Types of Hacker

A hacker is basically someone who breaks into computer networks or standalone personal computer systems for the challenge of it or because they want to profit from their innate hacking capabilities. The hacker subculture that has developed among these new-age outlaws is often defined as the computer underground, although as of late it has evolved into a more open society of sorts. At any rate, here are the different types of hackers.

White Hat: A white hat hacker is someone who has non-malicious intent whenever he breaks into security systems and whatnot. In fact, a large number of white hat hackers are security experts themselves who want to push the boundaries of their own IT security ciphers and shields or even penetration testers specifically hired to test out how vulnerable or impenetrable (at the time) a present protective setup currently is. A white hat that does vulnerability assessments and penetration tests is also known as an ethical hacker.

Black Hat: A black hat hacker, also known as a cracker, is the type of hacker that has malicious intent whenever he goes about breaking into computer security systems with the use of technology such as a network, phone system, or computer and without authorization. His malevolent purposes can range from all sorts cybercrimes such as piracy, identity theft, credit card fraud, vandalism, and so forth. He may or may not utilize questionable tactics such as deploying worms and malicious sites to meet his ends.

Grey Hat: A grey hat hacker is someone who exhibits traits from both white hats and black hats. More to the point, this is the kind of hacker that isn\'t a penetration tester but will go ahead and surf the Internet for vulnerable systems he could exploit. Like a white hat, he\'ll inform the administrator of the website of the vulnerabilities he found after hacking through the site. Like a black hat and unlike a pen tester, he\'ll hack any site freely and without any prompting or authorization from owners whatsoever. He\'ll even offer to repair the vulnerable site he exposed in the first place for a small fee.

Elite Hacker: As with any society, better than average people are rewarded for their talent and treated as special. This social status among the hacker underground, the elite (or, according to the hacker language that eventually devolved into leetspeak, 31337) are the hackers among hackers in this subculture of sorts. They\'re the masters of deception that have a solid reputation among their peers as the cream of the hacker crop.

Script Kiddie: A script kiddie is basically an amateur or non-expert hacker wannabe who breaks into people's computer systems not through his knowledge in IT security and the ins and outs of a given website, but through the prepackaged automated scripts (hence the name), tools, and software written by people who are real hackers, unlike him. He usually has little to know knowledge of the underlying concept behind how those scripts he has on hand works.

Hacktivists: Some hacker activists are motivated by politics or religion, while others may wish to expose wrongdoing, or exact revenge, or simply harass their target for their own entertainment.

State Sponsored Hackers: Governments around the globe realize that it serves their military objectives to be well positioned online. The saying used to be, “He who controls the seas controls the world,” and then it was, “He who controls the air controls the world.” Now it’s all about controlling cyberspace. State sponsored hackers have limitless time and funding to target civilians, corporations, and governments.

Spy Hackers: Corporations hire hackers to infiltrate the competition and steal trade secrets. They may hack in from the outside or gain employment in order to act as a mole. Spy hackers may use similar tactics as hacktivists, but their only agenda is to serve their client’s goals and get paid.

Cyber Terrorists: These hackers, generally motivated by religious or political beliefs, attempt to create fear and chaos by disrupting critical infrastructures. Cyber terrorists are by far the most dangerous, with a wide range of skills and goals. Cyber Terrorists ultimate motivation is to spread fear, terror and commit murder.