Hack vs. Hijack — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 27, 2024
Hack involves unauthorized access to data in a system or computer, while hijack entails taking control of a system or vehicle forcibly or by coercion.
Difference Between Hack and Hijack
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Hack refers to the act of using computer skills to gain unauthorized access to data in a system, typically for malicious purposes. On the other hand, hijack involves forcibly taking control of a system, vehicle, or mechanism, often involving physical coercion or threat.
Hackers often exploit vulnerabilities in software or systems to access sensitive information or disrupt operations. Whereas hijackers typically use physical force or threats to achieve control over vehicles, such as airplanes or buses.
Hacking can be done remotely, often without the direct interaction with the target system's hardware. Conversely, hijacking usually requires the hijacker to be physically present or directly interact with the target.
In the digital context, hacking can also refer to creative problem-solving or the modification of software or hardware to achieve outcomes for which it was not originally intended. Meanwhile, hijacking in any context implies an illegal and non-consensual takeover.
While both hacking and hijacking can be illegal and involve security breaches, hacking is predominantly associated with data and systems, and hijacking with vehicles and other physical entities.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Unauthorized access to data or systems.
Forcible takeover of control of a vehicle or system.
Typical Context
Digital systems (computers, networks).
Physical vehicles (planes, cars) or systems.
Means
Exploiting software vulnerabilities.
Use of force or threat.
Interaction
Often remote.
Physical presence typically required.
Primary Intent
Access, theft of data, or disruption.
Control or redirection of a vehicle/system.
Compare with Definitions
Hack
Unauthorized entry into a digital system to manipulate or steal data.
The hacker managed to hack into the database undetected.
Hijack
To take over something, such as a meeting or conversation, to serve one’s own agenda.
The discussion was hijacked by members with their own agendas.
Hack
To play a computer game in a specified manner.
They hacked all night to reach the final level.
Hijack
To steal or appropriate for oneself.
He hijacked my idea and presented it as his own.
Hack
To cut or chop with heavy blows.
He hacked at the branches with an old axe.
Hijack
To engage in unauthorized redirection of information or links.
The website was hijacked, redirecting visitors to a fraudulent site.
Hack
Informal: To manage or cope with a situation.
He's just hacking it, not really knowing what he's doing.
Hijack
To commandeer a broadcast signal.
Hackers hijacked the TV station's signal to broadcast their message.
Hack
To creatively solve or bypass limitations.
She hacked the coffee machine to serve hotter beverages.
Hijack
Illegally seize control of a vehicle, especially with coercion.
Terrorists hijacked the plane midway through the flight.
Hack
Cut with rough or heavy blows
Men hack at the coalface
I watched them hack the branches
Hijack
To seize control of (a vehicle such as an airplane or bus) by use of force, especially as a way of reaching an alternate destination or as an act of terrorism.
Hack
Gain unauthorized access to data in a system or computer
They hacked into the bank's computer
Someone hacked his computer from another location
Hijack
To kidnap (a person in a vehicle)
People who have experienced the trauma of being hijacked.
Hack
Cough persistently
I was waking up in the middle of the night and coughing and hacking for hours
Hijack
To stop and rob (a vehicle in transit).
Hack
Manage; cope
Lots of people leave because they can't hack it
Hijack
To steal (goods) from a vehicle in transit.
Hack
Ride a horse for pleasure or exercise
Some gentle hacking in a scenic setting
Hijack
To take control of (something) without permission or authorization and use it for one's own purposes
Dissidents who hijacked the town council.
Spammers who hijacked a computer network.
Hack
A rough cut, blow, or stroke
He was sure one of us was going to take a hack at him
Hijack
To steal or appropriate for oneself
Hijacked her story and used it in his own book.
Hack
An act of computer hacking
The challenge of the hack itself
Hijack
The act or an instance of hijacking.
Hack
A writer or journalist producing dull, unoriginal work
Sunday newspaper hacks earn their livings on such gullibilities
Hijack
To forcibly seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat).
Hack
A horse for ordinary riding.
Hijack
To seize control of some process or resource to achieve a purpose other than its originally intended one.
Hijack the radio show
Hack
A taxi.
Hijack
(computing) To seize control of a networked computer by means of infecting it with a worm or other malware, thereby turning it into a zombie.
Hack
A board on which a hawk's meat is laid.
Hijack
(computing) To change software settings without a user's knowledge so as to force that user to visit a certain web site.
To hijack a browser
Hack
A wooden frame for drying bricks, cheeses, etc.
