La Lingo 
de
HACKERS

By the Q

This section has a lot of words and terms that many hackers use and all should know.  This file is mostly to help the newbie (hey, we were all once newbies) understand terms used in most hacking guides.  That happened to me a lot.  When I started I'd read a file and not have a damn clue what the hell they were talking about.  So, here it is.  These aren't official definitions, but they will help.  I spent a lot of time on this.

A

AMERICA ONLINE (AOL)- (1)Evil Evil Commercial Internet Provider that started from the leavings of a BBS.  There are many progs out there that will defeat certain features of AOL and AOL is trying hard to get them all off the internet and all of that crap.

ANARCHY- (1) Total chaos and disorder.
(2) [Anarchy file] A file that tells the specifics on how to do or make something really bad or chaotic.

APPLE/MACINTOSH - (1) Started in the late 70s-early 80s by a Mister Steve Jobs and some other guy. (I can't remember right off the bat)  Created the greatest working OS in the history of Computing called the Mac OS.  Current Version is Mac OS 8.1.  Lost about 700 million in a single quarter but is starting to come back fast with the new G3.

ASCII ART- (1) Art done in plain text. This is fairly difficult. I just thought I'd put this in cuz I see it a lot.

B

BANK- (1) memory for caching; a section of memory not normally used that is utilized for high speed operations in certain programs.

BASIC [Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code]- Very early programming language for beginners.

BAUD [rate]- (1)the number of signal events per second occuring on a communications channel.Term no longer used.

BBS- [Bulletin Board System] (1) System where people connect to a computer and post messages.  Messages vary from software trade to serials to questions.

BIN- [short for BINARY] (1) Binary compressed format  2. [BIN FILE] A file containing the BIN for a program.

BINARY- (1) The object code for a program.

BIT- [Contraction of binary and digit] (1) Smallest unit of measurement in cyberspace. A 1 or 0; represents on or off, true or false, yes or no to a computer.  I think 1 is yes and 0 is no, but I dont know.

BOT- [Short for "robot."] (1) A benevolent search bot such as an infobot or knowbot (2)  Bot which hacks irc.

BOX- (1) a hardware device that allow abnormal telephone operation, like free calls or anti-tracing or even free cable. Most are used by phreaks. The ultimate box is the rainbow box, which combines the blue box, red box, green box, and black box. There are also a lot of weird variant boxes. 

BPS- [Bytes per second] (1) Measurement of the speed of a modem. Replaced by KBPS (kilobytes per second.) 

BRUTE FORCE ATTACK- (1) Most common cracking technique; guessing an exhaustive number of passwords to try and enter a system. There are now prgs that do this for you such as MacCrac.

BUG (1) An unwanted and unintended property of a program.  

BYTE- (1) A sequence of adjacent bits operated on as a unit by a computer. Very small unit of virtual measurement. Usually, a byte is eight bits. On the internet its seven.  Sounds like something Microsoft would think of.

C

CHIP- (1) Shorthand for microprocessor. The hardware that runs the machine. [e.g. PowerPC and Pentium]

COMPUTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM- [CERT] (1) Anti-hacking group which sets up security and tracks people

CRACK [sometimes KRACK or [k] ]- (1) To remove the copy protection from a commercial program, so that the resultant program (or file) is "cracked." Also covers modifying any program illegally, such as when Netscape Navigator 2.0b4 was cracked when the expiration date was surgically removed a while back. See also HACK

	(2) To crack a password using a cracking program and a dictionary. Involves using crypt-and-compare; the program encrypts various words and compares the encrypted form of the words to the encrypted password. 

CRACKER- (1) Term given to so-called "malicious" hackers by the original MIT hackers, hoping the media would leave the name "hacker" alone and not damage the original hackers' pristine, snow-white reputation. 

CRYPTOLOGY- (1) Science in which a word's characters are replaced by their responsive ones in a code.

CYBERPUNK- (1) In a short summary, a computer hacker/cracker.

CYBERSPACE- The internet or any computer system with "cybernetic space".

