Difference between Hacker and Cracker

There is a big difference between hacker and cracker, a hacker is someone who uses their skills to exploit vulnerabilities in electronic systems while crackers are criminals who break into systems to steal data or money.

While both groups use their skills for illegal activities, hackers usually transgress boundaries in order to fix or improve things and crackers usually look for ways to misuse or damage systems.

Hacker

When it comes to cyber-attacks, a hacker is someone who finds and exploits vulnerabilities in systems. For example, they might be able to gain access to sensitive information or disable systems.

They protect the data and never steal or damage it. Their only intention is to gain knowledge from the concerned data and information. This allows them to have a better understanding of the systems they are trying to hack and how they can better protect against future attacks.

Cracker

A cracker is someone who breaks into computer systems in order to access or steal data. They typically exploit system vulnerabilities in order to delete, corrupt, or compromise data. This leaves your data vulnerable and at risk of being stolen or compromised.

Crackers are cybercriminals who engage in illegal online activity, often for personal gain. Their activities can include phishing – which is when they trick people into giving them sensitive information – as well as stealing passwords and bypassing security measures on websites and social media accounts.

Hackers vs Crackers

The main differences between hackers and crackers are given below:

Hackers	Crackers
Hackers are curious people who explore devices and systems to learn more about them. They might hack a system for a specified purpose or for learning more about how it works.	Crackers are people who illegally access a system by breaking into it. They may do this remotely in order to steal data or damage the system.
Hackers are ethical types of professionals.	These types of people are illegal and unethical who only focus on benefiting themselves.
They have the legal authorities and certificates required to operate in their field.	They may not have certificates, but that does not mean they are not qualified.
Hackers create programs or hacks to test the security and weakness of a network.	Crackers are those who maliciously exploit weaknesses in computer systems and networks.