hacking course that will help you master the skills. You can pick up a book that will teach you the concepts of computer hacking right from the basics. If you are a beginner, we recommend the book “Hacking Secrets Exposed” which is an excellent source of information to start off.
Hacking Secrets Exposed
What Skills Do I Need to Hack a computer?
Even though there exists a lot of ready-to-use tools and programs on the Internet, you should possess at least a fair amount of computer knowledge to make use of them. Things like basics of the operating system, computer networks and their protocols, firewalls, and knowledge of how each of these work seems necessary. If you want to take it up as a profession and want to become an ethical hacker or penetration tester you will have to go a few steps further and consider learning operating systems like Unix/Linux and also programming languages like C, PHP, JavaScript, SQL etc.
If you are completely new to hacking and only have a basic knowledge of computer, you can refer freely available resources on the Internet to develop your skills. However, if you need an easy to follow guide with all the necessary resources at one place and don’t mind spending a few dollars, go for the book Hacking Secrets Exposed which is a perfect source of learning for beginners and intermediate readers.
Is Computer Hacking Legal?
In most cases hacking a computer without the permission of its owner is considered illegal. However, there are many ethical hackers who are hired by large companies and government organizations with special permissions to break into a computer in cases such as catching a cyber criminal or terror group. Sometimes penetration testers are given prior permission to hack computers so that possible vulnerabilities could be found and patched up before another hacker exploits it. In such cases it is completely legal to hack a computer.