The word hacker is usually synonymous with someone attacking a computer or computer network for malicious or selfish reasons, but that is not always the case. Now that we have established what a hacker does, we can classify them into eight based on the following actions.
1. White Hat (Ethical) Hacker
The term white hat is used to refer to someone who hacks into a computer system or network for intentions that are not malafide. They may do as a part of a series of tests performed to check the efficacy of their security systems or as a part of research and development that is carried out by companies that manufacture computer security software.
Also known as ethical hackers, they carry out vulnerability assessments and penetration tests (which shall be explained in detail in subsequent chapters).You are taking this crash course to become a White hat or ethical hacker. You will learn the skills and have the ability to gain access to computer and network systems to identify and fix weaknesses. You will also perform various computing tasks such as vulnerability assessment and carry out penetration testing.
2. Grey Hat Hacker
Somewhere between a white hat (ethical) and black hat (criminal) hackers lies the gray hat hacker. This individual breaks into a computer or computer network system without prior consent from the authority to (or “intending to”) identify weaknesses in the system and reveal them to the system owner for a reward or a job to fix the weakness.
A grey hat hacker has a curious mix of both black hat and white hat characteristics. He trawls the
internet and sniffs out network faults and hacks into the system. He does so with the sole intention of
demonstrating to the system administrators that their network has a defect in terms of security. Once
hacked into the system, they may offer to diagnose and rectify the defect for a suitable consideration.
3. Black hat (Criminal) Hacker
A black hat hacker, as the name suggests is the polar opposite of a white hat hacker in terms of both
intention as well as methodology. They violate a network for malafide intentions for monetary and
personal gains. They are the illegal communities who fit the commonly perceived stereotype of computer criminals.They gain access into a system and steal or destroy the information or modify the same. They may tweak the program in such a way that it is rendered useless for the intended users. When they notice a weak spot or vulnerable area in the system, they take control of the system by way of such weak spot.
They keep the proprietors, authorities and the general public in the blind regarding such vulnerability.
They do not make any attempts to fix the lacunae unless their reign faces a threat from a third party.
Also a criminal hacker, a black hat hacker is an individual who gains
unauthorized access to a computer or network system for personal gain. A black hat hacker typically accesses a system to demonstrate his prowess in hacking, to violate policy rights, steal corporate data, etc. or deny legitimate users service.
4. Hacktivism
This is another version of hacking, in which the individual or the community makes use of their skills
to promulgate any religious or social message through the systems they hack into. Hacktivism can broadly be classified into two kinds- Cyber terrorism and Right to information. Cyber terrorism refers to activities that involve breaking into a system with the sole intention of damaging or destroying it. Such hackers sabotage the operations of the system and render it useless.The hackers who belong to the "Right to information" category operate with the intention of gathering confidential information from private and public sources and disseminate the same on the public
domain.
A hacktivist is a new type of hacker who uses his skills of penetrating a
computer system or computer network driven by a social,political,humanitarian, or religious agenda. Hactivists, often in groups, typically hijack,websites, social media accounts, and other platforms to send their messages.
5. Skiddie hacking
The term "skiddie" is short for "Script Kiddie". These are the amateur level hackers who manage to
break into and access systems by making use of programs written by other expert level hackers. They
have little or no grasp on the intricacies of the program which they use.Script kiddie The term ‘script kiddie’ refers to an unskilled person who uses hacking tools available on the internet to penetrate a computer or network system. It can also be used to refer to a skilled hacker who chooses to use pre-written code or scripts to do the dirty work.
6. Blue hat hackers
These are freelancers who offer their expertise for hire to computer security firms. Before a new system is introduced in the market, the services of blue hats are called for, to check the system for any potential weaknesses.
7. Elite hackers
These are the crème de la crème of the hacking community. This is a marker of social status used to demote the most proficient hackers. They are the first ones to break into a seemingly impenetrable system and write programs to do so. The elite status is usually conferred on them by the hacking community to which they belong.
8. Newbie
Newbies, as the name suggests, are hackers who are beginners in the world of hacking, with no prior experience or knowledge behind them. They hang around at the fringe of the community with the object of learning the ropes of the trade from their peers.
Thanks for reading.
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