Black, white, and gray hat hackers

Black, white, and gray hat hackers

If you like to read the news, especially the technology news, you probably know what a hacker is. What you may not know is that not all hackers are the same. They are usually divided into three groups: those with black hats, white hats, and gray hats.

The terminology for hats goes back to old movies about the Wild West. In those films, the protagonists wore white or light-colored hats, while the antagonists wore black hats.

Hackers are on one side or the other depending on their motivations and the legality of their actions.

Hackers are people who use the Web to violate different platforms. Hackers generally enhance these activities to obtain information from a specific person's computer. Thus, they can have access to all the information handled on the Web.

But we must know that not all hackers are evil. Although when we hear the word "hackers," we associate it with cybercriminals, hackers use their knowledge of software and hardware to violate the security rules of any device connected to the Web.

Black Hat Hackers

The term "black hat" was originated in western movies, where the bad guys wore black hats, and the good guys wore white hats. Typically, black hat hackers pretend to force networks for non-ethical reasons. The black hat hacker or Blackhat does not have any permission or authority to carry out his objectives. They attempt to inflict damage by compromising security systems, disrupting website and network functions, or shutting down systems. They do this because they want access to personal data, relevant passwords, or delicate financial information.

These hackers are the bad guys in the movie. They look for software security flaws and exploit them to their advantage. If they find a closed code, they open it by force. If they have software in their hands, they inspect it repeatedly until they find the hole to enter and insert exploits or carry out zero-day attacks. They are those people who steal data, passwords, emails, credit card numbers, or your bank access codes. They then trade that information.

White Hat Hackers

Hackers with an ethical sense include security researchers and those who break systems for non-malicious reasons to test their security codes or demonstrate to a client or a company where they work that the software and the protocols are not secure. They are the ones who notify companies if they see exploitable vulnerabilities. In return, they can be paid depending on the importance of the problem, the possible gap in power, and the company's reputation.

White hat hackers are sometimes called "good hackers." Also, they receive the name of "ethical hackers." They represent the opposite of black hat hackers. When they force a system or a computer network, they do so merely to identify its vulnerabilities and to be able to recommend ways to remedy those weaknesses.

The white hat hackers use their knowledge to do good. Many companies even hire a white-hat hacker to find the vulnerabilities of their platforms, thus preventing a black hat hacker from violating their platforms.

Although the white hat hackers use the same hacking methods, they differ in that they enter the platforms with the owners' permission, making all their activities legal. In this way, they can test how vulnerable it a company is.

Gray Hat Hackers

The Gray Hat or Gray Hat Hackers move between the other two. While they cannot use their abilities for personal gain, they can nevertheless have good and bad intentions. For example, a hacker who hacks into an organization and finds a particular vulnerability can leak it through the Internet or inform the organization about it. It all depends on the hacker. However, when hackers use their abilities for personal benefit, they become into Black Hats. There is a fine line between the two hackers' types. Gray hat hackers do not use their abilities for personal growth. Furthermore, because they are not legally authorized to hack into the organization's cyber security, they cannot be considered a white hat either.

Perhaps they are the most interesting since they pass between the previous two. These hackers are not so evil that they steal your credit card number and dry it out, but they are not so charitable that they expect nothing in return if they discover a security hole in the software. They look for flaws in the code that they later know they can sell to governments, intelligence services, the military, or the police.

We hope that this article helps you to identify the differences among these types of hackers. If you want cybersecurity advice, contact us, and if you are interested in more content, do not forget to visit our blog.