"Hacker", as we in the bizz know well, carries different meanings for different people, and this can cause hilarious misunderstandings. Yesterday, the Polish TV network TVN aired the second part of an ongoing documentary about issues in NEWAG trains that were analyzed by Dragon Sector. Near the end, the documentary featured a recording from the November 2024 meeting of the Parliamentary Infrastructure Committee, which was meant to discuss the matter. During the meeting, one of the Members of Parliament took issue with the Dragon Sector team being referred to as "hackers"—the quote above is from him (translated from Polish).

This, of course, is nothing new—just another example of someone knowing the colloquial meaning of the word but not its specialized one. This disconnect has existed for at least the past 40 years.

This raises an interesting question—should we use the word "hacker" in formal settings (court, parliamentary committees, etc.), or would we be better understood if we opted for "cybersecurity specialist" or a similar term, as we often do on LinkedIn and other professional platforms?

Or perhaps we should continue using the word "hacker," as it serves as a great litmus test for whether the person we're discussing these topics with is truly familiar with the computer security industry and its terminology. It’s an unexpected but useful canary—or perhaps a reminder—that not everyone speaks "computer."

Returning to the original quote, and on a rather amusing note—or perhaps to balance things out—multiple departments of the Polish government are actively seeking to hire individuals with the "Certified Ethical Hacker" certification. In some cases, you can even get grants to earn it! Additionally, one can find information on government websites about how Dragon Sector was invited to the National Security Bureau to receive a commemorative letter of congratulations and symbolic gifts after winning the 2014 CTF season.

So, do we continue advocating for our specialized meaning of the word "hacker" in official settings? Or should we revert to something more neutral instead?

Just food for thought :)