D

DOC [or DOCU]- (1) Short for documentation or document. A file that contains information on how to use a program. Usually a text file.  Also the DOS suffix for WP files.

DOS- [Disk Operating System] (1) Usually used to refer to MS-DOS, MS standing for Micro$oft, which got to version 6.22 when Microsoft recently discontinued it in favor of Windows 95. All of it is text based.  You have to know an exhaustive list of commands and crap.

DOWNLOAD- (1) To transfer information via modem from a BBS or network to a computer. See also UPLOAD.

E

ENCRYPTION- (1) The practice of encoding data into an unreadable form, which can only be converted with the same code. Recently, Netscape Communications built fairly strong encryption into their browser, though security errors appeared three times.

EXE- [Exutable] (1) DOS suffix for program files. See also BIN.

FTP- [File Transfer Protocol] (1) A folder and directory based system.  Many files and progs are found at these sites.  We abuse FTPs too much.

G

GATES, WILLIAM HENRY III- [1955-Present] Leader of the Evil Empire. The richest man in America, at over 16 billion dollars. Earns money by copying other OSes and tweaking them a little and making millions.

H

HACK- (1) to change a program so that is does something the original programmer either didn't want it to do or didn't plan for it.  Normally used in conjunction with "cracking" computer games so that the player will get unlimited lifes or a full retail version.  Hacking a program is not cracking, and vise versa.  See also CRACK.
	(2) To code a program. "I hacked out version 1.0a1 last week."
	(3) To break into a computer.
	(4) To alter in a clever way the status quo.
	(5) What you do; if you were a pilot, you could say "I hack planes." As far as I know, this was first used in 1994 by Bruce Sterling in "Heavy Weather".
 (6) #HACK- The hacking irc channel.

THE HACKER CRACKDOWN OF 1990- Name given to the massive crackdown, of which Operation Sundevil was the largest part.

HACKER- Where do I start?  
	(1) Any computer user. It drives everyone else crazy when anyone refers to a novice user as a "hacker." 
	(2) A computer user who spends a lot of time on the system with an almost fetishistic approach. Usually refers to someone who knows a lot about computers, even if they are not a programmer.
	(3) Any user of an online service, such as CompuServe, AOL or the Internet. That's another sort of annoying one, since just because some businessman goes on AOL to send email to grandma, that does not  mean he is a hacker.
	(4) A programmer.
	(5) A computer user who uses his skills unlawfully in any matter, usually to "break into" another system through a network.
	(6) Someone who is actually good at doing the things mentioned in 5).
	(7) A master programmer capable of things that seem "magical." [All of these are from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's programmers in the 1960s, who called themselves "hackers," to refer to making a program better and more efficient, or making it do something it was not originally intended to do. The media overused this to an incredible extent, which added all the other definitions.]

I

IBM- [International Business Machines, Incorporated] (1) Zaibatsu that at one time completely controlled computers; really fucked up when they licensed Microsoft to market DOS (which was, by the way, a product that was acquired by them from another company). Because DOS backfired on them, they created OS/2, which was largely ignored. Most recently they've allied with Apple (previously their bitter foe) and Motorola with PPCP.

IBM-PC- [International Business Machines Personal Computer or compatible] (1) Refers to one of the five gazillion machines that run Microsoft DOS (currently in version 6.22) or the variants; Microsoft Windows (version 3.1) or Microsoft Windows for Workgroups (3.11); Microsoft Windows (98); LINUX (don't know version) or IBM's OS/2 (2.1). 90% of the marketplace is taken up by these machines. These systems include many basic types of machines, usually run on Intel's chips the 8008 (1972); 8080 (1974); 80088; 80186; 80286; 80386 and the 80386SX (single channel) variant, as well as the 80386sl lower power laptop variant and the IBM cache-included 386slc; the standard 80486 and 80486SX (single channel), 80486DX, 80486DX2, 80486DX3 (made by IBM) and 80486DX4 (all double-channel) variants; the Pentium (released 1994) and the high-end Pentium Pro (AKA P6) (released 1995). (There is also a 586 not made by Intel that is essentially a cheap Pentium.) Currently, the best IBM-PC on the market is the Pentium 166, though networked Pentium Pros would yield even faster speeds. By the way, the term IBM-PC is becoming more and more of a misnomer; almost all are not actually made by IBM, especially since IBM is trying to challenge Microsoft and Intel with PPCP now.

