PCs and the internet have changed the work environment of the world beyond thoughts. Technology has evolved swiftly in the last two decades, bringing about new technological innovations to help us navigate our tech world. While much technological evolution has resulted in innovations and tools that help people work, live, and navigate modern life easier, technology has opened an extended window of privacy and security vulnerabilities that hackers love to exploit.
Computers take over a significant part of our lives; all the data has been transferred from records to PCs. However, this kind of shift in working has reduced workers’ physical burden; it has also improved the chances of information theft. People involved in stealing information or harming the systems are familiar people with wrong intentions, known as Hackers.
Today, modern hackers are nothing short of skilled professionals, and they fall into different categories based on their intentions and how they perform their attacks. There are many types of hackers. In this blog, TechNinjaPro will discuss hackers’ types and techniques.
Why Do Hackers Hack?
Ultimately, a hacker’s success is measured by the actualization of the objective they set out with; and the objective varies from one hacker to another. Let’s look at some of the reasons hackers hack systems.
Financial Gains
Financial gains have always been the top-most objective behind cyberattacks. Since not many PC users have the technical knowledge to hack a system, the hired hacker is adequately compensated. Someone who starts an attack to steal private information, including social security numbers, credit card details, may need to use such data to retrieve the funds of individuals and businesses. The substantial financial gains are a perfect way for hackers to improve themselves.
Self-Gratification
For some hackers, the excitement they get from breaking into the most complicated networks is all the pleasure that they need. It supports their confidence in their skills and boosts their confidence. The self-gratification a hacker gets may not make sense to viewers, but that does not matter. They can go to any length to prove a point to no one but themselves.
Access to Private Information
Sometimes, hackers are not attracted to financial gains, and they need to access private information that they are not aware of. A hacker committed to a reason would go to any length to get data that would help protect that cause. If it means hacking an opponent’s PC to access their private data and use that data against them, they will do it.
What are the Types of Hackers
There are many types of hackers available in the market. Let’s have a look at some of them.
- White Hat Hackers
- Black Hat Hackers
- Gray Hat Hackers
- Script Kiddies
- Green Hat Hackers
- Blue Hat Hackers
White Hat Hackers
White hat hackers are a type of cybersecurity professionals who use their skills to find vulnerabilities in enterprise networks and computer systems. However, the major difference between them is that white hat hackers are authorized to hack systems to spot security vulnerabilities before a criminal hacker can. White hat hackers identify and repair vulnerabilities in a network before they are discovered by cybercriminals and implement efficient cybersecurity within a network to protect against cyber threats.
The aims of white hat hackers are helping businesses and an appetite for detecting gaps in network security. White hat hackers’ goal is to defend and support businesses in the ongoing battle against cybercriminals. They help businesses create defenses, detect vulnerabilities and resolve them before other snoopers can find them.
Black Hat Hackers
Black hat hackers are computer experts but with a bad goal. Black hat hackers attack systems to access the information where the admins do not have authorized entry. On gaining access to the system, they might steal information or destroy it. This hacking practice depends on the individual’s hacking knowledge and abilities. As the goal of the hacker is to make the hacker a criminal. The wrong intend of the hacker cannot be gauged, either can the extent of the breach while hacking.
Black hat hackers hat into business networks and steal bank information, funds, or confidential information. Usually, they use the stolen resources to profit themselves, sell them on the black market, or harass their target business.
Gray Hat Hackers
Gray Hat Hackers are the professionals who fall between white hat hackers and black hat hackers. Gray hat hackers are not certified hackers. These types of hackers work with both good and bad goals. The goal behind hacking decides the kind of hacker. If the goal is for personal gain, then the hacker is considered to be a gray hat hacker. Gray hat hackers do not want to rob people or help people in particular. They enjoy experimenting with systems to find vulnerabilities, crack defenses and find a fun hacking experience.
Script Kiddies
Script Kiddies are non-professional hackers who do not possess the same expertise as more professional hackers in the field. To make up for this, script kiddies turn to exist malware developed by other hackers to perform their attacks. Script Kiddies try to hack the system with scripts from other professional hackers. These hackers do not have complete knowledge of the hacking process, and the motive behind the hacking is to get attention from their peers.
Script Kiddies hack systems through DDoS attacks, which simply means that an IP is flooded with a lot of internet traffic that it collapses. It develops confusion and stops someone else uses the service.
Green Hat Hackers
Green hat hackers are beginner hackers who are learning the ropes of hacking. They are a bit different from the script kiddies due to their motive. The aim is to struggle and learn to become full-fledged hackers. Green hat hackers are looking for opportunities to learn from experienced hackers. Even though they are still learning, green hat hackers are eager to grow.
Green hat hackers primarily focus on learning how to perform cyberattacks on the same level as their black hat counterparts. Their main goal is to evolve into full-fledged hackers, so green hat hackers spend their time looking for learning opportunities from more experienced hackers.
Blue Hat Hackers
Blue hat hackers are similar to Script Kiddies that use hacking as a weapon to get popularity among their fellow beings. Blue hat hackers use hacking to settle scores with their adversaries. They are dangerous due to the motive behind the hacking rather than their knowledge. Blue hat hackers intended to find loopholes or vulnerabilities in the software and remedy them before release.
Creating a Stability in Cybersecurity
The different kinds of hackers create stability in cybersecurity. As the bad hackers are trying to cause havoc, the good hackers are trying to stop them. Sometimes, your internal security efforts may not be powerful enough to match their expertise. You want the services of professional hackers to provide them a run for their money.
Best VPNs for Hackers
PureVPN is certainly one of the best VPNs for hackers. If you are looking for a quick way in which VPN services help hackers track or access confidential data, TechNinjaPro has rounded up its top recommendations below.
FAQs
All the Chrome extensions are free, so there is no harm in providing them a try. You can simply remove or disable Chrome extensions by typing chrome://extensions/into the Chrome address bar or right-click on the extension's icon in the toolbar to remove it.
Conclusion
Information is generally available all over the internet, and devoted individuals can learn and adapt to them immediately. The motive of hacking is what sets the hackers apart, and the information is used for hurting individuals or for personal gain, which makes hackers dangerous. The type and intensity of cyberattacks are dependent on the hacker’s capability to find the loophole and penetrate the security system.