I know what the broad sense of the term is, but what is it technically? I mean I know things like viruses and what are examples of what can be used to “”hack”.
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It is largely about finding a way into someone else’s software or system so that you can control something or steal data.
Think of a house. If you lock the door then no one can come in and take your stuff. But if you don’t lock your door, then theft is possible. So the hacker walks up and tries your door handle to see if he can walk in and take something.
A well-designed system will have the door locked and will keep your stuff secure.
The hacker might then try other things. What about the windows, are they locked? What about the gate into the back garden, is that locked?
Again, a well-designed system will have everything locked, but the hacker will try them all anyway just in case someone is running an out-of-date system (or in case someone doesn’t understand the important of securing everything).
If these all fail, then the attacker might try something else. What about lifting all the stones and plant pots in the front garden, in case someone hid a key under one of them? This would be the equivalent of trying a bunch of common passwords in case someone didn’t understand how to make a proper password.
If the system is still secure, then the hacker might try something more sophisticated. What if they pretend to be someone else? Maybe they come to your door dressed as a courier or a policeman. Do you open your door to them and let them in because they look the part? Or do you have a sufficiently well-designed system to catch their deceit?
And so on. “Hacking” is really just about trying to find a way into someone else’s system so that you gain control or can steal data. There are all sorts of methods ranging from simple to incredibly sophisticated.
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