Summary

In this chapter, I introduced crackers and related computer criminals. The topics I presented include:

• The differences between hackers and crackers

• An introduction to underground cracker pop culture

• The motivations of both hackers and crackers

• A directory of popular hacking conventions and gatherings

• An introduction to some common cracker tricks

• A list of hacking and cracking resources

Understanding crackers, their abilities, and some of their tricks will allow you to make sound decisions to secure your network, and discern between facts and sensationalism regarding computer threats.