To the lay person that would have an equally negative connotation, as most people would associate it with illegally accessing private information such as what Anonymous often does. It also conjures up imagery that's unattractive or otherwise unappealing, and carries with it a measure of exclusivity in regards to computing skills or literacy.

In the case of pirates there is at least a level of romanticism around the idea. And since nobody is really a pirate, anybody can be one.