(1) A person who breaks into a computer system without authorization, whose purpose is to do damage (destroy files, steal credit card numbers, plant viruses, etc.). Because a cracker uses low-level hacker skills to do the cracking, the terms "cracker" and "hacker" have become synonymous with the latter becoming the predominant term. See
hacker,
ECPA,
CFA and
virus.
(2) A person who reverse engineers software and modifies it for fun. The term often applies to game software. See
disassembler.