Hacking applies to more than just computers. Hacking is the practice of thinking beyond boundaries to see what lies on the other side. There is nothing inherently good or bad about hacking. It just is.

You can hack a computer, a locked door, an abandoned building, or even another person. If you’re the type who’s constantly learning, experimenting, and testing the world around you, you’re a hacker, and you may not even know it.

Hackers appear under many different names and disguises. They’ve been called computer experts, phone phreakers, crackers, white/black hat hackers, social engineers, urban explorers, con artists, stalkers, liars, activists, terrorists, hate groups, spammers, troublemakers, thieves, and criminals. But in reality, hackers should also be called police officers, reporters, broadcasters, scientists, students, teachers, writers, philosophers, accountants, lawyers, judges, salespeople, chauvinists, feminists, engineers, doctors, and politicians. Everyone’s a hacker and everyone knows someone who’s a hacker whether they realize it or not.

Hackers are adept at managing information in any form, whether it’s stored as a computer program, a written word, a physical object (such as a lock), a set of procedures, or thoughts inside somebody’s head. Hacking is never a computer issue; it’s always a people issue.

If you get nothing else from this book, please remember this: You are being hacked every day of your life—far beyond the simple threats of computer viruses or identity theft. Advertisers (on billboards and in TV commercials, magazine ads, and the notorious spam and spyware) are trying to rearrange your thinking. Politicians and governments have already shaped your thoughts with the “history” that’s taught in schools, the “news” they disseminate, and the “laws” they pass to restrict your actions. In truth, history is nothing but a set of beliefs, news is nothing but a point of view, and laws are nothing but tools to legitimize the government’s behavior.

The real threat doesn’t come from faceless hordes of hackers intent on making your life miserable. The real threat comes from faceless hordes of criminals intent on making your life miserable, whether they’re part of a ring of identity thieves in Eastern Europe, a bored teenager in Southern California stealing credit card numbers in Internet chat rooms, organized crime syndicates breaking into banks electronically, public relations firms planting phony stories in “reputable” newspapers and magazines, politicians holding press conferences that provide nothing but empty generalities, or religious leaders saying that the only way to get into heaven is by following their instructions.

The real threat will never come from any single, identifiable group of people. The real threat will always come from any individual motivated by dishonesty and greed.

Ultimately, hacking teaches you that nobody has your best interests at heart except you. Anyone who tells you otherwise is nothing but a hacker.