Re: Maybe some hacks should not be illegal

Making the villains the super heroes right? Hacking is stealing don't make it look like it's great to be an hacker, the only way to be an hacker and be legal is getting paid trying to hack into projects security and that's after you've agreed to proceed with the team, bounty things you know.

But is it hacking if someone has access to your private keys?

Maybe let's define what is "hack" and what is "access" according to thefreedictionary.com

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hack 1 (hăk)
v. hacked, hack·ing, hacks
v.tr.
b. To gain access to (a computer file or network) illegally or without authorization: hacked the firm's personnel database.

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ac·cess (ăk′sĕs)
n.
1. A means of approaching, entering, exiting, communicating with, or making use of: a store with easy access.
2. The ability or right to approach, enter, exit, communicate with, or make use of: has access to the restricted area; has access to classified material.

Based on that and your question, accessing my own private keys without any probable and reasonable legal authority or simply because of my own personal authorization can be concluded as hacking. I didn't give any permission to anyone to control any of my belonging, in any way, even if it was because of my own mistake, the private keys are illegally controlled, which it can be defined as hacking.

But can be a private key illegally controled? Do you own the coins or do you own a key to access the ledger? This is my question, remember the hack against the pancakeswap admin, maybe not the best example, but still

Yes, in a broader sense. But if we fixated our views toward "code is law' or simply how the system/blockchain and the consensus perceive the accessed private keys, then it is simply according to the rule, which is it's the way it is supposed to be and I think there is no way it can be claimed as hacking.

Quote from: o48o on September 02, 2022, 07:24:14 PM

As an old computer geek, this is a common misconception and not any serious dictionary would define it like that. Hacker is a computer enthusiast and word hacking has been tainted by people who don't understand the whole scene and see computer experts as scary criminals just because they COULD use it to illegal purposes.

Word describing gaining access illegally should be Cracker, which is the word that was commonly used by "the scene" because they cracked systems for their own benefit or the benefit for others.

Exactly, the word hack is evolved not as what it was meant to be, just like "crypto". But in this case, I think we need to hold firm and give some direct examples of some definitions for the discussion.