9 Types of Hacker You Should Know

A Hacker is someone who spots and exploits weaknesses in computer systems or networks to gain unauthorized access. As per Cyberseek, the US alone has employed around 715,000 Cybersecurity experts.

Hackers are usually classified based on their intent of hacking a system and here’s a list of different types of Hackers and what they do.

Black Hat Hacker
Someone who violates computer security for personal gain or maliciousness.

White Hat Hacker
Someone who uses hacking skills to protect organizations from threats. They actively search for flaws that can be patched before a cybercriminal tries to penetrate the system.

Grey Hat Hacker
Someone who violates laws and typical ethical standards but does not have the malicious intent typical of a Black Hat Hacker.

Blue Hat Hacker
Someone who bug tests and checks for vulnerabilities in a system before its launch. Blue Hat Hacker refers to the security professional invited by Microsoft to find vulnerabilities in Windows.

Red Hat Hacker
Someone who is a vigilante and targets Linux systems.

Elite Hackers
Someone who is identified as an expert in their line of work by the community.

Green Hat Hacker
Someone who is a newbie to hacking but is working passionately to excel at it.

Script Kiddie
Someone who is an unskilled individual who uses scripts or programs to attack computer systems, networks, and websites.

Hacktivist
Someone who uses hacking to bring about political and social change.

Often the word “Hacking” is used in a negative context however not all hackers are bad!. We hope this gives you an insight into the world of hacking and clears up the myth about all hackers being evil.