Hacking is the act conducted toward breaking or any attempt to break into computer systems. Cracking is a bit different from hacking but in some occasions, hackers use cracking techniques to support and accomplish their work. Crackers focus on breaking authentication security for software and systems while hackers can write, use or modify programs to attack any level of computer and/or network.
There are 3 types of hackers; they are classified depending on their regular tendency and intention. Some hackers are not harmful but most non-professional hackers are harmful and fraudulent because they hack for financial gains, i.e: hacking of individual, commercial, or government websites and systems for payment, stealing of credit cards, hacking of bank accounts and transferring of money from various bank accounts to another. As hackers are well known for attacking systems while crackers are known for bypassing software and application authentication, and those who target and conduct attacks toward or through telecommunication systems are called Phreakers.
Who is a hacker, and the difference between hackers, developers, and programmers?
- A Hacker is any skilled computer programmer who can make, modify, and use programs to attack computers or discover security vulnerabilities, and these vulnerabilities are used for breaking into computer systems. Hacker is an intelligent, creative, and open-minded person who enjoys problem-solving, learning, and sharing. A hacker and developer is a programmer while a hacker is more creative and skillful than many programmers and developers but A programmer and hacker are not educated to be considered a developer.
- A Developer is a formally trained programmer who can solve problems and makes programs in accordance with a set of design and implementation principles that may include performance, maintainability, and security.
- A programmer is a person who can solve problems by manipulating code. programmers have a wide range of skills and know various and several programming languages. In computer security, a hacker means multiple things namely Penetration Tester and Security Engineer. A Penetration Tester is a programmer who by authority scans computers to discover security weaknesses and tries to deafest their security control. A Security engineer understands more, he is a developer who understands systems, and cyber crimes and can make security tools.
Types of hackers
In cyber security, we have three types of hackers with different colors of a hat (mind and their intention) namely: Black hat, White hat, and Grey hat hacker. As implied, black hat hackers are on the black side of hacking, there hackers are criminal hackers that have malicious intentions while on computers; they are also known as crackers. When black hacker creaks into computer systems or their intentions are to steal or damage data, they are also called financially motivated or criminal hackers.
White hat hackers are professionally trained and good-minded hackers known as Ethical Hackers. An ethical hacker is a hacker who hacks with authority and this hacker is an IT security professional who knows all types of cyberattacks and practically knows how to defend against all types of cyberattacks.
Gray hat hacker has a place between white-hat hacker and black hat hacker because this hacker has both minds in hacking. Most of these hackers are hackers developing from the back side of the hack to the white side of hacking or vice versa. Gray hacker explores for financial gain or for free to the public or specific person or groups of persons and he does not have any concern about how the exploits released are used.
Areas of hacking:
- Email Hacking
- OS Hacking
- Web Hacking
- Database Hacking
- Mobile Hacking
- Software Hacking
- Wireless Hacking
- Network Hacking
Conclusion:
In popular culture, hackers are popularly known as computer criminals and they are also called attackers in another way round. Cyber security studies and exposure to information technology have differentiated and made it clear that the types of hackers are known according to their personality, behavior, and intention on computer systems. Hackers, crackers, or phreakers are all commonly called hackers because all hackers are equipped with cracking and phreaking skills, a cracker will remain a cracker while a phreaker will remain a phreaker but both can develop gradually for becoming and learning how to become a hacker because hacking required more skill that includes network and programming skills.
