"You've been in my computer, Fröken Salander," [Mikael] said aloud. "Your'e a fucking hacker." (Page 356)
What is a hacker?
A hacker is a person who breaks through weaknesses in computer networks for a number of reasons, whether it be for personal gain, financial gain, or the benefit of someone else. Lisbeth is an extremely skilled hacker and, along with her network of other hackers--who use code names throughout the entire book--are able to dig up a lot of dirt on a lot of people. This network of hackers is a known community and mostly hack for personal gain. Lisbeth, on the other hand, does it as her career. She has a passion.
Now, you may think that all hackers are malicious and evil, with a sole purpose of breaking into your computer and stealing your information. This is true of some hackers, however, some are involved in making the network a safer place. It takes a special kind of person to become a hacker. One must be extremely smart, quick-witted, and disciplined enough to 'cover their tracks'.
What does a hacker do?
There are a few different levels of hackers. There are two main categories of hackers and then there are a few, more ambiguous categories. There are black hats, who are cyberspace and network criminals, and there are white hats, who are computer security experts. There are a plethora of other names for different kind of hackers. I will list them below and you can determine for yourself what kind of hacker Lisbeth Salander is.
Do you think Lisbeth is a good hacker? Do you believe that there is such thing as a "good" hacker, or does she do what she does for personal gain only? Finally, what type of hacker do you think she is?
A hacker is a person who breaks through weaknesses in computer networks for a number of reasons, whether it be for personal gain, financial gain, or the benefit of someone else. Lisbeth is an extremely skilled hacker and, along with her network of other hackers--who use code names throughout the entire book--are able to dig up a lot of dirt on a lot of people. This network of hackers is a known community and mostly hack for personal gain. Lisbeth, on the other hand, does it as her career. She has a passion.
Now, you may think that all hackers are malicious and evil, with a sole purpose of breaking into your computer and stealing your information. This is true of some hackers, however, some are involved in making the network a safer place. It takes a special kind of person to become a hacker. One must be extremely smart, quick-witted, and disciplined enough to 'cover their tracks'.
What does a hacker do?
There are a few different levels of hackers. There are two main categories of hackers and then there are a few, more ambiguous categories. There are black hats, who are cyberspace and network criminals, and there are white hats, who are computer security experts. There are a plethora of other names for different kind of hackers. I will list them below and you can determine for yourself what kind of hacker Lisbeth Salander is.
- White Hat Hacker- computer security hackers (non-malicious)
- Black Hat Hackers- computer criminals (malicious)
- Grey Hat Hackers- a combination of both white and black hat hackers, this type of person hacks into websites, personally, and informs the website that it has a weak spot in its security. They usually disclose the information for a fee.
- Elite Hackers- the most skilled hackers.
- Script Kiddie- a hacker that uses someone else's program to hack into a computer.
- Neophyte- a new hacker, someone who has no knowledge of hacking at all (also where the term noob came from).
- Hacktivist- someone who hacks for a religious or social cause. (exploiting websites etc.)
- Nation State- cyber-warfare operators.
Do you think Lisbeth is a good hacker? Do you believe that there is such thing as a "good" hacker, or does she do what she does for personal gain only? Finally, what type of hacker do you think she is?