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What Is A Hacker, Really?: Types of Hacking/Hackers

There are three main types of hackers: 1. Black hat hackers attempt to exploit vulnerabilities for financial gain or malicious purposes like espionage or taking down networks. 2. White hat hackers, also called ethical hackers, test security systems to find vulnerabilities before black hat hackers can exploit them. 3. Grey hat hackers fall between black and white hat hackers - they may exploit vulnerabilities to raise awareness but do so publicly, alerting malicious actors.

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Eba Gobena
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59 views

What Is A Hacker, Really?: Types of Hacking/Hackers

There are three main types of hackers: 1. Black hat hackers attempt to exploit vulnerabilities for financial gain or malicious purposes like espionage or taking down networks. 2. White hat hackers, also called ethical hackers, test security systems to find vulnerabilities before black hat hackers can exploit them. 3. Grey hat hackers fall between black and white hat hackers - they may exploit vulnerabilities to raise awareness but do so publicly, alerting malicious actors.

Uploaded by

Eba Gobena
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What Is a Hacker, Really?

The basic definition of a hacker is someone who uses a computer system to gain unauthorized
access to another system for data or who makes another system unavailable. These hackers will
use their skills for a specific goal, such as stealing money, gaining fame by bringing down a
computer system, or making a network unavailable -- even sometimes destroying them. However,
there are three different types of hackers, each with a particular goal, and not all are the bad guys.

Types of Hacking/Hackers
 A few of the most common types of hackers that carry out these activities involve:

1. Black Hat Hackers. Black hat hackers are the "bad guys" of the hacking scene. They go out
of their way to discover vulnerabilities in computer systems and software to exploit them for
financial gain or for more malicious purposes, such as to gain reputation, carry out corporate
espionage, or as part of a nation-state hacking campaign. These individuals’ actions can inflict
serious damage on both computer users and the organizations they work for. They can steal sensitive
personal information, compromise computer and financial systems, and alter or take down the
functionality of websites and critical networks.
2. White Hat Hackers. White hat hackers can be seen as the “good guys” who attempt to
prevent the success of black hat hackers through proactive hacking. They use their technical skills
to break into systems to assess and test the level of network security, also known as ethical hacking.
This helps expose vulnerabilities in systems before black hat hackers can detect and exploit them. 
The techniques white hat hacker’s uses are similar to or even identical to those of black hat hackers,
but these individuals are hired by organizations to test and discover potential holes in their security
defenses. These individuals’ actions can inflict serious damage on both computer users and the
organizations they work for. They can steal sensitive personal information, compromise computer
and financial systems, and alter or take down the functionality of websites and critical networks.
3. Grey Hat Hackers.  Grey hat hackers sit somewhere between the good and the bad guys.
Unlike black hat hackers, they attempt to violate standards and principles but without intending to do
harm or gain financially. Their actions are typically carried out for the common good. For example,
they may exploit a vulnerability to raise awareness that it exists, but unlike white hat hackers, they do
so publicly. This alerts malicious actors to the existence of the vulnerability.

What Does Cracker Mean?


A cracker is an individual who performs cracking, or the process of breaking into a
computer or a network system. A cracker might be performing cracking for
malicious activities, profit, for certain nonprofit intentions or causes, or just for a
challenge. Some crackers break into a network system deliberately to point out the
flaws involved in that network's security system. In most cases, crackers aim to
gain access to confidential data, get hold of free software applications, or carry out
malicious damage to files.
Difference Between Hackers vs Crackers
Most of us dread with the term Hacking. We are of the opinion that hackers

are a threat to our computers and can take out whatever secret information

they want to. But, that is not the case, and here we bring to you the exact

difference between what a hacker and a cracker is. This will end all the myth

regarding hackers. The Hackers and the Crackers are precisely the people who

have extensive knowledge about computers and networks ranging from how

they are built, how they work, the programming, the codes and everything

else that relates to security. Generally, people are of the opinion that there is

almost no difference between the two. However, this is not true. The two work

for opposite interests. While one may work for good, the other works

completely for malicious and criminal reasons. This is where the line is actually

drawn between the two.

To put it in simple terms, one may define a hacker as someone who identifies

the security systems’ flaws and works to improve them. While a cracker maybe

someone who unethically exploits highly sensitive information and uses the

flaws in the security systems to his advantage. The crackers usually breach the
internet security and, without paying royalties, gain access to various software.

On the other hand, hackers are internet security experts who may even be

hired for locating and identifying the loopholes in the internet security

systems and fix these loopholes and flaws. The hackers use their knowledge to

help security systems, and the crackers use their knowledge to break the laws

and disrupt security. The two are sometimes called as White Hats and Black

Hats. The Hackers being the good guys, are called white hats, while black hats

usually refer to the crackers which violate computer security for personal

gains.

Attackers

A person or other entity such as a computer program that attempts to cause


harm to an information system; for example, by unauthorized access or denial
of service. Human attackers are also called "crackers" and "hackers."

In computer and computer networks, an attacker is the individual or organization who


performs the malicious activities to destroy, expose, alter, disable, steal or gain
unauthorized access to or make unauthorized use of an asset.

As the Internet access becomes more pervasive across the world, and each of us spends
more time on the web, there is also an attacker grows as well. Attackers use every tools
and techniques they would try and attack us to get unauthorized access.

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