White, Grey and Black Hat Hacking

White, Grey, and Black Hat Hackers

By Rahul Ganesan

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White, Grey, and Black Hat Hackers

A brief history of hacking

Hacking is broadly defined as exploiting vulnerabilities in an organisation's computer systems and networks to gain unauthorised access or control of digital assets. These activities involve identifying weaknesses in a computer system or network and further exploring and manipulating information with malicious or self-motivated intent.

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White, Grey, and Black Hat Hackers

A brief history of hacking

First at 1960s at MIT, where the term referred to clever programming. By the 1970s, hacking evolved with the rise of phreaking—manipulating phone systems to make free calls. The 1980s marked a turning point as personal computers and networks expanded, leading to high-profile cases like the Morris Worm and the founding of the Chaos Computer Club. The 1990s saw a rise in organized hacking groups and incidents, like the infamous hack of Yahoo by a teenager, "Mafiaboy." As the 2000s ushered in more sophisticated cyber threats, hacking transformed further with ransomware, state-sponsored attacks, and hacktivism. Today, hacking includes a wide spectrum of motivations, from ethical hacking to organized cybercrime, emphasizing both the risks and benefits of cybersecurity.

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Types of Hacking

Black hat hacker

Black hat hackers are criminals who break into computer networks with malicious intent.

Release malware that destroys files, holds computers hostage, or steals passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information.

Motivated by self-serving reasons, such as financial gain, revenge, or simply to spread havoc.

Motivation maybe ideological, by targeting people they strongly disagree with.

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Types of Hacking

WHITE hat hacker

White hat hackers are the opposite of black hats. They exploit computer systems or networks to identify their security flaws so they can make recommendations for improvement.

Uncover security failings to help safeguard organizations from dangerous hackers.

Sometimes are paid employees or contractors working for companies as security specialists who attempt to find gaps in security.

A subset of ethical hackers includes penetration testers or "pentesters,” who focus specifically on finding vulnerabilities and assessing risk within systems.

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Types of Hacking

GREY hat hacker

Gray hat hackers may sometimes violate laws or usual ethical standards, but they do not have the malicious intent typical of a black hat hacker.

When a white hat hacker discovers a vulnerability, they will exploit it only with permission and not tell others about it until it has been fixed.

While black hat will illegally exploit it or tell others how to do so. The gray hat will neither illegally exploit it nor tell others how to do so, making them unethical

They believe that the internet is not safe for business, and consider it their mission to make it safer, by hacking websites and networks to show the world they are right.

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Hacking

Ethical vs. Unethical hacking &Connection to ybersecurity

As discussed in the earlier slides, White Hat hackers fall under ethical hacking while Black Hat Hackers fall under unethical Hackers. Grey Hat Hackers are usually subject to legal complications, so they may or may not be considered ethical in a joint consensus. All three forms of hacking—white hat, black hat, and gray hat—are integral to cybersecurity. White hat hackers protect systems by identifying vulnerabilities, black hat hackers exploit these vulnerabilities for malicious purposes, and gray hat hackers expose weaknesses without permission. Together, they highlight the dynamic threats and defenses in cybersecurity.

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Hacking

Three ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

https://www.keepersecurity.com/blog/2023/06/26/the-three-different-types-of-hackers/ https://www.avg.com/en/signal/types-of-hackers https://www.avast.com/c-hacker-types

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