The terms “pirates” or “hackers” often conjure up stereotypical images from the collective imagination or media representations. We visualize them as computer geniuses, frantically tapping away at a keyboard in a darkened room, lit only by the dim glow of a screen scrolling lines of neon green code, their faces barely visible beneath the hood of a black sweatshirt. But beyond this caricature, who are these mysterious individuals operating in the dark corners of cyberspace? What are their true motivations? What methods do they use to penetrate systems that are often well protected? And above all, are there any ethics involved in these often illegal activities?

These questions raise many issues, and the answers are far from simple. Hackers are not a homogeneous group: some operate for personal gain or espionage, others out of defiance or ideology. The latter, sometimes called “hacktivists”, use their skills to defend causes or denounce injustice. Their activities cover a wide spectrum, from simple testing of a site’s vulnerabilities to massive cyberattacks crippling entire institutions.

Clearly, gathering reliable information about them is a challenge, as their actions are often cloaked in a veil of anonymity. However, sources do exist, such as anonymous interviews, rare testimonials, and exchanges on specialized forums and discussion platforms, often encrypted. These snippets of information make it possible, with care, to draw a more nuanced portrait of these players in the digital world.

In this two-part article, we attempt to explore this universe by analyzing their profile, motivations, methods and self-perception of their actions and seek to understand who really lies behind these enigmatic figures.