If you have a website, hackers are no strangers to you. No one makes you worry as much as a hacker. While managing a website to provide the best content to the world is hard enough, hackers make it much more difficult. But, did you ever stop to think about them and wonder how many types of hackers are there?
Were you brainstorming to know why they do what they do? Indulging a curious mind’s questions is what I do. Though you do not like what some hackers do, it will be fascinating to know more about them. Also, knowledge is power and might give you a slight edge in the war of website security.
Types Of Hackers-Their Motives
You can not introduce yourself as a hacker and not get dirty looks because people prejudice against the term hacker. You could be a hacker who stops the bad ones, but some people don’t know that.
We cannot blame them though because there are more bad attackers than good ones. Here’s a list of all types of hackers you should get acquainted with:
➡Black Hat Hackers
A black hat hacker is the best example of the image that pops up in your mind when you think of a hacker. Did you ever watch a movie where a man furiously types into a computer looking like he is attempting to murder the keyboard? That’s our black hat hacker.
But on a serious note, black hat hackers can cause a lot of harm if we are not careful on the internet. They are responsible for attacking websites, organizations, or businesses that would help them benefit in money or other ways. These hackers are very much skilled in drawing out confidential information from almost any individual or organization.
What are their motives? They can profit from data breaches.
➡White Hat Hackers
It would be safe to say that the skillset white hat and black hat hacker share is similar. Both of them have expertise in cybersecurity, although their purposes are very contradicting.
While black hat hackers attempt cyberattacks, white hat hackers do everything in their means to cyber security. These hackers usually get hired by organizations and businesses to enhance cyber-safety. In a single sentence, they force the attempts of other “bad” hackers down the drain.
What are their motives? They assist in preventing cyber attacks.
➡Grey Hat Hackers
Black+White=Grey. One would expect grey hat hackers to share characteristics of both black and white hat hackers, and you’re not wrong. Grey hat hackers are skilled hackers and like hacking for fun though they do not have malicious purposes.
Although their approach to hacking websites/organizations is unacceptable, grey hat hackers try to let the company know of the vulnerabilities(Just looking at the bright side!). However, no one would want a stranger to be accessing their website without their consent. Would you like a stranger to break into your house just to let you know that a thief can rob you? No, you would not.
What are their motives? They enjoy hacking and find it amusing.
➡Green Hat Hackers
Fun Fact: Green color symbolizes growth(among many other things).
I think you can see where I’m going with the fun fact. Whoever categorized the hackers are good with colors(I’m assuming the color selection is not random). Green hat hackers are the ones in training working their way into becoming the best hackers.
We all know the saying, “Practice makes a man perfect.” Green hat hackers follow the same principle to sharpen their skills and gain as much knowledge as possible about hacking. Their ultimate goal is to be an experienced hacked.
What are their motives? They want to enhance their hacking skills.
➡Script Kiddies
Script hackers are very enthusiastic regarding hacking and make up for their shortcomings by installing malware from different sources. While they are not very talented in the hacking field, these hackers use other means like buying tools and scripts on the internet to cause damage.
What are their motives? They like to cause some damage.
➡Blue Hat Hackers
Blue hat hackers, similar to white hat hackers, are hired by companies and organizations. However, these hackers get paid to find vulnerabilities in software or networks before releasing them out to the world.
What are their motives? They find loopholes in the software to ensure that it is bug-free.
➡Red Hat Hackers
Red hat hackers get hired by government agencies to stop black hat hackers in their tracks. They solely focus on bringing down all the black hat hackers who threaten the security systems. Red hat hackers use the same tactics a black hat hacker does and stop at nothing to outwit them.
What are their motives? They work to take down black hat hackers.
➡Wistleblower Hackers
Whistleblower hackers are the ones in disguise as an employee of a company. However, their purpose is to leak the confidential information of that company. The reasons can vary from grudge to exposing unusual activities of an organization.
What are their motives? They try to expose the vulnerabilities of the company they work in.
➡Hacktivists
Hacktivists attack government agencies or networks to bring light upon an unnoticed issue. They aim to work on a social cause by hacking into government agencies.
What are their motives? They strive to bring attention to a political issue.
Are you in search of ways to protect your website from hackers? Well, I have one solution for you: The hide My WP security plugin. Here are some features you could find helpful for your website:
⟫ It can help you hide your WordPress website from hackers, bots, plugins, and theme detectors.
⟫ You can use the plugin to hide the default Login Page of your website.
⟫ You can protect your website by hiding or changing the source code elements with the help of the plugin.
⟫ It has an IDS firewall that will help block attacks like XSS, SQL injection, CSRF, Command Injection, and more.
⟫ It will block spam from your website.
Conclusion
Hackers are everyone. You cannot escape them unless you dispose of everything connected to the internet, which you can not. However, taking proper measures to prevent web attacks on your website can do the trick.
All you need to do is research on possible vulnerabilities of websites and remedy those security issues.