The term ______ refers to an individual, who breaks into computer systems without authorization, deliberately defaces Web sites for fraudulent purpose.
- (a)white hat
- (b)hacker
- (c)cracker
- (d)stacker
Correct — C, cracker. In computer-security vocabulary a 'cracker' is someone who breaks into systems without permission, with malicious or criminal intent — stealing data, defacing websites, or committing fraud. The word was coined precisely to separate this destructive intruder from the neutral term 'hacker'. The stem's description — unauthorized break-in, deliberate defacement, fraudulent purpose — is the textbook definition of a cracker.
- (a)white hat — A white-hat is an ethical hacker who tests systems with permission to find and fix weaknesses — the opposite of someone breaking in for fraud.
- (b)hacker — In its original, strict sense a 'hacker' is a skilled programmer/enthusiast, not necessarily a criminal; the term for the malicious intruder described here is the more specific 'cracker'.
- (d)stacker — Not a security term at all — a stacker is a material-handling/warehouse machine; it has nothing to do with breaking into computers.
Security jargon separates intent. A 'hacker', strictly, is a skilled computer expert; the malicious version who breaks in illegally is a 'cracker' (or 'black hat'). Ethical professionals who test systems with permission are 'white hats'; those who operate in a grey area are 'grey hats'. So the same skill can be used to protect or to attack — the label depends on authorization and intent.
The stem loads three malice signals — 'without authorization', 'deliberately defaces', 'fraudulent purpose'. Match those to the term coined for the malicious intruder: cracker. 'Hacker' is the tempting near-answer because everyday usage blurs the two, but the precise term is cracker.
- Cracker = a malicious intruder who breaks into systems illegally, to damage or defraud.
- White hat = an ethical hacker who tests security with the owner's permission.
- Black hat = the malicious attacker (essentially a cracker); grey hat is in between.
- In strict terminology, 'hacker' means a skilled programmer, not automatically a criminal.
The malicious intruder in the question is the cracker; a white hat is the ethical opposite.
- Choosing 'hacker' when the precise term for the malicious intruder is 'cracker'
- Confusing white hat (ethical, authorized) with the illegal intruder
MPPSC asks to match the term to its definition (cracker, hacker, white/black hat); UPSC frames it inside cyber security and unauthorized-access provisions of the IT Act.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
An ethical hacker who tests a system's security with the owner's permission is called a:
- (a)white hat
- (b)cracker
- (c)black hat
- (d)script kiddie
Answer(a) white hat — an authorized, ethical hacker.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In security terminology, a malicious attacker who breaks into systems illegally is best described as a:
- (a)black hat / cracker
- (b)white hat
- (c)system administrator
- (d)compiler
Answer(a) black hat / cracker.