hacker
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hacker
A person who unlawfully breaks into other people's computer systems or networks, often with criminal or harmful intent.
Die Hacker haben durch den Angriff sensible Kundendaten gestohlen.
The hackers stole sensitive customer data through the attack.
hacker
In the original sense, a person with deep computer knowledge who solves technical problems creatively and playfully or pushes systems to their limits, without necessarily having harmful intent.
In der Hacker-Szene werden oft innovative Lösungen für Softwareprobleme entwickelt.
In the hacker scene, innovative solutions to software problems are often developed.
The word is borrowed from English. It combines the stem of the verb 'to hack' with the German ending '-er', which denotes a person who performs an activity. This structure is very common in German, e.g. 'fahren' (to drive) → 'Fahrer' (driver).
Ein guter Hacker kennt die Schwachstellen von Netzwerken.
A good hacker knows the weaknesses of networks.
The negative meaning, criminal, is the most widespread in the media and everyday language. The original, positive or neutral meaning, creative expert, is used mainly within the tech community and by specialists to distinguish themselves from criminals.
Die Zeitung berichtete über einen Hacker, der eine Bank erpresst hat.
The newspaper reported on a hacker who blackmailed a bank.
In a criminal context, 'Hacker' is often combined with verbs like 'angreifen' (to attack), 'eindringen' (to break in), 'Daten stehlen' (to steal data), or 'Systeme lahmlegen' (to disable systems). The word 'Hackerangriff' (hacker attack/cyberattack) is also very common.
Die Firma war das Ziel eines professionellen Hackerangriffs.
The company was the target of a professional cyberattack.
In the positive sense, people often speak of the 'Hacker-Szene' (hacker scene), the 'Hacker-Kultur' (hacker culture), or 'ethischen Hackern' (ethical hackers). These people test systems for weaknesses in order to make them more secure.
Ethische Hacker helfen Unternehmen, ihre IT-Sicherheit zu verbessern.
Ethical hackers help companies improve their IT security.
attacker
In IT, Angreifer refers to the role in a specific attempt to gain unauthorized access or disrupt a system and can also refer to a program. Hacker refers to a person who breaks into someone else’s system. When referring to a person, both can fit, but Angreifer emphasizes the attack, while Hacker emphasizes the person’s technical actions.
Der Hacker drang in den Firmenserver ein und stahl Kundendaten.
The hacker broke into the company server and stole customer data.
Der Angreifer versuchte, den Firmenserver zu stören und Kundendaten zu stehlen.
The attacker tried to disrupt the company server and steal customer data.
