What is a hacker?
The term hacker dates back to 1980, when an article in Psychology Today used the term “hacker” in its title: “The Hacker Papers,” which analyzed the addictive nature of computers.
In 1984, Steven Levy published the book titled "Hackers: the heroes of the computer revolution", where the idea of hacker ethics was raised for the first time, and where an ethic of free access to information and technology was proclaimed and promoted. to the software source code.
Currently, the RAE (Royal Spanish Academy) defines hacker as: “A person with great skills in using computers who investigates a computer system to report failures and develop improvement techniques.”
This definition came after an update that the cybersecurity sector had been demanding for a long time, since until then, the word hacker had a pejorative meaning in the RAE dictionary, which included a definition of hacker as simple as it is not very accurate: “Computer hacker.”
Throughout this entire path they have dressed us with hats of all colors, so that depending on the hat we put on we are good, bad, sometimes good and sometimes bad, bounty hunters,...
Despite everything, today the term hacker is often confused with cybercriminal. The word hacker is commonly used to refer mostly to computer criminals or cybercriminals (computer hackers is defined by the RAE in its first meaning), possibly due to its massive use by the media.
He ethical hacker, is the professional who works in the computer security department of companies. Their job is to ensure that all information systems and the data themselves are protected against possible attacks.
In the event of an attack, your role will be to use all the means at your disposal to achieve a quick and effective recovery at 100 %. But you must also anticipate possible attacks. An ethical hacker, thinks like a hacker.
How to become a hacker?
The hacker attitude is vital, but even more so are the skills and knowledge that allow us to develop that knowledge, which is why training is essential.
To become a hacker it is essential to have a series of qualities:
Motivation: Passion plays a key role in all the activities carried out, whether work, sports or leisure. It is an internal state that activates, directs and maintains the person's behavior towards specific goals or purposes; It is the impulse that moves the person. Being a hacker is not an easy task, you have to dedicate many hours to research and be persistent, so a person without motivation will never become a good hacker.
Skills: Hacker motivation is vital, but skills are even more so. There is a certain set of basic tools that you must master if you want to become a hacker. This set of tools changes over time as technology creates new skills and discards others as obsolete. Which brings us to the third quality.
Training: It is true that some hackers start out as self-taught, but they must cover many branches of computer and technological knowledge (program languages, databases, networks, Internet of Things, cloud storage, operating systems, etc.) . For this reason, a good hacker will know how to train properly in order to exploit their potential to the fullest. There are master's degrees and courses of all types and colors on the market, but the most important thing is to receive complete training that allows the student to give his or her best and become a great hacker.
Author: María José Peña. Director of Master in Cybersecurity Management, Ethical Hacking and Offensive Security