ISP- [Internet Service Provider] (1) The local networks a normal person has to dial into.

L

LAMER- (1) A dick, jerk, queer, asshole. That pretty much sums it up. 

LEACH- (1) Someone who copies a large amount of software and doesn't return the favor. Used by BBSes and users, but also applies to those who physically copy software. (2) Someone who builds a page with only links to software on other peoples pages.

LOCKED- (1) Refers to a computer system shutting down and stopping operation, usually without the operator wanting it to happen.
	(2) A protected program.
	(3) A file that has been changed by the OS so that it cannot be changed or deleted; often very easy to unlock.
	(4) A floppy disk which has been physically locked to prevent accidental alteration or to prevent stupid people from modifying the contents.

LOGIC BOMB- (1) A program that performs a certain action when certain conditions are met, such as deleting all files on Christmas eve, although it is not necessarily malevolent. Though it is not technically a virus, it is often grouped that way. There is much speculation that the turn of the millenium will set off tons of logic bombs.

M 

MEGAHERTZ (MHZ)- (1) In computer terms, a measurement of the clock speed of a CPU. For example, the 486DX2 runs at 66 megahertz. The newer versions of the G3 run up to 300 MHZ.

MICROSOFT- THE Evil Empire, founded 1975, and writer of MS-DOS, Windows (3.x, 98, and NT), Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Encarta , Office and about a zillion other programs, most of which are made for business. Possibly the most evil force on the planet.  Bill Gates has been the CEO since its inception. 

MODEM [modulator/demodulator]- (1) Hardware that allows digital info to be carried over analog lines. The first modems were acoustic (usually 300 bps); you had to put the phone receiver on the modem. The current standard speed is about 28.8 or 33.6 kbps. Though you can get up to a 56kflex modem which is fast, but only a few sites can actually give you 56 kbps. Thats why its a flex, it flexes appropiatley within the site or network. 

O

OS- [Operating System] (1) The physical laws of a computer. OSes include DOS, Windows, Windows 95, MacOS, SunOS and UNIX and its many variants. Even VCRs, scientific calculators and digital watches have primitive OSes.

P

PACKET SNIFFER- (1) A program which records the first one hundred or so bits sent by a computer when connecting to a network. Supposedly used for network diagnostic purposes, but is used frequently by hackers for obvious reasons. (The first hundred bits usually include a username and password.)

PASSWORD SHADOWING- (1) A security system in which the encrypted password is stored in a different directory where normal users are not given access. Used in the UNIX operating system.

PATCH (1)  A temporary addition to a piece of code, usually as a
quick-and-dirty remedy to an existing bug or misfeature.  A patch
may or may not work, and may or may not eventually be incorporated
permanently into the program.  (2)  To insert a patch into a piece
of code.

PHREAK- (1) Someone who abuses the phone system the way a hacker abuses computer networks. [From a combination of "phone" and "freak," which became "phreak." "Phreaker" is sometimes also used.]
(2) #PHREAK- The phreaking irc channel.

PIRATE- (1) Someone who distributes copyrighted commercial software illegally, often stripping the program of password protection or including a document that gives the passwords to defeat the protection. 
(2) A verb for illegally copying a progam.

POWER PC- (1) Chip that powers Apple's Power Macintoshes. It is also used to power some high-end IBM-PCs that run Microsoft Windows NT. It was developed in an unprecedented partnership between Apple, IBM and Motorola.

PUNK- (1) A style of music drawing on the culture of destructive rebels, began in the late Seventies in Britain by such bands as the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Ramones. Did stuff like put safety pins in their noses and other body parts. Led to goth, industrial and to a lesser extent grunge. I believe such groups as Green Day are considered neo-punk (or, in the words of Ron DuPlanty, "punk wannabes.")
	(2) The culture of destructive rebels with piercings and scary hair, often shaved. The term was later used with "cybernetics" to describe computer nerds with a little bit more attitude. [The word in this context is a perverted badge of honor coming from the insulting term punk, as in an obnoxious young person. Major insult if you apply to someone else maliciously, at least in the computer underground.]

