The term "hacker" used to conjure images of a dark room dimly lit by a computer screen, with a person hunched over a keyboard typing furiously as text flies through their screen. Of course, the reality is very different these days, and professional hackers come in a variety of different types.
Black Hat Hackers
This is the type of hackers you might think of as a "classic" hacker. These are the people who take their knowledge and skills and use it for personal gain. Whether that personal gain is monetary, fame, or something else is largely dependent on the individual black hat as they often have a myriad of reasons for their actions. Pretty much any time you hear about a hack on the news, you can assume a black hat was involved.
White Hat Hackers
On the opposite end of the ethical spectrum are white hat hackers. These are individuals who look for hacks or exploits in systems that they have explicit permission to try and hack. While this may seem counterintuitive (why would a company want someone to try and break into their system?), it's actually a very effective method of system hardening. By identifying vulnerabilities and addressing them, these kinds of hackers work to make the systems we use every day less susceptible to bad actors who would otherwise compromise them.
Grey Hat Hackers
Grey hat hackers are neither malicious like black hats nor are they benevolent like white hats. While white hats will get explicit permission or even be employed by a company to break into a system, and black hats will break into any system for personal gain, grey hats usually have a different motivation. Whether it be genuine curiosity, boredom, or just because they think they can, grey hat hackers will look for vulnerabilities in systems but instead of exploiting them for personal gain, they often try to report their findings to the administrators of the systems. This is why grey hat findings tend to be controversial as they are usually admitting they broke the law when they report their findings. Still they serve as an important part of the security ecosystems as grey hats have been responsible for finding some very serious potential zero day bugs.
Conclusion
The field of professional hacking is changing rapidly. In the not too distant past, hackers were seen as a universal scourge for large companies. A perpetual shadow that could bring a storm at any moment without warning. Today, most companies see the value of finding the flaws in their systems before someone else does and employ their own teams of hackers to ensure that the systems you and I rely on every day operate smoothly and as intended. This evolution has shifted cybersecurity from one of reactive defense to one of proactive protection. So the next time you swipe your credit card without fear of your information being stolen, thank your local hacker!
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