A computer expert who specialises in removing protection mechanisms from commercial
software. These protections often limit (cripple) the
software functionality or render the
software unoperatable after a certain number of uses or when a expiry date is reached.
This activity is ilegal in many countries because it forces the software developers to increase the price of their products in order to recover lost revenue.
A cracker will usually have low level programming experience and a detailed technical understanding of commercial software protections.