The term Hacker is reclaimed by computer programmers who argue that it refers simply to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks. Hackers are unauthorized users who break into computer systems in order to steal, change or destroy information, often by installing dangerous malware without your knowledge or consent.
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Their clever tactics and detailed technical knowledge help them access information you really don’t want them to have. The media portrays the ‘hacker’ as a villain. Nevertheless, parts of the subculture see their aim in correcting security problems and use the word in a positive sense.
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There are three kinds of hackers:
• White Hat Hackers or ethical hackers
• Grey Hat Hackers are mixture of the two above
• Black Hat Hackers or cyber criminals
White Hat Hackers: A white hat hacker breaks security for non-malicious reasons, either to test their own security system, perform penetration tests or vulnerability assessments for a client or while working for a security company which makes security software.
They are the opposite of the black-hat hackers. They’re the “ethical hackers,” experts in compromising computer security systems who use their abilities for good, ethical, and legal purposes rather than bad, unethical, and criminal purposes. Ethical hacking is the perfect career choice for those interested in problem solving, communication and IT security.
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A number of white hat hacking and security-related IT certifications can help a candidate get a foot in the door, even without copious amounts of hands-on experience. The CEH is a vendor-neutral credential, and CEH certified professionals are in high demand. The median salary of an ethical hacker is about $72,000, according to Pay-Scale, and the top range can climb to well higher than $100,000.
Grey Hat Hackers: The term “grey hat” refers to a computer hacker or computer security expert who may sometimes violate laws or typical ethical standards, but does not have the malicious intent typical of a black hat hacker.
When a white hat hacker discovers vulnerability they will exploit it only with permission and not divulge its existence until it has been fixed, whereas the black hat will illegally exploit it and/or tell others how to do so. The grey hat will neither illegally exploit it, nor tell others how to do so.Grey hats are researchers who find bugs, similar to white hats, but then sell their information to the highest bidder while they’re not necessarily out to cause harm, they don’t particularly care who buys the information. They’re willing to sell to foreign governments, criminal
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Grey hats are researchers who find bugs, similar to white hats, but then sell their information to the highest bidder while they’re not necessarily out to cause harm, they don’t particularly care who buys the information. They’re willing to sell to foreign governments, criminal organisations, or to the companies they’ve hacked, but their motive is self-interest, not altruism.
In this case, the FBI was called, to the group of experts after they demonstrated a possible way into the iPhone 5C used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. But there are still a lot of variables floating around, even though it looks like most of the legal action is finished. That the FBI paid a bunch of morally-dubious hackers to unlock the phone isn’t necessarily surprising, but it is interesting when we look forward to what will happen next in the battle between government surveillance and private encryption.
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Black Hat Hackers: Black hat hackers form the stereotypical, illegal hacking groups often portrayed in popular culture, and are “the epitome of all that the public fears in a computer criminal”. Black hat hackers are also known as crackers or dark-side hackers. The general view is that, while hackers build things, crackers break things.
They are computer security hackers that break into computers and networks or also create computer viruses. The term “black hat” comes from old westerns where the bad guys usually wore black hats and the good guys wore white ones. They are with extensive computer knowledge whose purpose is to breach or bypass internet security. The term was coined by Richard Stallman, to contrast the maliciousness of a criminal hacker versus the spirit of playfulness and exploration of hacker culture.
