HACKERS: GOOD OR BAD
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Hacker: Just hear the word to think almost immediately of something bad, dangerous and illegal. The associations that our mind makes in these cases are usually due to the way in which the word is commonly used in the media, that is, linked to cybercrimes, attacks on systems and the breach of information. However, not all hackers are bad. To understand it, we have to analyze why they act and how they do it.
Brief
history of the word hacker
In the 1950s, when used in the context of technology, the
term hacker had a rather ambiguous meaning. It was used to identify both tech
geeks and people who solved problems differently and creatively, and were
actually trusted. At that time, it also acquired the negative connotation from
which the idea that we have today derives, in part. In the 1980s, the word was
used to identify a group of young people who managed to infiltrate government
computer systems. They called themselves hackers and as the word was perceived
aggressively, the media adopted it as well. It is interesting to note that many
of these hackers’ pioneers now have consulting services in the information
security sector.
What
is a hacker?
In general, we can say that a hacker is an experienced
computer programmer: for him, a computer has no secrets. Although the term can
refer to anyone with excellent programming skills, today it is mostly used with
a more limited meaning. A hacker is a person who uses their computer skills to
break or bypass the security measures of a computer, device or network, often
for criminal purposes. Even in a "profession" like hacking, you
always have to differentiate between good and bad hackers.
How
many types of hackers are there?
There are two factors that determine the type of hacker:
1. Their
motives for acting, and
2. The
legality of their actions.
According to this, there are three types of hackers:
1. The
white hat,
2. The
black hat, and
3. The
gray hat.
The names of these categories are inspired by the old
western movies, in which the characters wore a black or white hat depending on
whether they were good or bad.
The
hackers black hat
These hackers have extensive knowledge of computer security
protocols. Its objective is to break these security measures to gain
unauthorized access to systems and databases. In addition, they also produce
different types of malicious software that are often used to enter these
systems. The hackers black hat can be both fans start practicing spreading
malware as hackers much more skilled and experienced aimed at stealing personal
information, login credentials or banking information. Their reasons for doing
this may be different. The main intention of hackers black hat is to make money
through their illicit actions, but they can also participate in computer
espionage activities or simply modify or destroy data for fun. To stay safe
from this hackers you should have an installed good antivirus to fight
against them.
The
white hat hackers
Unlike the first category, white hat hackers never intend
to steal or destroy. Rather, they try to identify weak points in a computer or
network system by performing various tests and thereby be able to prevent
malicious attacks. They are also called ethical hackers and companies often
hire them to test and improve the network defense system.
The
gray hat hackers
In this case, the name does not help us much to understand
the nature of the hacker we are dealing with. The hackers gray hat are neither
black nor white, but an average, i.e. gray. Most of the time they act without
malicious intent, since they look for weaknesses in computer systems, but
without warning or without permission from administrators. The intention is to
warn of existing problems in security systems and obtain recognition or
financial rewards from system administrators.
The hackers gray hat not necessarily evil ends. However,
despite identifying and warning of problems, their actions are still illegal,
as they access systems in an unauthorized way.
Although the term hacker has a negative connotation in general, it is important to know that not all hackers act in the same way. Surely, without white hat hackers there would be many more cyberattacks and data losses, as they continuously search for vulnerabilities to identify them before black hat hackers find them.
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