Hacker Credential?

I have read on the classification of hackers (great artical by the way) and I was wondering: What does it take to move from a newbie to an actual hacker? 400 points on a challenge site? One succesfuly pulled off (out side challenge) hack without being caught? Make a challenge site? Oh and do you guys think social engineering is a type of hacking?

Thanks guys NC

(-o-) little lost tie fighter (-o-)

in my opinion your a hacker when you actually hack by yourself, and dont search for other peoples exploits, or do something you've learnt.

i think a true hacker is someone who finds the exploits out for themselfs. then your a hacker.

however, many peoples opinions differ…. its all up to you and how you class yourself

When you honestly feel like you're a hacker… I think you are. It's mostly a way of thinking.

Also, about your question on social engineering. I don't consider it hacking. It can be used to obtain information to HELP you hack. But it in itself isn't hacking. Social engineering is just psychological manipulation which could be applied to ANYTHING (hacking, getting a job, getting a date, raise in allowance, etc).

It doesn't matter how many points you have on a site such as HBH. The points are not what make you a hacker. I don't have a definition of a hacker and I am not a computer hacker by any means, but I do believe that you will know when you have become a hacker.

In my eyes this is what a hacker is: I see a hacker as someone who is so skilled and memorable in programming that they think in a programming language (i personally sometimes begin to think in C++ out of nowhere, its really freaky lol)

I see a hacker as someone who walks around a block and notices something and sais "wouldn't it be cool if I could do whatever I wanted on that."

I see a hacker as someone who has the ability to learn about something that they arent supposed to know.

I see a hacker as someone who has done something so great, its gone unnoticed.

Hacking, is a state of mind, not a verb, or an action.. this, is in my eyes.

Haykuro wrote: In my eyes this is what a hacker is: I see a hacker as someone who is so skilled and memorable in programming that they think in a programming language (i personally sometimes begin to think in C++ out of nowhere, its really freaky lol)

I see a hacker as someone who walks around a block and notices something and sais "wouldn't it be cool if I could do whatever I wanted on that."

I see a hacker as someone who has the ability to learn about something that they arent supposed to know.

I see a hacker as someone who has done something so great, its gone unnoticed.

Hacking, is a state of mind, not a verb, or an action.. this, is in my eyes.

I agree with you, I put this in my signature cuz im an UBBER EL8 HAXER jp jp, i it a dictionary deffenition for a hacker. Do you agree?

I reckon you area hacker when you notice something some where, and beging to see how to exploit, or notice some code and think hmmm, some one who automatically wants to see the coding of a progam if they see it…

I personally am constantly thinking thingsw like if that were a computer I could do this.

Also, someone who teaches someone else how to hack.

Ermmm, who bypasses meaing less security code just to get passed it and not for agagin.