Hijack
(politics) To introduce an amendment deleting the contents of a bill and inserting entirely new provisions.
Hack
To cut or chop with repeated and irregular blows
Hacked down the saplings.
Hijack
An instance of hijacking; the illegal seizure of a vehicle; a hijacking.
Hack
To make or shape by hitting or chopping with a sharp implement
Hacked a trail through the forest.
Hijack
An instance of a seizure and redirection of a process.
Hack
To break up the surface of (soil).
Hijack
(politics) An amendment which deletes the contents of a bill and inserts entirely new provisions.
Hack
To alter (a computer program)
Hacked her text editor to read HTML.
Hijack
(poker slang) Preflop, the position two before the dealer.
Hack
To gain access to (a computer file or network) illegally or without authorization
Hacked the firm's personnel database.
Hijack
(obsolete) A highwayman, robber.
Hack
(Slang) To cut or mutilate as if by hacking
Hacked millions off the budget.
Hijack
Seizure of a vehicle in transit either to rob it or divert it to an alternate destination
Hack
(Slang) To cope with successfully; manage
Couldn't hack a second job.
Hijack
Take arbitrarily or by force;
The Cubans commandeered the plane and flew it to Miami
Hack
To chop or cut something by hacking.
Hack
To write or refine computer programs skillfully.
Hack
To use one's skill in computer programming to gain illegal or unauthorized access to a file or network
Hacked into the company's intranet.
Hack
To cough roughly or harshly.
Hack
To let out (a horse) for hire.
Hack
To make banal or hackneyed with indiscriminate use.
Hack
To drive a taxicab for a living.
Hack
To work for hire as a writer.
Hack
To ride on horseback at an ordinary pace.
Hack
A rough, irregular cut made by hacking.
Hack
A tool, such as a hoe, used for hacking.
Hack
A blow made by hacking.
Hack
An attempt to hit a baseball; a swing of the bat.
Hack
An instance of gaining unauthorized access to a computer file or network.
Hack
A program that makes use of existing often proprietary software, adding new features to it.
Hack
A clever modification or improvement.
Hack
A rough, dry cough.
Hack
A horse used for riding or driving; a hackney.
Hack
A worn-out horse for hire; a jade.
Hack
One who undertakes unpleasant or distasteful tasks for money or reward; a hireling.
Hack
A writer hired to produce routine or commercial writing.
Hack
A carriage or hackney for hire.
Hack
A taxicab.
Hack
See hackie.
Hack
By, characteristic of, or designating routine or commercial writing
Hack prose.
Hack
Hackneyed; banal.
Hack
(transitive) To chop or cut down in a rough manner.
They hacked the brush down and made their way through the jungle.
Hack
(intransitive) To cough noisily.
This cold is awful. I can't stop hacking.
Hack
To withstand or put up with a difficult situation.
Can you hack it out here with no electricity or running water?
Hack
(computing) To make a quick code change to patch a computer program, often one that, while being effective, is inelegant or makes the program harder to maintain.
I hacked in a fix for this bug, but we'll still have to do a real fix later.
Hack
(computing) To accomplish a difficult programming task.
He can hack like no one else and make the program work as expected.
Hack
To work with something on an intimately technical level.
I'm currently hacking distributed garbage collection.
Hack
To hack into; to gain unauthorized access to (a computer system, e.g., a website, or network) by manipulating code.
Hack
To gain unauthorised access to a computer or online account belonging to (a person or organisation).
When I logged into the social network, I discovered I'd been hacked.
Hack
To cheat by using unauthorized modifications.
That player must be hacking, they got so many kills last game.
Hack
(ice hockey) To strike an opponent with one's hockey stick, typically on the leg but occasionally and more seriously on the back, arm, head, etc.
He's going to the penalty box after hacking the defender in front of the goal.
Jensen gets a 5 minute major penalty for hacking Orsov in the back.
Hack
(ice hockey) To make a flailing attempt to hit the puck with a hockey stick.
There's a scramble in front of the net as the forwards are hacking at the bouncing puck.
Hack
(baseball) To swing at a pitched ball.
He went to the batter's box hacking.
Hack
(soccer and rugby) To kick (a player) on the shins.
Hack
To strike in a frantic movement.
Hack
(transitive) To strike lightly as part of tapotement massage.
Hack
To lay (bricks) on a rack to dry.
Hack
(falconry) To keep (young hawks) in a state of partial freedom, before they are trained.
Hack
(dated) To make common or cliched; to vulgarise.
