Quote:
Originally Posted by Neverfly
It is not Cracking ( Hacking is programming. A hacker is a programmer. A person who breaks into computers is a Cracker. Blame Hollywood for this word definition change in popular culture.) It is, essentially, unauthorized access.
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Ditto, and the term "hacker" came from the newsrooms, where reporters hacking away at their typewriters on into the night were known as "hackers." When programming came along, the term applied for the same reasons, just to a different venue.
In addition to breaking into computers, "cracking" also covers any form of illegally gaining access to networks, computers, or messages, encrypted or not. However, this term arose during WWII, mainly in Blechley Park, named after the code-breakers, or "crackers" as they were sometimes called.
Nev's right - using the term "hacker" to describe those who break into computers originated solely in the confines, ironically enough, of the news media.