When we hear the word hacker, we imagine an unpleasant image of someone working on a computer in the shade. This would be fine for some fictional script, but reality is very different due to the types of hackers today.
Hackers are not necessarily people dedicated to acting criminally; there is a great classification that will depend on the activity to which each one is dedicated; however, in this article, we will be comparing the two most common ones, such as the hacker. White hat and the black hat hacker.
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What Is The Story Behind The Hackers?
From the beginning, there were those types of people with the city, rebellion, non-conformity, and innovative people who always go beyond what is established. They moved within a competitive dynamic, so the Massachusetts Institute of Technology programmers baptized themselves with that name.
They adopted this name because they used hacks, thus indicating that they could develop better programs than anyone had achieved before.
Generally, hackers are confused with computer pirates; the latter are those who carry out activities of reproduction, appropriation and distribution for profit of software developed by third parties. Likewise, “crackers” are those who attack systems to cause damage.
On the other hand, the image of a hacker is also associated with the idea of a nerd, but this is not true. They are interested and passionate about technology, so much so that they can spend hours and hours in front of a computer, researching, studying, and trying to find a way to leave a mark in the computer world.
Finally, the term hacker refers to people with extensive knowledge of systems and computer security, which can be used for activities with either constructive or intrusive purposes. Hence, they are classified as White hacks and black hacks.
Although these are the main ones, some other types are classified according to the activities carried out by each, among which are grey hat hackers or grey hat hackers.
The Most Notable Types Of Hackers
Although there are many types of hackers, the White and black hacks are best known. Next, we will be reviewing the characteristics of each one to establish what the differences are.
Black Hack Or Black Hat Hacker
Its origin comes from certain movies where the bad guys wore black hats, and the good guys wore white hats. This is how the name Black Hack is applied to people who intervene in a system without authorization for illicit purposes.
This type of hacker has no permission to intervene in a specific system. Their only objective will be to inflict damage, alter functions, shut down plans to obtain financial information, steal passwords or disable computers.
Black Hacks are characterized by carrying out certain computer crimes, such as:
- Attack on operating systems that damage networks and computers, such as the creation of
- BlueKeep, a remote attack that is in fashion.
- Theft and identity theft.
- Damage to systems
- Creation of programs with destructive purposes, such as viruses or worms
White Hack Or White Hat Hacker
This type of hacker does not have a malicious objective. The white hat hacker is a person who deserves due respect in the field of technology because his reason for existing is positive. They are considered ethical people since their intervention in the systems is to investigate gaps or problems in them.
In addition, they create algorithms and apply a series of methodologies to enter the systems, correct possible failures and secure them. It’s like closing and opening a security-sealed door only when necessary.
White Hacks have been key to ensuring that large companies can maintain the security of their systems and shield them in such a way as to prevent any attempted breaches and information extraction. The main function of these professionals is to make the internet safer.
In some cases, we can see how some Black Hacks reform and move to the “good” side. Their main motivation is that they do what they like in exchange for a fixed salary, which can compensate them for the possibility of subsisting without the risk of being caught and prosecuted by justice due to computer crimes.
It is important to highlight that some White Hacks are of academic origin; that is, their interest is more directed at creating intelligent programs and interfaces and being able to improve a system. They are not very interested in the protection of designs.
Also Read: Cybersecurity, Training And Company Culture
Gray Hack Or Gray Hat Hacker
In addition to the White and black hacks, we also have the Gray heat or white-hat hacker. Its name is because it moves between these two since they can have bad or good intentions.
Suppose one of these hackers manages to enter an organization without your permission and finds its vulnerability. In that case, they can report it to that same company so that it can be corrected. He may also have leaked it to a competing organization for monetary purposes.
Once this type of hacker exchanges information from their intervention in a system, they become a black hack. This means there is a fine line between this and the White and Black hacks. Still, theoretically, it does no harm because its purpose is not to harm or obtain benefits.
On the other hand, the great range between good and evil, some of them are a kind of genius who set themselves challenges to challenge their intelligence and dedicate themselves to locating permeable sites and security flaws; sometimes, if Greed wins, they may seek to sell the information to governments, intelligence agencies or other companies.
Also Read: DDoS Attack: Everything You Need To Know
