Hacking refers to activities that seek to compromise digital devices, such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and even entire networks.
Hacking also refer to entering in your prosanal life through a digital medium.
Types of Hacking -
a) White Hat Hackers
White hat hackers are the good guys that are referred to as ethical hackers. The hackers gain unauthorized access without criminal or malicious intent. Ethical hacking and certified penetration testing methods can be used to identify weaknesses and security flaws in computer networks in an attempt to have a more robust cybersecurity systems.
b) Black Hat Hackers
Unlike white hat hackers, black hat hackers are the “bad guys” who pose online threats to user systems. Black hat hackers can use attacks to demand ransom, gain unauthorised access to systems, steal information, and carry out different forms of criminal activities.
c) Gray Hat hackers
Grey hackers lie somewhere in between white and black hat hackers. A grey hat hacker would do something like hacking a system to identify its weaknesses without any permission, then later approach the owner with the report and offer to fix the system.
d) Red Hat Hackers
A red hat hacker is more like a grey hat hacker, but to send a message. The message can be political, social, or more inclined to vigilante-like activities. Unlike the grey hat hacker, the red hat hacker is not after any payment and may often hack into systems for fame. Red hat hackers often try to hack government systems or systems of high-ranking organizations.
e) Green Hat Hackers
Just like the name suggests, a green hat hacker is still “green” when it comes to matters of hacking. A green hat hacker is not malicious but may unknowingly cause harm to systems. Green hat hackers do not have the technical knowledge to bypass the security set up by most organizations
f) Elite Hackers
These are experienced hackers who are extremely skilled and can carry out black hat hacking or white hat hacking. Some elite hackers prefer grey-hat hacking to show how good they are. However, when elite hackers become cyber terrorists, they can cause a lot of damage.
g) Script Kiddies
Script kiddies are amateur hackers who use languages and programs written by others to hack. The hackers can not write most of their programs. A script kiddie is more likely to be a black hat hacker.
h) Blue Hat Hackers
Blue hat hackers use their hacking skills to create robust systems that can not be easily hacked into. The difference between a white and a blue hat hacker is that the blue hat hackers do not try to bypass systems or expose flaws but improve security measures instead, by providing security intelligence.
i) Malicious Insiders
Often underestimated, a malicious insider is perhaps the most common type of hacker. Most confidential data theft is a result of insiders who are under duress to do so or for personal gain. While we think of criminal hackers as those skilled hackers behind computers, they can be employees sitting at a desk without much knowledge of computers.