Getting hacked isn’t just a concern for corporations and businesses. As an average internet user, hacking affects you too.
In order to keep yourself safe online, you need to understand what you’re protecting yourself against, and it’s not just viruses. So what are the different types of hackers? And what motivates these cybercriminals?
What Is Hacking?
In simple words, hacking is when someone accesses data or files without their owner’s permission. And while hackers have the stereotypical image of a mysterious person in a dark room, typing zeros and ones on a black screen, that’s rarely the case.
Hacking can simply be someone guessing your password and logging into your accounts without your knowledge. It’s also considered hacking if they access your account or device because you forgot to log out, as you didn’t give them permission.
As more people depend on online accounts and digital devices to store sensitive data, understanding the types of risks is key to staying safe. Hackers are categorized by their motivation and intention. These motivations range from financial gain to ideological reasons and sometimes just fun and passing time.
But instead of ending up with countless categories depending on individual cases, hacking is mainly divided into three types: black-, gray-, and white-hat hacking.
What Is Black-Hat Hacking?
You can easily identify black-hat hackers for their malicious intent.
A black-hat hacker is after personal gain at the expense of others. They may be directly stealing money from companies or copying user data, breaching user privacy, and harming a business’s reputation.
However, the goal isn’t always getting money or data. Sometimes, their motive is ideological.
They attack because someone doesn’t have the same beliefs as them.
Note that black-hat hackers don’t always target companies and businesses, but individuals as well. Notable examples of black-hat hacking aimed at individuals are fake customer support call centers and phishing emails.
Those both rely heavily on social engineering, i.e. tricking you into giving sensitive information away such as your social security number and login credentials.
What Is Gray-Hat Hacking?
You might have heard of this term too, so what exactly is a gray-hat hacker? Gray-hat hackers operate in a gray area—hence the name.
While their actions often break the law, they typically have good intentions, which leaves them in a morally ambiguous area between public support and opposition.
In terms of hacking, gray-hat hackers often use similar methods to black-hat hackers to gain unauthorized access to classified data and private accounts.
Gray-hat hackers often leak data and information they believe should be public knowledge. They sometimes reveal evidence and information to criminalize a person, an institute, or a public figure, acting as a whistleblower.
While the majority of people aren’t scared of gray-hat hackers, the fact that they resort to shady tactics and illegal methods to get what they want makes many believe that gray-hat hacking is a slippery slope towards black-hat hacking.
Also, instead of being bound by the law of their state or country, victims of gray-hat hackers are often at the mercy of the hacker’s moral compass.
What Is White-Hat Hacking?
White-hat hacking—also known as ethical hacking—is a legal type of hacking. It’s mostly used by cybersecurity experts to test their networks and devices against black- and gray-hat hackers.
White-hat hackers don’t generally operate on their own. Instead, they’re hired by a company or an individual to try and hack into their system, database, or device to locate weak points and vulnerabilities.
In this case, they’re working both within ethical and legal bounds, with their motivations mostly financial gain from companies they work with and strengthening cybersecurity measures.
In addition to making sure a company’s software and hardware are impenetrable, white-hat hackers often test the employees’ cybersecurity awareness by staging social engineering attacks to see which are effective and the percentage of employees that fall for them.
Now that most businesses have some form of online presence, the ethical hacking industry is worth close to $4 billion.
That makes ethical hacking an excellent career path for the cybersecurity enthusiast who wants to do good and play by the rules.
How Do You Keep Yourself Safe From Hackers?
Since there’s no need to protect yourself from white-hat hackers, that leaves you with black- and gray-hat hackers to worry about. And while a business can hire cybersecurity professionals to handle their security, you still need to take matters into your own hands.
Use a Password Manager
The number one way to avoid getting hacked by a professional or amateur hacker is using strong passwords. But that can be difficult the more login details you have to remember.
Using a trusted password manager means you only have to remember one strong password that safe-keeps all your usernames and passwords—you could randomly generate these to ensure maximum security.
Limit Your Digital Footprint
Your digital footprint is the trail of information you leave behind every time you use the internet.
You might feel it’s unimportant and minuscule. But it could help hackers execute targeted social engineering attacks through phone calls or phishing emails.
Set Self-Destruct Buttons
Self-destruct buttons might feel like an unnecessary precaution. However, they generally mean having remote control of your devices and accounts.
They allow you to log out of your accounts or even delete a device’s data in case you lose it or it’s stolen. That’s particularly important with your password manager, private files, emails, and financial information.
Avoid Suspicious Websites and Software
Compromised websites and software can invite hackers right into your device.
Avoid giving out private information or passwords on unsecured websites that don’t have a valid SSL certificate.
Never download untrustworthy files or software from unknown sources, such as unsolicited emails.
Safe-Guard Your Hardware
Keeping your data safe isn’t solely about strong passwords and installing the latest antivirus software. You need to physically protect your devices from theft and unauthorized access.
Make sure you never lend your laptop or smartphone to strangers unsupervised and avoid leaving them unattended.
Encrypt Your Devices
In case someone manages to get a hold of your hardware, you need to keep them encrypted. This means using a passcode on your smartphone, for instance.
This includes major devices and storage units like USB sticks and external hard drives.
Taking Things a Step Further
There’s always room to improve your security without abandoning all modern tech.
But since potential threats are always evolving, your best option is staying up-to-date on the latest attacks that target individual users and learning more about cybersecurity.
Image Credit: Nahel Abdul Hadi/Unsplash.