Cracking has several meanings:

• Cracking (chemistry) is the decomposition of complex organic molecules into smaller ones.
• Cracking knuckles is the practice of manipulating one's fingers such that the knuckle joints produce a sharp sound, likened to cracking.
• Software cracking is the defeating of copy prevention devices in software.
• Security cracking is the defeating of security devices in computer networks.
• Cracking codes is a term for cryptanalysis.
• Cracking can be defined as the act of entering a computer or computer network by force, where hacking is the act of manipulating one's way through a computer or computer network.

See also

• Crack
• Cracker

Cracking