As technology and our reliance on the internet continues to evolve, so does the expertise of cybercriminals. Today, there are various categories of hackers and cybercriminals, each making your digital presence vulnerable in one form or another.
Thus, it is important to understand the different types of hackers in the context of cybersecurity, the threats they bring about, and the need to keep up with any potential risks they might expose you to. You will learn more about the main categories of hackers and the threats they pose in this article.
1. White Hat Hackers
Cybersecurity is a big concern and to cope with that, many systems are being devised and installed by organizations in order to protect their critical data. In the process of installing these security systems, an important role is testing them and seeing how they will perform if attacked by a hacker. This work is done by a penetration tester, but a white hat hacker goes further to identify any systemic flaws and possible entry points for hackers. A white hat hacker also referred to as an ethical hacker, uses hacking to protect the system from actual criminals. A Certified Ethical Hacker plays a crucial role in proactively identifying and addressing potential weaknesses, thereby contributing to a safer and more secure cyber landscape.
While the white hat hackers can crack a system, they aren’t actually the “bad guys”. They only hack a system to find vulnerabilities and report the issues to the network owner.
2. Black Hat Hackers
Black hat hackers or threat actors are real criminals; they hack a system with the malicious intent of stealing and exploiting sensitive data and causing harm. These hackers do their jobs without anyone knowing and thus have criminal intentions.
There are many notorious black hat hackers who have successfully exploited the data of some of the largest organizations. Kevin Mitnick, Vladimir Levin, Michael Calce, and Adrian Lamo are among the well-known names. Kevin Mitnick, in particular, was thought to be the most wanted threat actor in the world at the time. He hacked into over 40 major corporations like IBM, Motorola, and even the US National Defense warning system.
3. Grey Hat Hackers
Not everything is black and white. And not every hacker wears a black or white hat. The grey hat hacker is a type of hacker who exists in the middle of these two types of hackers. This type of hacker, while engaging in unethical hacking, does not have malicious intent and, in fact, contributes to cybersecurity. For example, someone who exploits a vulnerability in order to make others aware of its existence.
Certain nuances must be understood in order to distinguish between the three types of hackers. In simple words, a grey hat hacker is different from a white hat hacker as what he does is public and that might make the black hat hacker aware of the vulnerability and open doors to their attacks.
4. Script Kiddies
Script kiddies, or skids, are amateur hackers, who don’t have much technical know-how about launching an attack and rely on tools and techniques developed by others. However, while they may not appear to be dangerous, their attacks can cause significant damage.
An example of this type of attack occurred in 2015 when a 15-year-old script kiddie used a DoS attack to hack the telephone company TalkTalk. The attack resulted in a data breach and a significant loss for the company. The hacker was eventually apprehended for his crime.
5. State-Sponsored Hackers
Some hackers actually have the license to hack. Sounds impossible right? These are state-sponsored hackers, to whom the state has granted authorization to hack into other states’, organizations’, or individuals’ networks. They work for a government to disrupt or compromise target systems in order to obtain access to important data or intelligence, and they can cause international incidents.
A popular example of this sort of attack could be seen in 2015’s cyber attack on Ukraine’s power grid which caused massive damage and power outages that impacted hundreds of thousands of people. The attack was carried out by a Russian state-sponsored hacking group, and it highlights the level of harm such attacks can wreak.
6. Hacktivists
We have all seen and met activists and maybe are one ourselves, but ever heard about hacktivists? As their name shows, these types of hackers use their criminal skills in order to exploit systems or networks for a political or social cause.
Hacktivists show their support for a social cause or their opposition to an organization by attracting the public’s attention by displaying messages or images on the website of the organization they believe is wrongdoing or whose message or activities they oppose.
To protect your computer and network from the majority of these threats, you must rely on a strong and secure internet connection. In this case, we strongly advise you to subscribe to Windstream Internet plans, as they all have a comprehensive security suite that protects the system from malicious activities.
Conclusion
As technology and our reliance on it continue to grow, so do the skills of cyber criminals. We have mentioned some of the major types of hackers above and the potential harm they might wreak. It is critical to learn about them in order to secure your system from malicious actors and for general understanding.
