The Difference Between the 6 Types of “HAT” Hackers and How They Work

This post was last updated on December 15th, 2021 at 04:38 pm

Hackers are divided into six types or categories according to the relationship of the hacked network. In this post, I will be walking you through the main difference between the 6 types of “hat” Hackers namely:  black, white, gray, red, blue, and green hackers.

For the most part, you are already familiar with the “word” hacker, but do you know the difference between black, white, gray, red, blue, and green hat hackers?

The word “hacker” creates the image of a bad guy sitting in a dark room trying to break into a computer network. But not all hackers are bad guys. There are different types of hackers. Although some of them are not good, some are not bad.

 

Why Do Hackers Want to Crack?

When properly analyzed, the success of hackers depends on the achievement of the goals they set; this goal varies from hacker to hacker.

Here are some reasons why hackers have attempted to gain unauthorized access into systems:

1. Self-Satisfaction

For some hackers, the pleasure they get from breaking into the most complex networks is all the satisfaction they need. This is one of the reasons iPhone vulnerability is such a big deal in cyberspace. This achievement strengthens their belief in their skills and strengthens their confidence.

The self-satisfaction gained by hackers may not make sense to bystanders, but it is so important to them. They can spare no effort to prove their point of view to anyone.

2. Financial Income

Primarily, economic benefits have always been the main motivation behind cyber attacks. Since not many people have the technical knowledge to invade the system, the attackers hired to do this work are paid adequately.

Alternatively, they might execute it for themselves. People who launch attacks to steal sensitive data, including credit card details and social security numbers, may want to use such information to retrieve funds from individuals and organizations.

Huge economic gains are a good way for hackers to get rich. A hacker that specializes in stealing sensitive data such as credit cards in order to steal from his victim is also known as(internet fraudster)

3. Access to Confidential Information

Sometimes, hackers are not motivated by financial interests. They only want to access confidential information that they don’t know.

Hackers working on a cause will spare no effort to obtain information that helps protect that cause. If it means hacking into an opponent’s system to access their secret information and use that information against them, they will do so.

Types of “Hat” Hackers and How They Operate

The way we classify hackers depends on their relationship with the owner of the network or system being hacked.

If the hacker and the network owner work together, the hacker will gain authorized access to the network. If the hacker is an intruder, the situation is just the opposite.

The following are the types of “hat” hackers and how they operate:

1. Black Hat Hackers

Black hat hackers are the perfect description of villains. You can imagine they are wearing a black hat and all-black suits, trying to break into the network and cause damage.

These are the worst kind of hackers, they are useless. Once they invade your system, the damage they cause will be unlimited.

The operations of black hat hackers include:

• Send phishing emails.
• Perform cyber attacks.
• Steal and sell personal information.
• Implement financial fraud.
• Use ransomware to attack ransom victims.

2. White Hat Hackers

White hat hackers are the exact opposite of black hat hackers.

Nonetheless, white hat hackers are very proficient in hacking, and they use their skill set for good, not evil. They protect individuals and organizations from the anger of black hat hackers.

Another name for white hat hackers is ethical hackers. White hat hackers operate with the permission of the network owner and within the scope of the law.

The operations of a white hat hacker include:

• Identify and fix vulnerabilities in the network before cybercriminals find them.
• Implement effective network security within the network to resist cyber threats.
• Create network security tools, such as anti-malware software, anti-virus software, firewalls, etc., to protect the network.

3. Grey Hat Hackers

Grey hat hackers are between black hat hackers and white hat hackers. Although they may not be malicious, they may hack into the network without the owner’s consent to check for existing vulnerabilities.

The vulnerabilities that have been scanned are in the network, and gray hat hackers may bring the owners’ attention to them, hoping to hire them to fix the vulnerabilities.

Grey hat hackers tried to:

• Identify and fix vulnerabilities.
• Provide suggestions and solutions for vulnerabilities.
• Strengthen the defense against cyber threats.

4. Red Hat Hacking

There are some similarities between Red Hat hackers and White Hat hackers. They have good intentions to save people from cyber attacks. But they mostly do it the wrong way.

In order to defend against cyberattacks, Red Hat hackers will use any possible means, even if these means are illegal. In essence, they do the right thing the wrong way.

The actions of Red Hat hackers include:

• Break into the network of black hat hackers to disrupt the network attack plan.
• Launch malware to fight bad hackers.
• Strengthen the network security of the network to deal with cyber threats.

5. Blue Hat Hackers

There are actually two different types of blue hat hackers.

One definition means that blue hat hackers are for revenge. Their motive is not money or fame, but a desire to cause pain to a goal that has hurt them in some way.

Blue hat hackers spare no effort to realize their goals, and they will not stop until they achieve their goals.

The other definition views, a blue hat hacker as an independent security expert. They are highly skilled at work and are often invited by organizations to check vulnerabilities in their networks.

If you want to deploy network security measures (such as penetration testing) to protect your network, blue hat hackers are the first choice.

They attack the system with the consent of the system owner in order to find an effective way to protect the network from such attacks.

6. Green Hat Hackers

Green hat hackers are newbies to hackers. Although they are still learning the rules, they are eager to grow. Therefore, they try their best to prove their abilities

In most cases, Green Hat hackers do not know the consequences of the attacks they deploy. Out of the desire to prove their point of view, green hat hackers are very dangerous because they may blindly cause serious damage.

Summary and Conlusion

Different types of hackers have achieved a balance in network security. When bad hackers try to cause damage, good hackers try to stop them.

When Cybercriminals mean business, sometimes, your internal network security work may not be strong enough to match their expertise.

You need the services of well-meaning hackers to get them to pay for their money.