Gosh, I don't think I have ever hacked something illegally. Maybe I voided the warranty, but it is a cheap and easy way to get some pretty sophisticated stuff.
English is a rich language. We regularly make verbs of nouns (e.g., Bork). Even the words, "stuff" and "junk" can be used in a profane sense. The other day, I tried to post something to the effect that the person would have to h.ack something by doing such and so. It was not a suggestion for any illegal action. When it kept showing up as asterisks, I was shocked.
What I am suggesting is that the word has come into such common usage, that its other meanings have fallen to the wayside in electronics and can be ignored here.
John