I think the cracker, hacker distinction is still valid

It is not that hard to use cracker instead of hacker. Whenever I see hacker and something bad in headlines, I immediately think some bit of clever code went awry.

Inevitably it turns out to be someone cracking, though.

Yes, it is just takes a bit of effort to use the word cracker, and I think we can take the word hacker back. To get hacker back we use the word cracker more, until it seeps in.

The word cracker is more descriptive of the activity as well, we should also track down the first person who screwed it up publicly and give them a roasting, ironically it is probably going to turn out to be some hack :).

And, for a little payback we could take one of their interests and start to place a negative meaning around that word, use it to describe all manner of nefarious activities.

It is annoying not being able to convey that a hack is bit of clever code, that is not perhaps orthodox without someone thinking you are accusing them of unauthorized access.