Is it OK to hack if you are a good guy?

I have a problem with hackers. I don't think they are heroes. I don't think they should be rewarded for their illegal activities. It bugs me that ex-hackers make big bucks trading on their notoriety with book deals and public speaking engagements . Mind you I know lots of people that were hackers at an early age and got caught. They were usually scared onto the straight and narrow by a knock on the door by the FBI, or a call from the site administrators of one of their targets. No big deal. Sometimes the experience is the first time they have had to figure out the difference between right and wrong. Usually they were hacking for fun, not profit. Long time readers know that I criticize the victims of these forays as much as the purps. NASA servers vulnerable? Fix 'em. Website vulnerable to SQL insertion? Do something about it! These guys are skilled and inquisitive and I don't condemn them, especially if they experience remorse and mend their ways.

What about when a top student at a top prep school hacks in to the school's records to find out his secret class standing, as Jonah Greenthall did at Winnetka's New Trier High School? The school has suspended him for the remainder of the year and banned him from the prom. Evidently some fellow students think his punishment is too severe. I am not so sure. Jonah sounds like a great kid. He is continuing to help his fellow students with their classes even while he is suspended. But, it may turn out that this punishment may enforce one of the most valuable lessons he takes away from his high school education. Using your abilities to illegally and unfairly get an advantage is wrong. Period.