Closer to the term that most people outside of the IT field are familiar with and use, black hat hackers design programs and campaigns primarily with the purpose of causing harm. This can range from deploying malware to steal information to forcibly shutting down networks through denial-of-service assaults.
Fremont, CA: What to name someone who looks for flaws in computer hardware and software security? What about someone who presents their findings to vendors in order to assist them in improving the quality of their products? There are several types of hackers, and understanding the differences is critical.
"White hat" hackers
These are the good guys, also known as ethical hackers or network security specialists. White hat hackers are just interested in making honest money, whether it's selling what they find to hardware and software suppliers through "bug bounty" programs or working as full-time technicians.
Linus Torvalds is an outstanding example of a white hat hacker. After years of tinkering with his computer's operating system, he ultimately produced Linux, a secure open-source operating system.
"Black hat" hackers
Closer to the term that most people outside of the IT field are familiar with and use, black hat hackers design programs and campaigns primarily with the purpose of causing harm. This can range from deploying malware to steal information to forcibly shutting down networks through denial-of-service assaults.
Kevin Mitnick was the world's most notorious black hat hacker. Mitnick was on a two-and-a-half-year hacking spree in the 1990s, committing wire fraud and stealing millions of dollars in data from telecom firms and the National Defense warning system.
"Gray hat" hackers
Whether a person is a security expert or a cybercriminal, the majority of their work is usually done on the internet. Because of their anonymity, they can experiment with both white hat and black hat hacking.
Marcus Hutchins, for example, is a well-known gray hat hacker. He is well known for his role in testing the WannaCry ransomware until he discovered a means to halt it.
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