A HACKTIVIST HACKER

Hacktivism is the act of hacking, or breaking into a computer system, for a politically or socially motivated purpose.

Simply put, a hacktivist is someone who uses hacking to bring about political and social change. The term “hacktivist” traces back to 1994, originating from the hacker group “Cult of the Dead Cow.” Hacktivism started as a way for people to protest online to affect change.

A hacktivist attack: Hacktivism is the act of misusing a computer system or network for a socially or politically motivated reason. Individuals who perform hacktivism are known as hacktivists. ... Hacktivists also often use denial-of-service (DoS) attacks to disrupt traffic to a particular site.

Is hacktivism a crime?

       But just as hack can sometimes mean cyber crime, hacktivism can be used to mean activism that is malicious, destructive, and undermining the security of the Internet as a technical, economic, and political platform.

A hacktivist uses the world of computing and networks for a political movement. Whether it’s related to free speech, freedom of information, or proving a conspiracy theory, hacktivists span many ideals and issues. Many hacktivists work towards a common goal without reporting to a boss or an organization.

Even people unfamiliar with the IT world have heard of hacktivist groups like Anonymous, who have been active in their political movement over the past decade. Whether it’s com-batting terror groups or calling for protests of retaliation, hacktivist groups hope to impact change in the real world through their programming skills in the cyber world.

Previous                                                                          Next