Originally posted by jared_c
Here is how I view it.

1) Cracker - Obviously someone that cracks things. Whether they are cracking a login, a serial number, encryption, or whatever.

2) Hacker - People that have a thirst for knowledge, usually involving electronic devices.

IMHO, Crackers are hackers, but they are usually using there knowledge not to benefit anyone except theirselves, even if it is hurting someone. For example, web site crackers. They crack a web site and throw up their handle so they can seem cool to their peers, meanwhile not caring that they are hurting someone's business that the person worked all their life to create. But then their are the crackers that do benefit the field. Cryptographers for example. So we can't really say that all crackers are evil, just like we can't say that hackers are all bad just because of some trouble makers.

What it comes down to is not necessarily what title you hold, it's what kind of person you are. There are good people and there are bad people. What you do with your knowledge refle

cts what kind of person you are. If you crack a site and ruin someone's business, then you my friend are an *******. In my opinion, yes you are a cracker because you cracked, and you most likely are a hacker because your thirst for knowledge eventually led you to learn how to crack. But you are an ******* as a person.
So basically IMHO, some people suck and some people don't. :-)
I agree with what you said,it's pointless to hack some website just to put up your handle and then brag about it,that makes no sense.IMHO a hacker shouldn't be bragging at all about anything he or she hacked.
Self presevation is the first law of human nature,I live by that and the only people I have to look out after and take care of are the ones that return the same.Most of these so-called "white-hats" at one time where
"black-hats"now because the FBI scared them straight they are on a mission to stop so-called bad hackers.

Why dont they just live and let live,concern yourself with your own life and stop worrying about the next man and what others are doing.If you want to help the FBI then go all the way and just join them,dont try
and stop others just because you no longer ingage in what that person still does.who made you thier overseer?.(not you personaly,in general).If someone dont want to get hacked then it's up to the admin to make sure all the correct patches are applied and all the proper permissions are given then maybe they can sleep better at night.In a perfect world that wouldn't be needed but we all know that it's not a perfect world.
All these so-called white hats are always thinking that they are so much better than anyone else,"I'm good and your not" attitude."He who is without sin,cast the first stone".The bottom line is noone has the right to call anyone bad or good unless you are 100% without sin yourself.
Live and let live and stop being so dam righteous like the sun shines out thier ass.
Let god be our judge unless you think you can do a better job at it,then again remember what happend to judas when he thought he was better than god.

Crimina1