"Hacking"

[Goman Fox]

"Someone is hacking my (unsecured) wireless network and using my internet for free!"
"Someone hacked my MySpace account! (that I forgot to log out of)"
"Did you know there are some people that can hack webcams and watch what you do through your own webcam?"

Anyone else think some of these statements are silly?  It seems like if anyone has something undesirable happen to them on the internet, or to their computer, they think they were "hacked" by someone else.  Although on the other side, if people are shown how to do something, within a program's original design, that is beneficial, they think they're "hacking" the program as well.

I just stumbled onto a page that tells you how to "hack" your Firefox to get it to load faster, which isn't even hacking since it is only changing options that most users generally wouldn't know about using about:config.  I guess they assume that because it's hidden from most people (since they could f*** up their program) they must be "hacking" to get into it, right?

I just think it's strange how easily the word gets thrown around in cases where it's not even fitting.  Most of the times, it just seems like it's being used when someone gains access to something simple, like an email or blog account, or an unsecured piece of hardware, that the person made no real effort to protect.

[Taylor-MadeAK]

hack
[hak]
–verb (used with object)
1.    to cut, notch, slice, chop, or sever (something) with or as with heavy, irregular blows (often fol. by up or down): to hack meat; to hack down trees.
2.    to break up the surface of (the ground).
3.    to clear (a road, path, etc.) by cutting away vines, trees, brush, or the like: They hacked a trail through the jungle.
4.    to damage or injure by crude, harsh, or insensitive treatment; mutilate; mangle: The editor hacked the story to bits.
5.    to reduce or cut ruthlessly; trim: The Senate hacked the budget severely before returning it to the House.
6.    Slang. to deal or cope with; handle: He can't hack all this commuting.
7.    Computers. to devise or modify (a computer program), usually skillfully.
8.    Basketball. to strike the arm of (an opposing ball handler): He got a penalty for hacking the shooter.
9.    British. to kick or kick at the shins of (an opposing player) in Rugby football.
10.    South Midland and Southern U.S. to embarrass, annoy, or disconcert.

Under the above definition, using the about:config page to modify Firefox is "hacking" as much as using Regedit to directly modify the Windows registry or using Google to find somebody's unsecured public webcam. 

Conversely, if you accuse others of hacking for using your unsecured (and publicly broadcast SSID) wireless network or using your own web browser that you foolishly allowed to save your MySpace password so you wouldn't have to enter it any more, you're just an idiot who doesn't know the definition of the word "hacking" in this sense.

[Eternimus]

Yeah I've dealt with people I know complaining about being hacked before.

"I put a signal booster on my wireless, left it with no user name or password, let it be broadcast publicly, and I have a bunch of people on it. Now I'm lagging so bad cause it was hacked!"

No, you're lagging so bad cause you're retarded.

Oh here's one you'll love. This guy I know was screwing around with his cookies and .dll files, trying to make his computer run faster cause his internet wasn't working. And destroyed it to the point I had to wipe it and reinstall XP. Then when I gave it back I told him he had to re-setup his internet connection.

The next day he's bitching at me saying I screwed his computer up cause now he can't connect to his ISP and such blah blah and I ruined the .dll files on my own and hacked his com so he could only use my internet. He solved the problem. Know what it was?

He was on dial up. His bill was auto paid by credit card. The old card had expired, and when he got his new one, he never updated his billing info, so since he was behind on the bill his ISP wouldn't let him on.

But it was cause of Teh 1337 UBER H4X0RZ

Idiot.