Hacking has been a part of computing for almost five
decades and it is a very broad discipline, which covers a wide range of topics.
The first known event of hacking had taken place in 1960 at MIT and at the same
time, the term "Hacker" was originated.
Hacking is the act of finding the possible entry points
that exist in a computer system or a computer network and finally entering into
them. Hacking is usually done to gain unauthorized access to a computer system
or a computer network, either to harm the systems or to steal sensitive
information available on the computer.
Hacking is usually legal as long as it is being done to
find weaknesses in a computer or network system for testing purpose. This sort
of hacking is what we call Ethical
Hacking.
A computer expert who does the act of hacking is called a
"Hacker". Hackers are those who seek knowledge, to understand how
systems operate, how they are designed, and then attempt to play with these
systems.
Types of Hacking
We can segregate hacking into different categories, based on what is being
hacked. Here is a set of examples:
• Website Hacking: Hacking a website means
taking unauthorized control over a web server and its associated software such
as databases and other interfaces.
• Network Hacking: Hacking a network means
gathering information about a network by using tools like Telnet, NS lookup,
Ping, Tracert, Netstat, etc. with the intent to harm the network system and
hamper its operation.
• Email Hacking: It includes getting
unauthorized access on an Email account and using it without taking the consent
of its owner.
• Ethical Hacking: Ethical hacking
involves finding weaknesses in a computer or network system for testing purpose
and finally getting them fixed.
• Password Hacking: This
is the process of recovering secret passwords from data that has been stored in
or transmitted by a computer system.
• Computer Hacking: This
is the process of stealing computer ID and password by applying hacking methods
and getting unauthorized access to a computer system.
Advantages of Hacking
Hacking is quite useful in the following scenarios:
• To recover lost information, especially in case you lost your password.
• To perform penetration testing to strengthen computer and network security.
• To put adequate preventative measures in place to prevent security breaches.
• To have a computer system that prevents malicious hackers from gaining access.
Disadvantages of Hacking
Hacking is quite dangerous if it is done with harmful
intent. It can cause:
• Massive
security breach.
• Unauthorized
system access on private information.
• Privacy
violation.
• Hampering
system operation.
• Denial
of service attacks
• Malicious
attack on the system.
Purpose of Hacking
There could be various positive and negative intentions
behind performing hacking activities. Here is a list of some probable reasons
why people indulge in hacking activities:
• Just
for fun
• Show-off
• Steal
important information
• Damaging
the system
• Hampering
privacy
• Money
extortion
• To
break policy compliance
Hackers can be classified into different categories
such as white hat, black hat, and grey hat, based on their intent of hacking a
system. These different terms come from old Spaghetti Westerns, where the bad
guy wears a black cowboy hat and the good guy wears a white hat.
White Hat Hackers
White Hat hackers are also known as Ethical Hackers. They never intent to harm a system, rather they
try to find out weaknesses in a computer or a network system as a part of
penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.
Ethical hacking is not illegal and it is one of the
demanding jobs available in the IT industry. There are numerous companies that
hire ethical hackers for penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.
Black Hat Hackers
Black Hat hackers, also known as crackers,
are those who hack in order to gain unauthorized access to a system and harm
its operations or steal sensitive information.
Black Hat hacking is always illegal because of its bad
intent which includes stealing corporate data, violating privacy, damaging the
system, blocking network communication, etc.
Grey Hat Hackers
Grey hat hackers are a blend of both black hat and white
hat hackers. They act without malicious intent but for their fun, they exploit
a security weakness in a computer system or network without the owner’s
permission or knowledge.
Their intent is to bring the weakness to the attention of
the owners and getting appreciation or a little bounty from the owners.
Miscellaneous Hackers
Apart from the above well-known classes of hackers, we have
the following categories of hackers based on what they hack and how they do it:
Red Hat Hackers
Red hat hackers are again a blend of both black hat and
white hat hackers. They are usually on the level of hacking government
agencies, top-secret information hubs, and generally anything that falls under
the category of sensitive information.
Blue Hat Hackers
A blue hat hacker is someone outside computer security
consulting firms who is used to bug-test a system prior to its launch. They
look for loopholes that can be exploited and try to close these gaps. Microsoft
also uses the term BlueHat to
represent a series of security briefing events.
Elite Hackers
This is a social status among hackers, which is used to describe
the most skilled. Newly discovered exploits will circulate among these hackers.
Script Kiddie
A script kiddie is a non-expert who breaks into computer
systems by using pre-packaged automated tools written by others, usually with
little understanding of the underlying concept, hence the term Kiddie.
Neophyte
A neophyte, "n00b", or "newbie" or
"Green Hat Hacker" is someone who is new to hacking or phreaking and
has almost no knowledge or experience of the workings of technology and
hacking.
Hacktivist
A hacktivist is a hacker who utilizes technology to
announce a social, ideological, religious, or political message. In general,
most hacktivism involves website defacement or denialof-service attacks.
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