Hack
(horses) To ride a horse at a regular pace; to ride on a road (as opposed to riding cross-country etc.).
Hack
(obsolete) To live the life of a drudge or hack.
Hack
To use as a hack; to let out for hire.
Hack
To use frequently and indiscriminately, so as to render trite and commonplace.
Hack
To drive a hackney cab.
Hack
To play hackeysack.
Hack
A tool for chopping.
Hack
A hacking blow.
Hack
A gouge or notch made by such a blow.
Hack
A dry cough.
Hack
A hacking; a catch in speaking; a short, broken cough.
Hack
(figuratively) A try, an attempt.
Hack
(curling) The foothold traditionally cut into the ice from which the person who throws the rock pushes off for delivery.
Hack
(obsolete) A mattock or a miner's pickaxe.
Hack
(informal) An improvised device or solution to a problem.
Luckily for us J company picked us up in their hack — two snowmobiles with a big inflatable raft strapped between them.
Hack
An expedient, temporary solution, such as a small patch or change to code, meant to be replaced with a more elegant solution at a later date; a workaround.
Valleysoft released a hack yesterday to fix the "crashes when more than 50 recipients" bug for people who need it right away. The company says its next release will also solve this as well as add new features.
Hack
A computer programmer who makes quick but inelegant changes to computer code to solve problems or add features.
Tsang is great but Zhou is such a hack — I wouldn't want him on my project.
Hack
A computer programmer, particularly a veteran or someone not immediately expected to be capable of programming.
Terry wrote that module? I didn't know she was a hack too!
Hack
An interesting technical achievement, particularly in computer programming.
Flugensoft came out with a neat hack last week that allows your watch to warm up your car if it's below freezing outside.
Hack
(colloquial) A trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method to increase productivity, efficiency, or ease.
Putting your phone in a sandwich bag when you go to the beach is such a great hack.
Hack
An illegal attempt to gain access to a computer network.
Hack
A video game or any computer software that has been altered from its original state.
Hack
Time check, as for example upon synchronization of wristwatches.
Hack
(ice hockey) The act of striking an opponent with one's hockey stick, typically on the leg but occasionally and more seriously on the back, arm, head, etc.
Zersky is still down after that nasty hack by Lenner.
Hack
(baseball) A swing of the bat at a pitched ball by the batter, particularly a choppy, ungraceful one that misses the ball such as at a fastball.
And Melnick goes down with one last hack at an O'Malley fastball.
Hack
A kick on the shins in football of any type.
Wales are awarded a free kick after a minor hack by Järvinen on Llewellyn.
Hack
Confinement of an officer to their stateroom as a punishment.
Hack
An airplane of poor quality or in poor condition.
Hack
(falconry) A board which the falcon's food is placed on; used by extension for the state of partial freedom in which they are kept before being trained.
Hack
A food-rack for cattle.
Hack
A rack used to dry something, such as bricks, fish, or cheese.
Hack
A grating in a mill race.
Hack
A horse for hire, especially one which is old and tired.
Hack
A person, often a journalist, hired to do routine work.
I got by on hack work for years before I finally published my novel.
Hack
(pejorative) Someone who is available for hire; hireling, mercenary.
Hack
(slang) A taxicab (hackney cab) driver.
Hack
A vehicle let for hire; originally, a hackney coach, now typically a taxicab.
Hack
A hearse.
Hack
An untalented writer.
Dason is nothing but a two-bit hack.
He's nothing but the typical hack writer.
Hack
(pejorative) One who is professionally successful despite producing mediocre work. (Usually applied to persons in a creative field.)
Hack
(pejorative) A talented writer-for-hire, paid to put others' thoughts into felicitous language.
Hack
A political agitator.
Hack
A person who frequently canvasses for votes, either directly or by appearing to continuously act with the ulterior motive of furthering their political career.
Hack
(obsolete) A writer who hires himself out for any sort of literary work; an overworked man; a drudge.
Hack
(obsolete) A procuress.
Hack
A small ball usually made of woven cotton or suede and filled with rice, sand or some other filler, for use in hackeysack.
Hack
A frame or grating of various kinds; as, a frame for drying bricks, fish, or cheese; a rack for feeding cattle; a grating in a mill race, etc.
Hack
Unburned brick or tile, stacked up for drying.
Hack
A notch; a cut.
Hack
An implement for cutting a notch; a large pick used in breaking stone.
Hack
A hacking; a catch in speaking; a short, broken cough.
Hack
A kick on the shins, or a cut from a kick.
