AB0UT HACKERS..............
In the computer security context, a hacker is someone who seeks and exploits weaknesses in a computer system or computer network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, or challenge. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground and is now a known community. While other uses of the word hacker exist that are not related to computer security, such as referring to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks, they are rarely used in mainstream context. They are subject to the long standing hacker definition controversy about the true meaning of the term hacker. In this controversy, the term hacker is reclaimed by computer programmers who argue that someone breaking into computers is better called a cracker, not making a difference between computer criminals (black hats) and computer security experts (white hats). Some white hat hackers claim that they also deserve the title hacker, and that only black hats should be called crackers.
In the computer security context, a hacker is someone who seeks and exploits weaknesses in a computer system or computer network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, or challenge. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground and is now a known community. While other uses of the word hacker exist that are not related to computer security, such as referring to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks, they are rarely used in mainstream context. They are subject to the long standing hacker definition controversy about the true meaning of the term hacker. In this controversy, the term hacker is reclaimed by computer programmers who argue that someone breaking into computers is better called a cracker, not making a difference between computer criminals (black hats) and computer security experts (white hats). Some white hat hackers claim that they also deserve the title hacker, and that only black hats should be called crackers.
History
Further information: Timeline of computer security hacker history
Bruce Sterling traces part of the roots of the computer underground to the Yippies, a 1960s counterculture movement which published the Technological Assistance Program (TAP) newsletter.[citation needed] TAP was a phone phreaking newsletter that taught the techniques necessary for the unauthorized exploration of the phone network. Many people from the phreaking community are also active in the hacking community even today, and vice versa.
Classifications
Several subgroups of the computer underground with different attitudes use different terms to demarcate themselves from each other, or try to exclude some specific group with which they do not agree.
Eric S. Raymond (author of The New Hacker's Dictionary) advocates that members of the computer underground should be called crackers. Yet, those people see themselves as hackers and even try to include the views of Raymond in what they see as one wider hacker culture, a view harshly rejected by Raymond himself. Instead of a hacker/cracker dichotomy, they give more emphasis to a spectrum of different categories, such as white hat, grey hat, black hat and script kiddie. In contrast to Raymond, they usually reserve the term cracker for more malicious activity.
According to Ralph D. Clifford, a cracker or cracking is to "gain unauthorized access to a computer in order to commit another crime such as destroying information contained in that system". These subgroups may also be defined by the legal status of their activities.
White hat
Main article: White hat
A white hat hacker breaks security for non-malicious reasons, perhaps to test their own security system or while working for a security company which makes security software. The term "white hat" in Internet slang refers to an ethical hacker. This classification also includes individuals who perform penetration tests and vulnerability assessments within a contractual agreement. The EC-Council,[8] also known as the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants, is one of those organizations that have developed certifications, course-ware, classes, and online training covering the diverse arena of Ethical Hacking.
Black hat
A "black hat" hacker is a hacker who "violates computer security for little reason beyond maliciousness or for personal gain" (Moore, 2005).[9] Black hat hackers form the stereotypical, illegal hacking groups often portrayed in popular culture, and are "the epitome of all that the public fears in a computer criminal". Black hat hackers break into secure networks to destroy data or make the network unusable for those who are authorized to use the network. Black hat hackers also are referred to as the "crackers" within the security industry and by modern programmers. Crackers keep the awareness of the vulnerabilities to themselves and do not notify the general public or manufacturer for patches to be applied. Individual freedom and accessibility is promoted over privacy and security. Once they have gained control over a system, they may apply patches or fixes to the system only to keep their reigning control. Richard Stallman invented the definition to express the maliciousness of a criminal hacker versus a white hat hacker that performs hacking duties to identify places to repair.
Grey hat
Main article: Grey hat
A grey hat hacker is a combination of a black hat and a white hat hacker. A grey hat hacker may surf the internet and hack into a computer system for the sole purpose of notifying the administrator that their system has a security defect, for example. Then they may offer to correct the defect for a fee.
Elite hacker
A social status among hackers, elite is used to describe the most skilled. Newly discovered exploits will circulate among these hackers. Elite groups such as Masters of Deceptionconferred a kind of credibility on their members.
Script kidd
A script kiddie (also known as a skid or skiddie) 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 script (i.e. a prearranged plan or set of activities) kiddie (i.e. kid, child—an individual lacking knowledge and experience, immature). A decoy and a bored internet buff, who is on the quest for aimless pleasure; a Script kiddie is someone who looks out to exploit vulnerabilities with not so much as trying to gain access to administrative or root access to the system. However, achieving it nonetheless and enjoying the enormous consequential implications thereof, which might be worth over millions to the affected party but is trivial and insignificant in the eyes of this buffoon whatsoever. An intruder, at the core, a Script Kiddie remains an unwanted invader whose twenty minutes of aimless pleasure pursuit can cost somebody else twenty years of his hard work and perseverance. Script kiddies can hence be potentially dangerous as compared to the hackers because by merely modifying the script whether it is in any language, they can destroy your system or even cause a major loss, the main reason being that they do not know what effect their changes in the web scripts would have on others. Script kiddies; grab any opportunity that comes their way. Though their methods of serving their intentions are simple, they can cause immense damage without even getting identified. This random opportunistic vandalism and theft can be very dangerous and needs to be brought in our areas of concern when we talk about safety of your computer against computer hacking, internet crimes, privacy, or theft in the true sense of the term. Though there is no such master program which ensures complete security against such amateur yet skillful script kiddies, one can at most do his best to ensure that the chances of their system being hacked is reduced to minimum by using various techniques and tactics. As told earlier a script kiddie is not actually an expert but a complete amateur in this field, who keeps his tool simple. Their trick remains simpler, that is, modification of a program written by a pro. The programs are easily available on the internet and with a little bit of modification they become dangerous viruses out on a roll on the internet spreading as fast as they can. The work is indeed simple and one does not need to be computer expert to master all the harmful tasks. The need of the hour is to restrict the toolkit available to the common. The script kiddies usually search for loopholes. They do not bear any grudge against anyone in particular. Rather they target anyone or any IP address from the long list of IP addresses available to them. The tools could be even made simpler. As reported by an expert at Kaspersky Lab, David Jacoby, that now creating a harmful program was just a matter of few clicks or you could say that it requires only two clicks to create a program that could harm any computer. “Today I found a new tool which will allow anyone to create a malicious program with just a few simple mouse clicks. This being among the latest news that has only made the job of a script kiddie all the more easier.”
Neophyte
A neophyte, "n00b", or "newbie" is someone who is new to hacking or phreaking and has almost no knowledge or experience of the workings of technology, and hacking.
Blue hat
A blue hat hacker is someone outside computer security consulting firms who is used to bug test a system prior to its launch, looking for exploits so they can be closed. Microsoftalso uses the term Blueto represent a series of security briefing events.
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 denial-of-service attacks.
Nation state
Intelligence agencies and cyberwarfare operatives of nation states.
Organized criminal gangs
Groups of hackers that carry out organized criminal activities for profit.
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