A widely used term in cybersecurity is that of hacker. Sometimes with negative connotations, it really is a word that is not always related to a cybercriminal. In this article we are going to talk about what they are the most famous of history. A review by some hackers worldwide. We will also explain what exactly this term means and why there are different types.

What is a hacker

We can say that the term do refers to a person with extensive knowledge of computer security. You are an expert who can test a system, a network or any connected device, as well as applications. There are different types, they act in different ways depending on their objectives and may or may not jeopardize the security and privacy of others.

¿Is a hacker bad? Not only can there be good hackers, but they are even necessary. They are, as part of their job is to detect vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. For example, a failure in a Wi-Fi network, in a computer program, etc.

However, there is different types of hackers. There are them in white, gray, red, green hats ... Each of them has its own particularities. Generally, when we talk about hackers we are referring to those in white hats, which are the ones that act positively to detect failures and try to improve computer security.

Black hat hacker would be hackers, although this term is already simply known as cybercriminal. At an intermediate point would be a gray hat hacker, who although legality is skipped does not have the ultimate purpose of causing damage, such as theft of passwords or data.

Importance of cybersecurity

Given all this, cybersecurity is something that occupies many resources in all companies and systems. Everyone should take care of the value of their information, and especially what is published on the internet or is accessible. Therefore, it is vitally important to protect all the data of the company and its customers. Similarly, ensure that systems are operational while complying with data protection regulations.

In summary. Before all the hackers who may be trying to attack a network of a company, companies try to secure some points that can be considered critical in their system.

Preserve the data.
Protect yourself against possible manipulations.
Protect access to systems.
Ensure the operation of the systems and their integrity.
Avoid installing possible spyware or stealing data.
Proteger los dispositivos personales que se encuentran dentro de la red.
Ante todo esto, hay algunas recomendaciones que deberían seguir todas las corporaciones. Todo esto hará de su red un lugar más seguro y complicado de atacar. Entre otras.

Crear directivas de contraseñas robustas, y a su vez establecer políticas de cambios recurrentes cada cierto tiempo.
Revisiones periódicas de la privacidad de la red.
Instalación de diferentes métodos de seguridad.
Crear bloqueos a páginas web que puedan no ser seguras.
No contener datos privados que no sean necesarios.
Verificar la veracidad de las redes Wi-Fi cada cierto tiempo.
Utilizar cifrados fuertes para los datos.
On the other hand, it is important to provide users with training to create good practices for the use of the network and the internet in general. To avoid a possible attack, the first and the same effective thing is common sense and the good use we give to the entire internal and external system.

Which are the most famous

Over the years there have been both good hackers and hackers. Some of them have become famous for different reasons. Generally for having carried out very complex and continuous attacks, having hacked an important program or service, etc. Let's see one ready with some of the most famous.

Kevin Mitnick

For many Kevin Mitnick, an American, he is the most famous and important hacker in history, so he could not miss our list. Also known as Condor and it started in the 80s. As with many others, he became very interested in computer subjects at a young age. Several books have been written about it and movies have been shot.

During his career he has managed to break the security of different important companies, like Pacific Bell, and even NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Although he has been tried and jailed multiple times, he has always denied using the access data that he was able to exploit.

We can say that we are facing an example of gray hat hacker. Although he never really exploited the information he stole or harmed the systems he exploited, to carry out these practices he broke the law. So even though he's a white hat hacker today and works for companies, he at some point crossed the line.

Kevin Poulsen

Touch of the previous one, Kevin Poulsen is another American. Also known as Dark Dante. He became famous mainly for a curious attack on a California radio station, in order to win a contest. What he did was control the calls, the phones, and thus make sure that when he called he entered the corresponding number to receive the prize, which was a Porsche.

But that was in 1990. Before that date, in the early 1980s, Kevin had already managed to explode ARPANET, the Pentagon's computer network. Although he was not convicted of that, he did receive a warning. He was still 17 years old. It didn't take long for him to access other government computer equipment.

He is currently a journalist, an expert in cybersecurity, and has also collaborated with the justice system to detect cybercriminals. He spent time in prison where he served time for his cybercrimes.

Jonathan James

Another famous hacker was Jonathan James. He is also known with Nick de c0mrade. From a young age he began to attack government and business networks. Being a minor, he already went to prison. In fact, he is considered the first American teenager to go to prison on cybersecurity issues. He became famous especially for having hacked NASA network and get hold of a source code of enormous value.

This even caused NASA to have to shut down its network for several weeks to analyze what had happened. Logically this meant significant economic losses. It is yet another example of a gray hat hacker, as he always denied that he used those stolen files for evil.

Albert González

Albert González is also well known. He is also known by the pseudonym of Soupnazi. In this case we are dealing with a hacker who was arrested for a massive bank card fraud after stealing data from millions of accounts. However, he did not go to jail for this reason as he became a collaborator of justice to detect many cybercriminals.

However, from there he continued to carry out attacks and collaborated in the theft of bank cards. He and his group stole a large amount of data from companies through back doors and the SQL injection method. It has come to appear in television series, due to the repercussion that his case had and that of his group.

Michael Calce

Also known as Mafiaboy, Michael Calce is another hacker who started his career as a teenager. It is of Canadian origin. It started to break the security of the university's computer equipment, but it also got giants like Yahoo, Dell, eBay, FIFA, CNN or Amazon in trouble. In these last cases used DDoS attacks. It is estimated that it caused losses of about $ 1.7 billion.

The fact that he could put pages of this caliber on the ropes caused many to rethink what might happen with lesser-known and less protected websites. Without a doubt, a DDoS attack can mean very significant economic losses for any organization, since it is no longer available for a time.

John Drapper

Another very famous hacker is John Drapper, also known as Captain Crunch. It did not act like the previous ones, since in this case it focused on telephony. In the early 1970s, he was able to make long-distance calls for free by finding a fault with which he was able to enter operator mode. For this, he used a small toy that he was able to modify so that it emitted a tone on the same frequency that an operator used.

Although he was arrested for fraud against telephone companies, he always said he did it to learn how technology worked. He went on to teach people like Steve Jobs how his method worked and later went on to work for Apple.

Ultimately, these are some of the most famous hackers in history and what made them recognized. There have been many more, as we all know. However, it is especially striking to see how the first hackers acted, like some of those we have seen in the 70s and 80s and how everything has changed over time.