Hackers are of mainly three
types :-
1. White Hat Hacker
2. Gray Hat Hacker
3. Black Hat Hacker
They are of 7 types if we classify them in detail.
What is White Hat Hacker?
White
Hat Hacker
A hacker can be a wiz kid who spends too much with computers and
suddenly finds himself submerged in the world of cyber-security or criminal
conspirators.
On the other hand, he can be a master criminal who wants to obtain
huge amounts of money for him or even worse, dominate the world.
In the movie Matrix, the concept of hackers changed a bit. Although
the agents of the Matrix considered them terrorists, the truth is that they
were rebels
fighting
for the liberty of humanity. Things do not need to reach that extreme, though.
We are not at war with intelligent machines so that kind of scenario is a bit
dramatic.
Therefore, a hacker is an individual who is capable of modifying
computer hardware, or software. They made their appearance before the advent of
computers, when determined individuals were fascinated with the possibility of
modifying machines.
For example, entering a determine code in a telephone in order to
make free international calls.
When computers appeared, this people found a new realm where they
could exploit their skills.
Now
they were not limited to the constraints of the physical world, instead, they
could travel through the virtual world of computers. Before the internet, they
used Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) to communicate and exchange information.
However, the real explosion occurred when the Internet appeared.
Today, anyone can become a hacker. Within that denomination, there
are three types of hackers. The first one is the black hacker, also known as a
cracker, someone who uses his computer knowledge in criminal activities in
order to obtain personal benefits, A typical example is a person who exploits
the weaknesses of the systems of a financial institution for making some money.
On the other side is the white hat hacker.
Although
white hat hacking can be considered similar to a black hacker, there is an
important difference.
A white hacker does it with no criminal intention in mind.
Companies around the world, who want to test their systems, contract white
hackers.
They will test how secure are their systems, and point any faults
that they may found. If you want to become a hacker with a white hat, Linux, a
PC and an internet connection is all you need.
Grey Hat Hackers
A grey hat hacker is someone who is in between these two concepts.
He may use his skills for
legal
or illegal acts, but not for personal gains. Grey hackers use their skills in
order to prove themselves that they can accomplish a determined feat, but never
do it in
order
to make money out of it.
The moment they cross that boundary, they become black hackers.
For example, they may hack the computer network of a public
agency, let us say, NOAA. That is a
federal crime.
If the authorities capture them, they will feel the long arm of
justice. However, if they only get inside,
and post, let us say, their handle, and get out without causing any kind of
damage, then they
can be considered grey hackers.
If you want to know more about hackers, then you can attend one of
their annual conventions. Every
year, hackers from all over the US, and from different parts of the world,
reunite and meet at DEF CON. These conventions are much concurred. In the last
one, 6, 600 people attended it. Every year, DEF CON is celebrated at Las
Vegas,Nevada. However, hackers are not the only ones who
go to this event. There are also computer journalists, computer security
professionals, lawyers, and employees of the federal government.
The
event is composed by tracks of different kind, all of them related, in some
way, to the world of hackers (computer security, worms, viruses, new
technologies, coding, etc). Besides the tracks, there are contests that involve
hacking computers, I ock picking and even robot related events. Ethical
hacking, white hat hacking or whatever names you wish to use, at the end, it
has a purpose : to protect the systems of organizations, public or private,
around the world.
After
all, hackers can now be located anywhere, and they can be counted by the
millions. Soon, concepts like white hat, linux operating system or grey hat
will become common knowledge. A real proof of how much has our society been
influenced by technology.
Black Hat Hackers
Black hat hackers have become the iconic image of all hackers
around the world.
For the majority of computer users, the word hacker has become a
synonym for social misfits and criminals. Of
course, that is an injustice created by our own interpretation of the mass
media, so it is such as Nokia, Fujitsu, Motorola and Sun
Microsystems
(it must be mentioned that he is now a white hat hacker) ; Kevin Poulsen, who took
control of all the phone lines in Los Angeles in order to win a radio contest
(the prize was a Porsche 944 52) ; and Vladimir Levin, which is the
handle
of the mastermind behind the stealing of
$10000,
000 to Citigrou.
More
Types :
Hackers are varied creatures and include these
7 types:
Script Kiddie-Script Kiddies normally don't care about hacking (if
they did, they'd be Green Hats. See
below.). They copy code and use it for a virus or an SQLI or something else.
Script Kiddies will never hack for themselves ; they'll just download overused
software (LOIC or Metasploit, for example) and watch a YouTube video on how to
use it. A common Script Kiddie attack is Dosing or DDoSing (Denial of Service
and Distributed Denial of Service), in which they flood an IP with so much
information it collapses under the strain. This attack is frequently used by
the"hacker" group Anonymous, which doesn't help anyone reputation.
White Hat:-
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 ECCouncil.
Black Hat:-
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.
Gray Hat:-
Gray Hat-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 g ood (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 attention.
Green Hat:-
Green Hat-These are the hacker"n00bz :'but unlike Script
Kiddies, they care about hacking and strive to become full-blown hackers.
They're often flamed by the hacker community for asking many basic questions.
When their questions are answered, they'll listen with the intent and curiosity
of a child listening to family stories.
Red Hat:-
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.
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.
Blue Hat-
Blue Hat- if a script kiddie tries to take revenge then she might become a Blue Hat. Blue Hat hackers will seek vengeance
on those who've them angry. Kiddies, they have no desire to learn.
