Cybercrime

what is a hacker

A hacker is a person who breaks into a computer system. The reasons for hacking can be many: installing malware, stealing or destroying data, disrupting service, and more. Hacking can also be done for ethical reasons, such as trying to find software vulnerabilities so they can be fixed.

What is hacking?

Hacking refers to activities that seek to compromise digital devices, such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and even entire networks. And while hacking might not always be for malicious purposes, nowadays most references to hacking, and hackers, characterize it/them as unlawful activity by cybercriminals—motivated by financial gain, protest, information gathering (spying), and even just for the “fun” of the challenge.

Definition of hacking

 Hacking is an attempt to exploit a computer system or a private network inside a computer. Simply put, it is the unauthorised access to or control over computer network security systems for some illicit purpose.

Types of hackers

The security community has informally used references to hat color as a way different types of hacker are identified, usually divided into three types: white hat, black hat and gray hat.

White hat hackers, also known as ethical hackers, strive to operate in the public's best interest, rather than to create turmoil. Many white hat hackers work doing penetration testing, hired to attempt to break into the company's networks to find and report on security vulnerabilities. The security firms then help their customers mitigate security issues before criminal hackers can exploit them.

Black hat hackers intentionally gain unauthorized access to networks and systems with malicious intent, whether to steal data, spread malware or profit from ransomware, vandalize or otherwise damage systems or for any other reason -- including gaining notoriety. Black hat hackers are criminals by definition because they violate laws against accessing systems without authorization, but they may also engage in other illegal activity, including identity theft and distributed denial-of-service attacks.

Gray hat hackers fall somewhere between white hat hackers and black hat hackers. While their motives may be similar to those of white hat hackers, gray hats are more likely than white hat hackers to access systems without authorization; at the same time, they are more likely than black hat hackers to avoid doing unnecessary damage to the systems they hack. Although they aren't typically -- or only -- motivated by money, gray hat hackers may offer to fix vulnerabilities they have discovered through their own, unauthorized, activities rather than using their knowledge to exploit vulnerabilities for illegal profit.

How does hacking work

Hackers breach defenses to gain unauthorized access into computers, phones, tablets, IoT devices, networks, or entire computing systems. Hackers also take advantage of weaknesses in network security to gain access. The weaknesses can be technical or social in nature.

Technical weaknesses: Hackers can exploit software vulnerabilities or weak security practices to gain unauthorized access or inject malware, for example.Social 

weaknesses: Hackers can also use social engineering to convince those with privileged access to targeted systems to click on malicious links, open infected files, or reveal personal information, thereby gaining access to otherwise hardened infrastructures.

Who was the first hacker in history?

John Draper, also known as Captain Crunch, is often named as the first ever hacker. And rather than having lots of high-tech hacking tools at his disposal, he managed to do it all with a toy whistle from a cereal packet. Here’s how:

Back in the early 1970s, the largest computer network accessible to the general public was the telephone system. And at the time, telephones were managed by an automated system that used specific analogue frequencies to place calls. Draper managed to exploit this using a toy whistle that came free in boxes of Cap’n Crunch cereal (hence the nickname). He would use this to make free long distance and international calls. This technique was known as “Phreaking”.

Collected from: Wikipedia, Malware bytes, Searchsecurity,