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patriot hacker noun. A hacker who attempts to infiltrate or disable the computer systems of people or organizations that are perceived to be hostile to the hacker's country.

Example Citation:
"In an advisory posted on an FBI Web site, officials warned Internet service providers worldwide to be on the lookout for "self-described 'patriot' hackers [targeting] those perceived to be responsible for the terrorist attacks" of the Pentagon and World Trade Center."
—Eric Lichtblau, James Gerstenzang, "After the Attack," Los Angeles Times, September 18, 2001

Notes:
Although today's term has been much in evidence lately in light of the recent atrocities in New York and Washington, the phrase has been around for a few years. The earliest citation I could find is the following AP headline:


"Soldier Charged with Computer Espionage Was Patriotic Hacker, Family Says"
The Associated Press, August 21, 1996

In this case, however, the "hacker" was a soldier who gave computer passwords to a Chinese citizen. His lawyer and family claimed that he was only trying to show his superiors there were problems with an "expensive, supposedly impenetrable system."

Related Words:
cracker
dark-side hacker
ethical hacker
hackint
hacktivist
kiddiot
samurai
script kiddie
white hat hacker

Subject Category:
Computers - Hacking and Hackers

Posted on September 20, 2001 at 5:41 PM
Updated on September 20, 2001 at 5:41 PM


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