Hack
A clever computer program or routine within a program to accomplish an objective in a non-obvious fashion.
Hack
A quick and inelegant, though functional solution to a programming problem.
Hack
A taxicab.
Hack
A horse, hackneyed or let out for common hire; also, a horse used in all kinds of work, or a saddle horse, as distinguished from hunting and carriage horses.
Hack
A coach or carriage let for hire; a hackney coach; formerly, a coach with two seats inside facing each other; now, usually a taxicab.
On horse, on foot, in hacks and gilded chariots.
Hack
The driver of a hack; a taxi driver; a hackman.
Hack
A bookmaker who hires himself out for any sort of literary work; an overworked man; a drudge.
Here lies poor Ned Purdon, from misery freed,Who long was a bookseller's hack.
Hack
A procuress.
Hack
To cut irregulary, without skill or definite purpose; to notch; to mangle by repeated strokes of a cutting instrument; as, to hack a post.
My sword hacked like a handsaw.
Hack
Fig.: To mangle in speaking.
Hack
To program (a computer) for pleasure or compulsively; especially, to try to defeat the security systems and gain unauthorized access to a computer.
Hack
To bear, physically or emotionally; as, he left the job because he couldn't hack the pressure.
Hack
To kick the shins of (an opposing payer).
Hack
To cough faintly and frequently, or in a short, broken manner; as, a hacking cough.
Hack
To ride or drive as one does with a hack horse; to ride at an ordinary pace, or over the roads, as distinguished from riding across country or in military fashion.
Hack
To use as a hack; to let out for hire.
Hack
To use frequently and indiscriminately, so as to render trite and commonplace.
The word "remarkable" has been so hacked of late.
Hack
To be exposed or offered to common use for hire; to turn prostitute.
Hack
To live the life of a drudge or hack.
Hack
Hackneyed; hired; mercenary.
Hack
One who works hard at boring tasks
Hack
A politician who belongs to a small clique that controls a political party for private rather than public ends
Hack
A mediocre and disdained writer
Hack
A tool (as a hoe or pick or mattock) used for hacking the soil
Hack
A car driven by a person whose job is to take passengers where they want to go in exchange for money
Hack
An old or over-worked horse
Hack
A horse kept for hire
Hack
A saddle horse used for transportation rather than sport etc.
Hack
Cut with a hacking tool
Hack
Informal: be able to manage or manage successfully;
I can't hack it anymore
She could not cut the long days in the office
Hack
Cut away;
He hacked with way through the forest
Hack
Kick on the arms
Hack
Kick on the shins
Hack
Fix a computer program piecemeal until it works;
I'm not very good at hacking but I'll give it my best
Hack
Significantly cut up a manuscript
Hack
Cough spasmodically;
The patient with emphysema is hacking all day
Common Curiosities
Can hacking be legal?
Yes, when it's used in the context of ethical hacking, which involves authorized testing of systems to improve security.
What measures can prevent hijacking?
Enhanced security protocols, personnel training, and physical security measures can help prevent hijacking.
What is the main difference between hacking and hijacking?
Hacking typically involves breaching digital systems to access or manipulate data, while hijacking involves taking physical control over vehicles or systems often using force.
How do hackers gain access to systems?
Hackers exploit security vulnerabilities in software or use phishing tactics to gain unauthorized access to systems.
What is vehicle hijacking?
Vehicle hijacking refers to the act of unlawfully seizing control of a vehicle, usually under threat or force.
Is hacking always intended to be harmful?
Not necessarily. While hacking is often associated with malicious intent, such as data theft or system disruption, it can also be used positively in ethical hacking, where security vulnerabilities are identified and fixed.
What are common targets for hijackers?
Common targets for hijackers include airplanes, buses, and ships, but hijacking can also occur with less typical targets like network signals and online platforms.
What legal consequences do hackers and hijackers face?
Both hackers and hijackers can face severe legal penalties including imprisonment. The severity often depends on the extent of the damage, the intent, and the specific laws violated in the jurisdiction where the acts were committed.
How do cyber security measures differ between preventing hacking and preventing hijacking?
Cyber security measures against hacking often focus on software solutions, encryption, and network security protocols. In contrast, preventing hijacking, particularly of physical assets like vehicles, usually involves physical security measures, personnel training, and sometimes specialized equipment.
Can both hacking and hijacking be conducted by state-sponsored actors?
Yes, both hacking and hijacking can be executed by state-sponsored actors as forms of cyber warfare or to exert control, influence, or disrupt in geopolitical contexts.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
