The Types Of Hackers To Watch Out For

Over the years, hackers have developed tools that leave our internet security and computer systems at risk. Everyday now, you hear of some business getting hacked. But are all hackers a threat to online and technology users? Below, we explain the types of hackers to watch out for and what these hackers are looking to accomplish.

What Is A Hacker?

A hacker is someone who tries to gain access to information or data that they are not authorized to use or see. Hackers attack for a specific reason either to gain access to data, money, or even for political reasons. However, is it true that all hackers are bad?

Although the term for hackers may seem negative, there are different types of these cyber criminals. Some with good intentions, and others who use hacking with criminal intentions. With this in mind, it’s important to know the various types of hackers and if they wish to do you harm.

8 Types of Hackers

White Hat Hackers

White Hat hackers are considered to be the “good guys” of hacking, sometimes referred to as “ethical hackers”. These hackers are using the internet to test the infrastructure and to locate loopholes within the system. By creating algorithms, and through different methods, try to break into systems with intentions to strengthen them.

Black Hat Hackers

Simply put, these hackers are viewed as the “bad guys” associated with hacking. Black Hat hackers break into systems with harmful intentions, such as stealing credit card information, altering databases, or gain fame from exploiting the loopholes within the system.

Grey Hat Hackers

Grey Hat hackers tend to have mixed intentions. They are not the “good guys” like the white hats, nor are their intentions as negative as the black hats. These hackers exploit systems to make information public, and bring databases (that have committed wrongdoings) to the surface. These types of attacks have nothing to do with personal gain, the overall goal is simply releasing information to the public.

Blue Hat Hackers

Blue Hat hackers are similar to white hats, but they bug or test a system prior to launch. They are looking to find vulnerabilities and flaws within the system. They do this so black hat hackers cannot infiltrate the systems later on.

Script Kiddie

These types of attackers are considered to be a new type of hacker. You can view these as the children of the hacking realm. Script Kiddie hackers do not cause much damage because of the little effort or skills needed to perform these attacks. We have noticed that these hackers typically run software against a website to disrupt how the system is currently working.

Hacktivist

This hacker is referred to as the protestors of the internet. They perform an attack to address a social cause. These hackers tend to add information to your website to get your viewer’s data based on the hacker’s intention. Often, these hacker’s target businesses that they feel are unethical.

Red Hat Hackers

Red Hats help protect us from the hacking world. These hackers help detect if there are any black hat hackers within a system and fight back against them. Often times they will intercept any black hat hacks and perform a reverse hack into the “bad guys” system. Not only does this protect online users from the black hat attack, but it also will destroy a black hat hackers system and potentially put them out of business.

Green Hat Hackers

Green Hat are the learners of the hacking world. They have no intentions behind their types of attacks expect to learn and understand how everything works. Most of the time, belonging to a large learning community where they watch videos and tutorials on the steps of hacking.

Watch Out For These Hackers!

We notice that not all hackers are here to protect us. There are many different types of hackers that post a threat to our data, operating system, or even personal information.

It’s important to be aware of what black hat hackers, grey hat hackers, hacktivists, and even script kiddies are. Any hack can put you and your information at risk when placed into the wrong hands. Even if you cannot determine a hacker’s specific intentions, you can still keep your information safe and secure.