On the Internet we can find many terms that refer to computer attacks, but also users who are going to try to avoid them. In this article we are going to talk about what types of hackers are there, how they act and which of them will act positively and which will cause harm. We will see that there are notable differences between them.

Hacker, a term that encompasses many
We can say that the hacker term not always used correctly. Generally, the media often use it to describe a person who performs attacks on the network. But this is not so. We really are dealing with a person with computer, security and network knowledge, who can use them both for good and for evil.

That is why they exist different types. The word hacker is going to encompass many people. Some are dedicated to achieving a safer, less criminal, and accessible to all cyber world. Others, on the other hand, are those who are going to carry out computer attacks with the aim of stealing passwords, information and compromising security.

A hacker can discover vulnerabilities what's in a system, device, or any application. Sometimes he acts on his own, simply out of hobby, while sometimes he can even be hired by a company to detect failures. Sometimes there are also groups of computer experts who can collaborate with different causes, whether positive or negative for the rest.

He will always be a person he has great skills in everything related to computing. You will know how to move well on the Internet, you will have knowledge of programming, computer security and you will be able to use multiple tools with which to carry out tests of all kinds. For example, you can test the security of a Wi-Fi network or a certain system.

What types exist

There are multiple types of hackers. We are going to show first of all those who do not act maliciously to harm the rest, at least on paper, although you will find that there are differences between them. Later we will see which ones do act maliciously.

White hat

First, there is what is known as a white hat hacker. In this case they will use your knowledge for good. They will try to detect security problems in a system or program and alert so that an attacker cannot exploit them and steal data, passwords or make something wrong work.

Many companies are going to pay white hat hackers to find equipment failures. For example, an organization that is in charge of creating computer programs, want to detect security flaws as soon as possible and thus prevent an attacker from using them maliciously.

Gray hat

Second on the list would be a gray hat hacker. They act in part like the previous ones, but they also have different tints and could approach a real attacker. What they do is sneak into networks without permission, in computer systems it is that those responsible know it, etc. Sometimes they just do tests and don't go beyond that.

At other times what they are looking for is to get something in return later. In other words, they are going to alert a company that they have a certain vulnerability and thus obtain some benefit. However, as we have indicated, these tests will be carried out without permission, breaking the laws.

Hacktivists

A different term is that of hacktivist. In this case, you will use your knowledge to carry out campaigns or actions to raise awareness. They can become political, environmental, ideological ... Basically it is a activist, but in the digital world. They will use computer systems and the Internet for this.

A hacktivist can bypass security systems in order to send a message, for example. Sometimes they can even act in countries where there is no freedom of expression, in dictatorships, helping their citizens to use the Internet to raise awareness and overthrow a tyrant government.

Blue hat

We also found the term blue hat hacker. It is less known than the previous ones. Partly it acts like those in white hats, but in this case it is oriented to companies and organizations. It will be a person or group of people who work to detect security flaws within a company or in some system of it.

This will allow you to find bugs and vulnerabilities and correct them before something reaches users. For example, an application that they are developing and that has a problem that may expose the data of the users.

Red hat

The intentions of a red hat hacker are good in the background, but not so much in the forms. That is, their mission is to go for cybercriminals but no matter what they do. They can attack a system or any application use the attacker as long as you cannot carry out your task.

Their goal is to destroy the infrastructure they are going to use to carry out attacks against users on the network. With this they could protect both private users as well as companies and organizations that could be compromised by a type of malware in question or a malicious strategy.

Fans or green hat

In this case we are facing a cybersecurity fan, but still with little knowledge. You are going to perform experiments, you are going to test some systems or start using certain tools. In this way he will learn to become a true hacker in the future.

Intentions, at least from the beginning, are not bad. Therefore, it enters the list of terms related to hackers when it will try to do good, in one way or another. He is, therefore, someone who is beginning in this world.

With bad intentions

But there are not only well-intentioned hackers. Unfortunately, the Internet is full of security threats, attacks and many cybercriminals who, in one way or another, are going to seek profit at the expense of others. They can perform attacks against individual users or also against companies and organizations.

Cybercrime

Sometimes it is known as black hat hacker. It is the most common. Basically he is a person with extensive knowledge in computing, security and networks, that he knows how to use certain tools to exploit vulnerabilities and that he will put all this into practice negatively against others.

They can steal passwords, strain malware to make a system malfunction, attack a wireless network, make a company's computers stop working, etc. The damage is very varied and can affect many on the Internet.

Spy Hackers

In this case it is a cybersecurity expert who will use his knowledge to spy on someone or a company. You can steal confidential data, detect failures to see a person's movements, install some malicious software on the phone or computer, and collect information of all kinds, etc.

They are usually hired by a third party. For example, a company that hires such an attacker to steal information from the competition or a person who wants to spy on another.

Sponsored by a country

There are also hackers who are hired by a state. They will act to attack essential infrastructure in another nation they seek to harm, spy on members of the government, find vulnerabilities to end a government company, etc. They will always act negatively.

We can say that they act in part to carry out cyber wars. Today, the fact that an essential infrastructure of a country is compromised at the computer level can have very negative consequences for many people.

Cyberterrorist

Among hackers or bad actors on the Internet we can name cyber terrorists. In this case they will use the technology, the knowledge they have, to favor attacks. For example, finding a vulnerability so that terrorists can sneak into a certain place.

They can also act to find followers on the Internet. They will even use social networks to contact other people, generally young people, whom they can take to their field and turn them into terrorists, either directly or indirectly when requesting financing for your projects.

Therefore, as you have seen there are different types of hackers. Some are good, they will always act to achieve a safer Internet for everyone, but on other occasions we will find terms that mention hackers and attackers that will cause harm to both private users and companies and organizations.