An all-around source. But he swears that nowadays, at least, he uses his considerable powers just for good. This even though computer professionals point out that all hacking is illegal, and for many, the idea of good hackers is bunk. Welcome to Hackerworld, a shadowy and much-misunderstood landscape for most Americans, and one, according to Hobgood and Zempel, at least, with a surprisingly exacting moral code. The bottom feeders in their world view are script kiddies.
Script kiddies are even lower on the totem pole than crackers.
Hackers have a lot of ethics. They're picky and do more creative, complex attacks that require more brainpower. Not everyone buys the argument. There are better ways for companies to find out their level of vulnerability than being informed by a free-lance hacker. Hacking is illegal, and it should be.