Hackers! For too long we have associated this name with a person wearing a hoodie, sitting in a darkened room, using a computer with a lot of wires and probably trying to steal our funds or information that affects national security. Furthermore, Hollywood has always depicted Hackers as amoral beings who want to piggyback off others’ assets. The closest that they came to show what hackers are truly like was with the Matrix trilogy. Even then, they had to go ahead and fantasies the entire world and make our reality into an illusion. In order to break prejudice mindsets and know more about what ethical hacking is all about we have a made a list of the different type of hackers and what they actually do.

1. White Hat

The good guys! White hat hackers are cyber security experts and geniuses who are officially employed by corporations to keep their network safe and secure from any type of breaches. They search the network for any loopholes or any vulnerabilities that can be exploited by Black Hat hackers, resulting in loss of up to millions of dollars at a time. If and when one’s network is attacked, they are the ones who come to the rescue by trying to minimize damage that being done by a malicious attack.

2. Black Hat

The bad guys! These are the hackers that are shown in the many Hollywood movies. They consider themselves above the law and are hence, always on the lookout for vulnerabilities in corporate and banking networks. They do so for selfish financial gains and also for malicious intent when they try to hack in to operations dealing with national security and safety. They often upload ransomware and malware onto networks hoping to exploit any vulnerability or loophole that hasn’t been detected by the White hat hackers.

3. Grey Hat

The mercenaries! Just like there is no black and white in life, similarly in the hacker community, the color grey brings about a sense of balance. Grey hat hackers are technically sound individuals which are available for hire irrespective of the task at hand. They can either hack in to networks and cause losses or be employed by the same and work in a manner similar to that of white hat hackers. The fine line of difference between the White hat and grey hat hacker is that the white hat finds network vulnerabilities privately while the grey hat does it publicly. This can then be further exploited by Black hat hackers!

Also Read : How Do Hackers Monetize Stolen Data? 

4. Red Hat

The Vigilantes! There is no stopping a Red Hat Hacker once they are on a warpath. They are quite similar to white hat hackers but, they don’t report a flaw or vulnerability. They keep an eye on it, and if a Black hat hacker tries to exploit it, they attack the Black hat hacker with everything they got i.e. ransomware, malware and multiple viruses. They can’t be employed by corporations as they do not believe in consumerism.

5. Green Hat

The Newbies! Eager to learn newbies of the hacking world, they prefer to surf hundreds of different chat rooms and try and ask a zillion type of questions to the community seniors. If channeled properly, they can have the potential to become cyber security experts and work as white hat hackers.

6. Blue Hat

The Freelancers! This group of hackers are outsiders who are hired on a temporary basis to find flaws in a network. When they are given access to a network, they work in tango to the White hat hackers of the company.

7. Script Kiddie

The Village Idiot! Having no plan of action or direction, Script Kiddies are wannabe hackers who fumble and flummox their way into a network. They usually manage to do so by changing the pre-existing scripts or by using automated tools that have been created by other hackers, on any network.

Must Read : Tips to Secure your iPhone Data from Hackers

There you have it folks! The different type of hackers and what they do. Now, if ever Hollywood showcases a hacker, you shall know what type it is and what it is supposed to do.