Computer hackers are now appearing on the front page of all major newspapers. Stories about computer intrusions are now commonplace in the newspapers, and are becoming increasingly popular in books and movies. The media portrays hackers as geniuses who can penetrate systems at will. While there are hackers who are geniuses, the majority of hackers do not fit into this category. While the public might believe that it takes a genius to attain these accomplishments, what it really takes are very persistent people with sufficient time to learn their craft. The ranks of hackers have grown to include Organized Crime, spies, and terrorist organizations. .
Most hackers seem to fit the stereotype of a teenage to college-age male who has the determination to sit at a computer for hours at a time. "Stereotyping, an exception to the norm, is nothing new. Much the same thing happened a few generations ago, when the automobile was new. Maybe Ford made it, but only the weird kid down the block could fix it so it stayed fixed. And more likely than not he wasn't doing all that well in school. The handy stereotype for these kids was Grease Monkey" (Bagai). Despite the stereotype being generally true, all hackers are not alike. By all accounts, most hackers do not intend to steal or cause any harm. Unfortunately for the nicer hackers, any computer intruder is considered to be a hacker. "In the 1980s, a new generation appropriated the word "hacker" and, with help from the press, used it to define itself as password pirates and electronic burglars" (Hafner 11). Hackers do not intend to profit from their efforts, nor do they intend to do any harm. This does not mean that hackers are immune from criminal actions. In most cases, any computer intrusion is a criminal offense. Additionally, many inexperienced hackers may inadvertently damage the computer systems that they access and they may pass on information to criminals.
