What is hacking?
Hacking is unauthorized intrusion into a computer or a network. The person engaged in hacking activities is generally referred to as a hacker. This hacker may alter system or security features to accomplish a goal that differs from the original purpose of the system.
The term “hacking” is often used as if it’s synonymous with illegal computer access. Hacking isn’t necessarily a criminal activity, however. A computer hacker can simply be someone who knows how to circumvent the limitations of a device or a piece of software. Ethical hackers often break into computer systems — with permission — to find vulnerabilities and improve security. Hacking is a crime when the perpetrators access systems without the owner’s permission.
TYPES OF HACKERS
- BLACK HAT – ALSO KNOWN AS CRACKERS, THESE ARE THE MEN AND WOMEN YOU HEAR ABOUT IN THE NEWS. THEY FIND BANKS OR OTHER COMPANIES WITH WEAK SECURITY AND STEAL MONEY OR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION. THE SURPRISING TRUTH ABOUT THEIR METHODS OF ATTACK IS THAT THEY OFTEN USE COMMON HACKING PRACTICES THEY LEARNED EARLY ON.
black hat hackers usually have extensive knowledge about breaking into computer networks and bypassing security protocols. They are also responsible for writing malware, which is a method used to gain access to these systems.
Their primary motivation is usually for personal or financial gain, but they can also be involved in cyber espionage, protest or perhaps are just addicted to the thrill of cybercrime. Black hat hackers can range from amateurs getting their feet wet by spreading malware, to experienced hackers that aim to steal data, specifically financial information, personal information and login credentials. Not only do black hat hackers seek to steal data, they also seek to modify or destroy data as well.
Black hat hackers can inflict major damage on both individual computer users and large organizations by stealing personal financial information, compromising the security of major systems, or shutting down or altering the function of websites and networks.
Black hat hackers break into secure networks to destroy, modify, or steal data, or to make the networks unusable for authorized network users.
- WHITE HAT– ALSO KNOWN AS ETHICAL HACKERS, WHITE HAT HACKERS ARE THE GOOD GUYS OF THE HACKER WORLD. THEY’LL HELP YOU REMOVE A VIRUS OR PENTEST A COMPANY. MOST WHITE HAT HACKERS HOLD A COLLEGE DEGREE IN IT SECURITY OR COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MUST BE CERTIFIED TO PURSUE A CAREER IN HACKING. THE MOST POPULAR CERTIFICATION IS THE CEH (CERTIFIED ETHICAL HACKER) FROM THE EC-COUNCIL.
“white hat” in Internet slang refers to an ethical computer hacker, or a computer security expert, who specializes in penetration testing and in other testing methodologies to ensure the security of an organization’s information systems.
White hat hackers, also called ethical hackers, only seek vulnerabilities or exploits when they are legally permitted to do so. White hats may do their research on open source software, as well as on software or systems that they own or that they have been authorized to investigate, including products and services that operate bug bounty programs.
White hat hackers use their skills to improve security by exposing vulnerabilities before malicious hackers (known as black hat hackers) can detect and exploit them. Although the methods used are similar, if not identical, to those employed by malicious hackers, white hat hackers have permission to employ them against the organization that has hired them.
For the most part, the term is synonymous with “ethical hacker.” The term comes from old Western movies where the cliché was for the “good guy” to wear a white cowboy hat. Of course, the “bad guys” always seemed to wear a black hat.
- Gray Hat – A further difference among these types of hacker lies in their methods of discovering vulnerabilities. The white hat breaks into systems and networks at the request of their employer or with explicit permission for the purpose of determining how secure it is against hackers, whereas the black hat will break into any system or network in order to uncover sensitive information and for personal gain. The grey hat generally has the skills and intent of the white hat but will break into any system or network without permission
Nothing is ever just black or white; the same is true in the world of hacking. Gray Hat hackers don’t steal money or information (although, sometimes they deface a website or two), yet they don’t help people for good (but, they could if they wanted to). These hackers comprise most of the hacking world, even though Black Hat hackers garner most (if not all) of the media’s attention.
Gray hats fall into the middle ground between these two other hacker categories. Gray hats sell or disclose their zero-day vulnerabilities not to criminals, but to governments—law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies or militaries. The governments then use those security holes to hack into the systems of adversaries or criminal suspects. Gray hats can be individual hackers or researchers who uncover flaws on their own, defense contractors who have hacking divisions tasked specifically with uncovering flaws for a government to use, or boutique broker firms like Vupenand Zerodium, two French companies who are in the business of finding or brokering the sale of zero-days to law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
- Red Hat – These are the vigilantes of the hacker world. They’re like White Hats in that they halt Black Hats, but these folks are downright SCARY to those who have ever tried so much as PenTest. Instead of reporting the malicious hacker, they shut him/her down by uploading viruses, DoSing and accessing his/her computer to destroy it from the inside out. They leverage multiple aggressive methods that might force a cracker to need a new computer.
As the security industry grows and new categories of hackers emerge, perhaps Red Hats will denote aggressive hackers, and Green Hats will only be worn by Irish hackers!
A Red Hat is an Agressive Version of a White Mage in the employ of a Goverment Agency whose purpose is to hack into the Computer Mainframes of other Goverments with the Goal of Disabling or Cripping them.
The term is now commonly used by security consultants who offer hacking/penetration testing as part of their services. “Black Hat” is the term that white-hat hackers and commentators often use to define malicious hackers who cause harm or break laws as part of their hacking exploits.
As the security industry grows and new categories of hackers emerge, perhaps Red Hats will denote aggressive hackers, and Green Hats will only be worn by Irish hackers!
A Red Hat is an Agressive Version of a White Mage in the employ of a Goverment Agency whose purpose is to hack into the Computer Mainframes of other Goverments with the Goal of Disabling or Cripping them.
The term is now commonly used by security consultants who offer hacking/penetration testing as part of their services. “Black Hat” is the term that white-hat hackers and commentators often use to define malicious hackers who cause harm or break laws as part of their hacking exploits.
