Is it that people like to cause trouble? Is it because of money and fame? Or is it darker?
My answer to this question is:
People hack because they want to feel a connection, they want to feel a sense of worth that they can’t seem to find within people. A computer is a living being… it has a heart, a brain, bones, even if it’s man made. People hack because they can get back at those that hurt them in the past. Without a connection to anything we are nothing more then just a machine. That’s why I believe people hack because there’s a sense of belonging…
Not to totally rebut your answer because I know that this is an open ended “philosophy” discussion but computers aren’t alive and this honestly sounds like teenage angst poetry. We as hackers don’t try to elevate what we do to some deeper meaning we see it as just a means to satisfy our curiosity that grows into a tool that we can use for our own greed, anger, or sense of nobility. Hacking is a tool born of curiosity to be used for the ambitions of the individual.
(oak feel free to delete if I’m being too mean but I don’t like the adult profession of security trudged through the filth and mud of angsty teens.)
I am just learning, so I’m perfect to answer from my end of thinking.
I want to hack so I can save children who are being exploited by adults. Children placed in compromising situations. Hacking is a tool which can potentially save lives.
I enjoy the benefits of hackers who produce information which is otherwise withheld from us. There are others who hack to find out if a suspect is indeed part of a crime such a murder.
Some people hack because they have revenge on their mind. …Some people I feel very vengeful towards, but I have two options for them. I marry a sugar daddy and sue them or marry a hacking genius and have them take care of it.
In 2005 (I think) I was an intern for a Sheriff Department. The patrol always said, “Piss off a cop and he’ll make your life a living hell. Piss off a techie and he’ll delete it.” Naturally, we were advised to give techies breaks so our lives stayed in tack. Personally, everyone got breaks from me. I was very understanding that they are having a very crappy day. I kept in mind the whole picture such as previous tickets, but I still didn’t allow that techie business to affect whether I was easy on them… NOW I see just how wrong I was.