R

RAM- [Random Access Memory] (1) The amount of active memory a computer has; the amount it can load at once. Increasing RAM increases speed because then more of the program can be loaded into active. The current standard amount of RAM is around 32 megabytes.

ROOT- (1) God on a system. Getting root is the holy grail; allows you to control the system.

S

SCANNING- (1) To dial a huge amount of numbers, looking for "carriers" or computers connected by a modem to the phone line. Since dialing thousands of numbers by hand and hanging up is incredibly tedious, the war dialer was invented.

SHOULDER SURFING- (1) A low technique that involves looking over ones shoulder as they type a password or something.  It works though!

SOCIAL ENGINEERING- (1) Conning someone. Usually involves using what you know about someone and pushing their buttons in order to manipulate them into doing what you want them to do.

SPOOFING- (1) Hacking technique in which an unauthorized user comes in from another computer that is authorized access to an important system; printers have been hacked for spoofing purposes.

SYSADMIN- (1) System Administrator. Someone who runs and administers a computer network. Many different names for it includes sys, adm, sysadm, admin, and lots others.  

SYSOP- (1) System Operator. Someone who runs and administers a computer system, usually a BBS.

TCP/IP [Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol]- (1) The language the Internet speaks. Personal computers need software OS extensions to use this Windows uses Winsock, and Macs use MacTCP or the TCP/IP control panel. I don't know about other OSes.

T

TELNET- (1) To communicate with another ARPAnet host using the TELNET protocol.  TOPS-10 people use the word IMPCOM since that is the program name for them.  Sometimes abbreviated to TN.  Most common app for Mac is NCSA Telnet.

TROJAN HORSE- (1) A virus-like program that pretends to be something else in order to get into the system. Guess where it comes from.

U

THE UNDERGROUND- (1) Referred to by some Netizens as the illegal or quasilegal community that forms in Cyberspace; includes hackers, phreaks, virus authors and w@r3z d00dz.

UNIX- (1) Operating system made by AT&T in 1969 of which several variants exist, such as Berkeley UNIX. Made by programmers, for programmers. It was purchased by Novell fairly recently. It also supposedly has very little security. Not any more.

UPLOAD- (1) To transfer via modem a program or file from a personal computer to a network, BBS, or ftp site. See also DOWNLOAD.

USER- (1) A person who uses a BBS. (2) A person with an account on a network.

V

VIRUS- (1) A program that a programmer writes in order to destroy any computer system the virus happens upon. Totally indiscriminate. Viruses can become immense problems very rapidly, as they copy themselves into other files and disk units, and may take a very long while to make themselves known. Virus authors have obtained cult status in some cases; the underground is currently divided into two schools as far as virii; one thinks that they are lame and pointless and destructive, while the other thinks they are pretty cool. Viruses are activated when either a system is booted up with an infected extension installed, or if a malignant application is opened. 

W

WAR DIALER- (1) A program designed to scan phone numbers. For the IBM-PC, ToneLoc by Minor Threat and Mucho Maas is almost universally considered the best; for the Mac, it usually considered to be Assault Dialer by Crush Commander.

WAREZ- [Software plural shortened with a z]. Often used to refer to pirated software and/or computer games.  Pronounced "wears".

WINDOWS NT- I have no idea what NT stands for, I think its Network Tool or something, but it's Microsoft's high-end version of Windows. It is very powerful and fast. 

WINDOWS 98- Microsoft's upgrade to Windows 3.11 that even further rips off the MacOS. Received lots and lots of press, much to the users of other OS's chagrin.

WINTEL- Term that refers to IBM-PC compatibles. May replace the term "IBM-PC" because that is such a misnomer. Put Windows and Intel together.


I hope you find this page halfway helpful.  I spent a long fucking time on this and if you don't like it write your own god damn file.  

The Q