Technology has come a long way and transformed the lives of every human being on this earth. Think about it, technology is involved at every step of our day, and it will only grow hereon. Whether watching tv, working in the office or even learning a new skill set online, technology has entirely shaped our lives and is a significant part of our routine. Although the internet has made our lives easy, it does come with a cost. Most of our information is on the internet, financial information, personal details or purchase history. It can be terrifying because hackers can misuse this information and sell it to the wrong people. Hackers are very skilled at what they do, and it’s our job to beware of them and take steps that can avoid such incidents. Although there are 15+ types of hackers, we’re only going to discuss the most common types and how you can identify each.

Black Hat Hackers

Black hat hackers are usually considered a massive threat to large organisations, as they are very knowledgeable and skilled at what they do. They can easily navigate an organisation’s security infrastructure to steal the data, destroy the system or exploit it for money. These types of hackers primarily focus on exploiting the vulnerabilities found in an organisation’s security to damage them financially. 

White Hat Hackers

On the contrary, white hat hackers, commonly known as ethical hackers, are professionals whose primary goal is to perform security tests to determine whether malicious hackers can exploit any vulnerabilities. They often perform vulnerability assessment and penetration testing on an organisation’s networks, applications and systems. Organisations hire white hat hackers so they can search for vulnerabilities and use their knowledge to get rid of them to prevent them from being exploited.

Grey Hat Hackers

Grey hat hackers are those people who just simply find it fun to hack into systems and look for exploitable vulnerabilities. Although their intentions aren’t considered a threat, such as black hat hackers, they don’t necessarily take the most ethical approach. Their primary intent is to hack into systems to spot a vulnerability, and in some cases, they’ve even informed the owner of these flaws so they can protect themselves.

Red Hat Hackers

Red hat hackers are good guys, just like white hat hackers. Of course, they hack into systems, but they only do it to fix the vulnerabilities and ensure that they put a stop to black hat hackers’ malicious activities. The only difference between a white hat hacker and a red hat hacker is that no one hires them; they do it selflessly because they want to give back and protect those who require it.

Green Hat Hackers

Green hat hackers are those professionals who are relatively new in the cybersecurity world and are focused on improving their skillset by ethically testing the systems to find exploitable vulnerabilities. They are mainly concerned with gaining knowledge and eventually working towards becoming a professional white hat hacker.

Blue Hat Hackers

Organisations usually hire blue hat hackers so they can put their knowledge into testing their systems, applications and networks before their software is released in the market. This type of hacker doesn’t break into a live system; they strictly pre-test the software for potential vulnerabilities and fix them before it’s launched.

Conclusion

With so much advanced technology-sensitive data out there, we must beware of any shortcomings, including learning about essential cybersecurity and its threats. There are so many different types of dangerous hackers, every day evolving themselves and becoming more powerful than before. 

Despite its size, every organisation must consider partnering up with highly skilled and knowledgeable cybersecurity companies, such as ZinnoX, to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. Our award-winning infosec solution conducts VAPT on your networks, systems and applications so you can rest easy knowing your security is in good hands. Book a demo with us to learn more.