Ian Murphy, also known by his online alias "Captain Zap," was actually a well-known and controversial figure in the computer security community during the 1980s and 1990s. He was not a traditional hacker or cyber criminal in the sense of breaking into computer systems or stealing data. Instead, he was more of a self-styled "hacker-for-hire," who would use his knowledge of computer security vulnerabilities to help companies identify and fix weaknesses in their systems.

However, Murphy's methods were often seen as controversial and sometimes illegal. In one well-known incident in 1989, he hacked into a telephone company's network and changed the time on several clocks, causing some confusion and disruption. He was arrested and charged with several crimes, including wire fraud and computer fraud, and eventually pleaded guilty to some of the charges.

Despite his legal troubles, Murphy continued to be an active and sometimes controversial figure in the computer security community. He wrote a book about his experiences, called "Zen and the Art of Hacking," and was involved in several high-profile security incidents in the 1990s and 2000s. He passed away in 2016.

So while Ian Murphy may have been a hacker in some sense of the word, it's important to note that his activities were not necessarily malicious or criminal in nature. He saw himself as a kind of digital Robin Hood, using his skills to help expose security flaws and promote greater awareness of the need for better computer security.