Not all hackers are evil. When used in mass media, the term, hacker, is generally used about cybercriminals, but a hacker maybe anyone, whatever their motives, who uses their knowledge of computer software and hardware to break down and circumvent security measures on a computer, system or network. Hacking is not an illegal activity unless the hacker compromises the system without the permission of the owner. Many companies and government agencies are employing hackers to help them secure their networks. Become a Certified White Hat Hacker by enrolling up for a Certified Ethical Hacker course and increase your chances of getting hired.
Learning of blog
- White Hat Hackers
- Black Hat Hackers
- Grey Hat Hackers
- Conclusion
Here’s what you need to understand about each type of hacker.
Hackers are usually classified as a form of metaphorical “hat”: “white hat,” “blue hat,” and “black hat.” The terms come from the old western spaghetti, where the evil guy wears a black hat, and the good guy wears a white cowboy one. Two significant factors determine the type of hacker you’re dealing with: their motivation, and whether or not they violate the law.
White Hat Hackers
Not all hacking is incorrect. White hat hackers put the use of their skills to help states, businesses, security agencies, and even individual users. In some instances, they are hired by an agency that asks them to keep tabs on possible exposure areas. White hat hackers are rule stickers. This is particularly true when they are utilized for security purposes. Some have legal or military experience and have been trained in these positions.
White hat hackers do not hack the rivals, use stolen code, or at least not intentionally violate the law in specific ways. For companies that want to keep their eyes on the table, that may make them feel stifling. Having a white-hat hacker on your team is one of the safest ways to protect your company without violating the law. Some of the other positions that white hat hackers can perform include:
- Monitoring traffic in and out of the system to detect signs of hacking.
- Trying to hack the computer with new and ever-evolving hacks. If your security expert can do that, the black hat hacker can do that too. Through always revealing bugs, white hat hackers allow you to spot problems before they spiral out of reach.
- Developing and checking security hole fixes.
- Monitoring shifts in the way trade works. Sometimes a change to another app indicates a security hole that could affect your business as well.
Not all white hat hackers are white hats. Most of them are white hats in their working lives, but spend their nights on illegal endeavors or seek to hack other businesses just for fun. This means you’re going to have to be selective about whom you recruit.
Black Hat Hackers
Black hat hackers are criminals that use their hacking abilities to gain access to customer data, corporate secrets, government classified information, and everything else they can use for sinister purposes. Knowing that someone is a black hat tells you little about what they intend to do. Black hat hackers are arriving in as many forms as there are crimes.
Some are highly qualified encoders which use their skills to obtain access to passwords and hack customer data. Others are opportunists who use behavioral psychology to convince costumers to provide sensitive data. Learning how black hat hackers work will help protect the software from them. Like most other hackers, black hat hackers usually have extensive knowledge of breaking into computer networks and bypassing security protocols. They also are responsible for drafting malware, which is the technique used to access these systems. Some of the many goals that black hat hackers may intend to achieve include:
- Access to sensitive information
- Money
- Usage of corporate properties and secrets
- Consumer, Corporate, and Government Finance Information
- To support crime in the physical world
- Blackmail
- Ransom
- Identity theft
- Curiosity
Gray Hat Hackers
Just like in life, there are gray areas that are neither black nor white. Gray hat hackers know all too well that hacking and security worlds are never black and white. Gray hat hackers are combining the “good” and the “evil,” adopting a more complex universe. Some people recruit them for this very purpose. Finding someone willing to circumvent the law might, after all, be very helpful to companies who want to get a foothold on the market. The relatively simple, or perhaps even least ethically questionable, version of gray hat hacking occurs when white hat hackers strike on their own. They try to hack into smartphones and other data sources and then warn the company of leaks.
Many forms of gray hat hacking include:
- Acting like a white hat hacker as part of a day’s work, however moonlighting as a black hat hacker.
- Illegitimately downloading code or other intellectual property to improve security.
- Breaking the law in an effort to fend off criminals.
- Working with a corporation to enhance security, but doing so by hacking into the data of other companies to learn about security holes.
Conclusion
Even though word hacker tends to exemplify negative connotations, it is essential to remember that not all hackers are created in the same way. Since the data hacking environment is involved, there is a significant difference between a white hat, black hat, and a grey hat hacker.
This is particularly true in law enforcement, where conduct seems perfectly reasonable to most people, such as hacking company data, then notifying them of where the problem can put a hacker in prison. Developers should proceed with caution when using any hacking techniques, particularly ethical and legally questionable gray hat approaches. Companies should be cautious and conduct a background check of whether the person has a white hat certification or has completed a certified ethical hacker course before hiring.