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.
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Why Do Hackers Want to Crack?
When properly analyzed, hackers’ success depends on achieving their goals; this goal varies from hacker to hacker.
Here are some reasons why hackers have attempted to gain unauthorized access to 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 primary motivation behind cyber attacks. Since few 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 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 and use their secret information against them, they will do so.
Types of “Hat” Hackers and How They Operate
How we classify hackers depends on their relationship with the network owner or the 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 black hats 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 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 network owner’s permission and within the law’s scope.
The operations of a white hat hacker include:
- Identify and fix vulnerabilities in the network before cyber criminals find them.
- Implement adequate network security within the network to resist cyber threats.
- Create network security tools, such as anti-malware, anti-virus, 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.
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 evil hackers.
- Strengthen the network security of the network to deal with cyber threats.
5. Blue Hat Hackers
There are 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 somehow hurts them.
Blue hat hackers spare no effort to realize their goals and will not stop until they achieve them.
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.
Blue hat hackers are the first choice if you want to deploy network security measures (such as penetration testing) to protect your network.
They attack the system with the system owner’s consent 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 severe damage.
Summary and Conclusion
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.
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