SIX Types of Hackers

6 Types of Hackers

The media and movies always seem to portray hackers in a certain light- a greenish, florescent one, nonetheless. Hackers are thought of as cyber punks, out to either steal your money or compromise your computer. While those are true, that isn’t the entire story. There are actually bad and good hackers in the cyber world, some hungry for victims and others eager to help. To better understand how to prevent hacks, you must better understand the hacker. Know your enemy, right? Here are the main 6 types of hackers:

White Hat Hackers
These are the relatively good guys in the hacking world. Usually hailing as computer security experts, these hackers specialize in penetration testing, among other tactics, to help secure companies’ information systems. With no unethical intentions, white hat hackers use their knowledge of computer security systems to find vulnerability in the companies’ security, and direct them on how to better their defenses against the bad hackers.

Black Hat Hackers
These hackers are the opposite of white hat hackers. A widely held stereotype, the black hat hackers are the bad guys of the hacking world, violating computer security for personal gain. They maliciously steal credit card numbers, harvest personal data to sell to identity thieves, pirate paid content and perform any other spiteful act on the internet. By planting soft-wares (worms) or malicious websites and waiting until the computer’s security system is vulnerable, they attack and take everything they can get. These hackers have the ability to run the Internet if others aren’t careful. This means that as a business owner, you must have a tight computer security, with intricate passwords and two-factor authentication.

Gray Hat Hackers
As the color represents, the gray hat hackers thrive in morally gray areas. They do the job of a white hat hacker, but without permission, as a black hat hacker. They surf the Internet and find a vulnerable computer security system, hack into it, but then inform the administrator how they did it, to then earn compensation for fixing the vulnerability. These types of hackers seem to be mostly harmless.

Script Kiddie
These are the wannabe hackers. With no strong knowledge of hacking or programming, script kiddies use other hackers’ readymade tools to hack into various computer systems or websites. It is assumed that these hackers are trying to make a name for themselves before they can become bad-to-the-bone black hat hackers. Usually using hacking programs, they are still able to get your information, so you must have encrypted data and strong passwords.

Hacktivists
These are the politically or religiously motivated hackers that hack networks in order to achieve some sort of justice or revenge. Organizations such as “Anonymous” are considered hacktivists, and are extremely skilled in the field, rarely getting caught. Out to expose a wrongdoer, these types of hackers, also known as the Elite, are not typically something a business owner worries about, unless the company is directly involved with a certain issue.

Spy Hackers
These types of hackers are hired by companies to gain competitors’ secrets or sensitive information. Either by gaining outside control or penetrating the company from within, as a mole, spy hackers’ only goal is to get the information, get out, and get paid.

Now that you are familiar with the several types of hackers in the cyber world, you can better be prepared for a hacking situation. Since all of our information is stored electronically, computer security and protection is paramount in the digital age we live in. If you have any more questions or concerns regarding hackers or computer security, get in touch with IT Gurus of Atlanta today, so we may further help your company succeed!

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