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Let's put it this way - if he held on to his badge/keys to enter a building and used these credentials to access a computer system without authorization, then y

Let's put it this way - if he held on to his badge/keys to enter a building and used these credentials to access a computer system without authorization, then yes, it would be called hacking. The word hacking gets thrown around in dumb contexts sometimes, but this is perhaps the clearest use of the word "hacking" I can think of. Like, what would make this hacking to you? The way an attacker gains credentials to access a system does not really matter. If he socially engineered these credentials, it'd still be hacking.

cbsmith 2y ago
Let's put it this way: before there were even laws against hacking, if you had a key you shouldn't have and you used to get into a building and steal some IP, if you were charged, it would be with trespass or breaking & entering, not hacking. The term is appropriate, but it tends to evoke ideas of serious crimes, when hacking can be much more innocuous acts that often don't see much in the way of prosecution.