Types of Hackers

Who is a hacker?

A hacker is someone who explores or tests methods for breaching defenses and exploiting weaknesses in a “computer system” or “network”. Well, a hacker can be anyone like you or me. They can work individually or from organizations that have ulterior motives like causing havoc or disrupt an organization.

Based on their motives or methods they use to “hack” a system, they are further classified into several groups.

They are mainly classified into three groups which are

• Black Hat Hacker
• White Hat Hacker
• Grey Hat Hacker

Black Hat Hacker

A black hat hacker is someone who violates or breaks into a computer system for his/her personal gain. They are the “stereotypical” hackers whom you hear about in the news and whom the society fears. They are at the top of the business “risk” list. Though their methods are varied, they can still be protected against. But if their attacks are successful, the results can be devastating. So it is always best practice to hire ethical hackers or increase protection for your business or company. This type of hacking is always illegal because the sole motive is always financial gain.

For example, in the year between 2013–14, Yahoo suffered one of the worst data breaches in history. The internet giant disclosed that nearly all 3 billion user accounts had been compromised. This was perhaps the worst cyber-attack in history, severely affecting Yahoo’s reputation and reducing its valuation significantly prior to its sale to Verizon.

White Hat Hacker

Also called “ethical hackers”, they are the ones who test their own security system (like penetration testing or checking for vulnerability) or for clients or the company, they are working in. Their motive solely is to protect business (along with some passion!) and support firms against all the “cyber threats”. They help you put effective protections in place, find vulnerabilities, and provide solutions to solve them before other hackers find them.

The most popular certification is the CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) from the EC-Council. This type of hacking is legal and is also currently one of the leading jobs in IT firms!

Grey Hat Hacker

A grey hat hacker lies between a black hat and a white hat hacker. Their motives may be as simple as personal enjoyment or notifying the administrators about the vulnerabilities or threats they’ve found. Grey Hat hackers have all the skills of a Black and a White Hat hacker. The difference is, they don’t care about stealing from people, nor do they particularly want to help people. Sometimes, if they find a threat, they may also ask for some ransom for correcting that “threat”. Even though their intent is not personal gain, this type of hacking is still illegal and “unethical”.

In August 2013, Khalil Shreateh, an unemployed computer security researcher, hacked the Facebook page of Mark Zuckerberg in order to force action to correct a bug he discovered which allowed him to post to any user’s page without their consent. Shreateh was not compensated by Facebook’s White Hat program as he violated their policies, thus making this a grey hat incident.

Well apart from the three main types, they are also further classified based on what and how they do it. Like:-

Script Kiddie

It is a derogatory term used for an unskilled hacker, who breaks into a computer system by automated or off-the-shelf software/tools written by others. They have little or no knowledge of the underlying concept. While they might not present a financial risk, Script Kiddies can be a pain. They can disrupt the business that can damage your reputation or lose your customers. Think of most retail websites on Black Friday. It causes chaos and prevents anyone else from using the service, this is mostly due to several DDoS attacks by Script Kiddies.

Hacktivist

Hacktivist is a hacker who utilizes technology to publicize a social, ideological, religious, or political message. Generally, their activities involve website defacement or denial-of-service attacks. Some also have the motive of making information that is not public, to be reached out to the public.

One of the most famous hacktivist groups operating online is called Anonymous. The group achieved global publicity for its efforts against the terrorist outfit ISIS. Anonymous successfully brought down nearly 150 websites associated with ISIS, in addition to identifying nearly 1,00,000 twitter accounts and 5000 videos used to spread propaganda and hate.

Blue Hat Hacker

Their motive is only revenge or vengeance (only when they are provoked). Blue Hat hackers often take existing code for malware and viruses they find online, then modify it to meet their needs. They will use this code to target the business or individual they feel has wronged them and inflict their revenge.

Red Hat Hacker

They are the “caped crusaders” in the cyber world. What they are doing is just vigilante justice. Just like white hat hackers, red hat hackers also aim to stop the black hats. But, they are downright aggressive, unlike white hat hackers. They use malware, DoS (Denial of Service) attacks, viruses, and Trojan Horses to destroy their machines from the inside out, and probably you won’t even know about it since they remain vigilant, unlike white hats.

Green Hat hacker (Neophyte)

They are “newbies” in the world of scripting, coding or hacking. Their motive is to learn about hacking. Since they are newbies, they pose no threats and are more interested in learning how to hack than actually doing it.

Elite Hacker

These are individuals who are considered the “cutting-edge geniuses”. They are the real experts and innovators in the field of hacking. Newly discovered exploits will circulate among these hackers. Elite groups such as Masters of Deception conferred a kind of credibility on their members.