A hacker is a person who uses various sorts of devices and computer programs to gain unauthorized access into someone else’s system. Some do it for money, others for fun while some have an ulterior motive, may be personal or political. So, it is always important to take measures against hackers who will always try to extract data from your computer.
The first step of protecting yourself from hackers, say a red hat hacker, is to know who a hacker might want to cause you harm. The second step is to know the ways in which your data can be hacked.
Following is a list of the 4 Main Types of Hackers:
1. Script Kiddies:
Script Kiddies are the most amateur hackers present in the hackers’ regime. They are more commonly referred to as skids. They usually use automated tools or scripts or both to do their deed. These tools and scripts are usually designed by others.
Skids mostly belong to the younger generations looking for some thrill on the internet or “just for fun” or “just for the sake of it”, as they claim it to be. These people, more often than not, end up working in the security industry as “good hackers” rather than going evil.
One should not be misled by the fact that they are just “amateur hackers”. They might not belong to the top tier of hackers but can cause harm all the same. It is better advised to not dismiss them so easily.
2. Hacktivists:
These are the hackers who are mainly driven by politically-fueled agendas. They hack into government systems to support their cause. They steal information to expose or defame their targets. They mostly target small or medium-sized businesses, especially the ones that have partnered up with larger organizations. If your business has an unethical aspect to it, you might need to ramp up your security.
3. Cybercriminals:
A cybercriminal is a hacker who hacks into systems and networks with malicious intent. They do not have a fixed type of target. They can target anyone, ranging from an individual to a large corporation. Their targets involve systems that can prove to be a valuable resource or can be exploited easily or both.
They may use malware to infect the networks or use a disguise. They may poise as an entity with no level of threat and ease you into volunteering your information. This, then, they can use to exploit you or sell it to other entities who might be interested in your information.
4. Ethical Hackers:
In order to counter hackers like the ones mentioned above, there is a fourth type of hacker. Ethical hackers use their hacking abilities to bring down hackers who pose a threat to you. They are the vigilante hackers, like a red hat hacker, who bring down the black hat hackers.
They use their computer programs and techniques to upload viruses into the systems of black hats and destroy them. However, to become an ethical hacker, you need to be certified as one so that you could work with an organization that caters to cybersecurity.
