Types of Hackers
Hacking is the process of gaining unauthorized access to a computer network or an electronic device. Individuals breach into a system either to cause harm or to highlight vulnerabilities in existing security measures.
Hackers are of six main types-
- White Hat Hacker
- Black Hat Hacker
- Grey Hat Hacker
- Red Hat Hacker
- Hacktivist
- Script Kiddie
White Hat Hacker
White hat hackers are the professional hackers with expertise in cybersecurity. They are authorized or certified to hack the systems. These White Hat Hackers work for governments or organizations by getting into the system. White hat hackers are the ethical hackers who use their skills to discover loopholes in existing cybersecurity measures to help fix them. They identify the weak points and fix them to avoid attacks from external sources.
Black Hat Hacker
Black hat hackers are also knowledgeable computer experts but with the wrong intention. They attack other systems to get access to systems where they do not have authorized entry. On gaining entry they might steal the data or destroy the system. As the intentions of the hacker make the hacker a criminal.
Grey Hat Hacker
The Gray hat hacker falls in between the black hat hackers and white hat hackers. They are not certified, hackers. These types of hackers work with either good or bad intentions. The hacking might be for their gain. The intention behind hacking decides the type of hacker. If the intention is for personal gain then the hacker is considered to be a gray hat hacker.
Red Hat Hackers
Red Hat Hackers are the types of hackers who are similar to white hackers. The red hat hackers intend to stop the attack of black hat hackers. The difference between red hat hackers and white hat hackers is in the process of hacking through intention remains the same. A red hat hacker can overload a black hacker’s network to block his attempts.
Hacktivist
These types of hackers intend to hack government websites. They pose themselves as activists, so known as a hacktivist. Hacktivist can be an individual or a bunch of nameless hackers whose intent is to gain access to government websites and networks. The data gained from government files accessed are used for personal political or social gain.
Script Kiddies
Script Kiddies are the hackers who do not have complete knowledge of the hacking process. They are amateurs types of hackers in the field of hacking.They try to hack the system with scripts from other fellow hackers. They try to hack the systems, networks, or websites. The intention behind the hacking is just to get attention from their peers.
