script kiddie

noun

1. slang.
   a child or teenager who gains illegal access to computer systems, often by using hacking programs downloaded from the internet

Example Sentences

“Like, is this going to be a state actor? Is it going to be a disgruntled employee? Is it going to be, you know, a script kiddie in a basement?”

From Los Angeles Times

He said that he did not believe Russia was involved, but that if a “script kiddie could do this,” one could only imagine what could be done with the backing of Russia’s intelligence services.

From New York Times

“This could be done by any script kiddie,” he said, using a term for an unsophisticated hacker relying on widely available software.

From New York Times

According to InfoWorld, “Every independently audited voting computer has been shown to contain numerous, basic, easy-to-exploit vulnerabilities. A fresh report from the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology puts it succinctly. “Voter machines, technically, are so riddled with vulnerabilities that even an upstart script kiddie could wreak havoc.”

From New York Times

Almost immediately, commentators in Russian-language chat rooms posted instructions on how to become a “script kiddie,” an amateur hacker.

From The New Yorker