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hacking

hacking

2 4.2
Gaining unauthorized access to computer systems to steal or damage data
  • noun
  • /ˈhækɪŋ/
  • Texting
translation icon : piratería
  • Brian Martin is an outspoken senior security consultant with the Ethical Hacking group at BT IN.
  • Hacking Team
  • Computer Hacking

Do you worry about this sort of hacking people?

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Examples

  • Hacking is simply gaining unauthorized access to a computer system.

    Blog text (24)
  • This pace continued into 2015, with attacks against Anthem BCBS, Hacking Team, eBay, Trump Hotels, and Ashley Madison, and with a notable expansion into attacks on government targets, including major breaches from OPM and the IRS.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Hacking is usually, in fact, about breaking through the barriers that have been created for the protection and security of the people.

    Blog text (23)
  • These online places get hacked or they can get hacked.

  • We talk about the hacking, and hacking's bad, and it shouldn't be done.

  • On Thursday, executives from the Gamma Group, based in Hampshire, England, and Hacking Team, based in Milan, are scheduled to speak in consecutive presentations about their latest surveillance technologies.

    Blog text (31)
  • On Wednesday, Morgan Marquis-Boire, one of the first security researchers to discover Gamma spyware in emails sent to Bahraini activists, released new evidence suggesting that spyware sold by Hacking Team had also been used to monitor political activists.

    Blog text (31)
  • The recent increase in hacking incidents has raised concerns about data security among many companies.

  • Experts warn that hacking can lead to significant financial losses for individuals and businesses alike.

  • Government agencies are working to combat hacking by implementing stricter cybersecurity measures.

Synonyms

intrusion
vshacking
85 6.6

Entering a place or someone's private life without permission

is limited to computer systems or networks rather than any place
compromise
vshacking
  • Specialized
11 6.5

An incident where a computer system or account is accessed without permission

focuses on the action of gaining unauthorized access rather than outcome
cyberattack
vshacking
  • Specialized
10 4.4

An attack on computer systems that damages them or steals information

focuses specifically on gaining unauthorized access, not necessarily damage
trespass
vshacking
  • Specialized
6 7.2

The act of going onto or damaging someone else's property without permission

is the plain action of gaining access without permission, not the legal term
hijacking
vshacking
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Illegally taking control of a computer system to steal data or send users to fake pages

is about gaining unauthorized entry rather than seizing control or redirecting
break-in
vshacking
1 4.5

Illegal access to a computer system to steal or damage data

is the general action of gaining unauthorized access

Antonyms

408 2.4

The feeling of being safe from danger or threat

How Harmful

to cyberattack
  • Specialized
4.4
breach
  • Specialized
96 5.8
hacking
  • Texting
2 4.2
probing
11 4.7

Surface Forms

hacking singular
hackings plural

Morphology

hacking = hack (transparent) = hack + ing

Derived from the verb 'hack' (computer sense) with '-ing' forming the noun for the action; learners who know 'hack' in the computing sense will understand 'hacking'.

Etymology

Hacking for breaking into computers comes from the verb hack, where people imagine 'cutting into' a system; reporters and users then used hacking to mean getting into a computer or network without permission. So hacking now often means unauthorized access to systems.