Hacking has come to have many different and often conflicting definitions.

             require certification, anyone can say they are a hacker. For the purposes of this paper we define.

             hacking as the software methodology to achieve a particular goal using self-taught programming.

             Experimentation "to make rough cuts"" (Murray 2000). Celebrated incidents of unauthorized.

             Computer intrusions into computer systems have been attributed to hackers due to the extensive.

             Programming experimentation needed to achieve success.

             Computer intrusions are considered to be unethical and laws have been passed to prosecute such.

             Behavior. Spafford clearly states that computer intrusions are ethical only in life-saving.

             circumstances (Spafford 1992). Once hacking ability is used to commit a crime, the hacker.

             Becomes a criminal. However, a new class of "ethical hackers " has arisen who believe that.

             Probing for computer intrusions, a legal activity that provides sensitive information, provides a.

             Altruistic service to increase both local and global Internet security by exposing and fixing.

             Security flaws.

             The debate between "ethical hacking " and criminal intrusion dates back to the very first.

             widespread Internet virus, the Internet Worm of 1988. Robert Morris was convicted for intrusion.

             damage caused by the Internet Worm but his defense lawyers argued that he had provided a.

             service in exposing security flaws (Eisenberg et al.1995, Spafford 1992).

             Ethical hackers use their knowledge to help improve system security. Upon discovering a.

             security flaw, they do not exploit the flaw; they fully disclose all relevant information to the.

             affected users of the systems, software companies, mailing lists, trade press, or popular media.

             In contrast, unethical hackers (crackers) gain unauthorized access to subvert systems. Statistics.

             show that the motivation of unethical hackers has changed from the pursuit of knowledge and the.

             desire for challenge to the new lures of money, power, or political purposes (hactivism)(Palmer.