By Gyorgy Joseph – Cybersecurity Expert and Penetration Tester at Squad
Hackers (or computer pirates) often get bad press. Behind the myths, often perpetuated by movies or popular imagination, the reality of hacking is more nuanced. In fact, there are different types of hackers, each with their own motivations. Here is an overview of the different types of hackers.
White, gray, black, activist, phreaker, or script kiddie... who are hackers?
Ethical hacker (or white hat): This is a hacker who breaks into the systems of companies or organizations with the aim of correcting security flaws. Their work also involves carrying out penetration tests (pentests).
Grey hat: Acomputer hacker who falls between ethical hackers and black hats. They break into computer systems without authorization in order to identify weaknesses and reveal vulnerabilities to the owner of the system concerned.
Black hat: Ahacker who gains personal advantage from unauthorized access to a computer or server. Black hats often intend to steal sensitive data, violate privacy rights, etc.
Hacktivist: A militant computer hacker who uses hacking to convey social, political, or religious messages. Hacktivists generally hijack existing websites.
Phreaker: A computer hacker who specializes in identifying and exploiting security weaknesses in telephones rather than computers.
Script kiddie (or lamer): An individual who is not qualified in cybersecurity and who uses existing tools to access computer systems.
What motivates hackers?
Hackers have many motivations. In addition to the "challenge" that hacking represents for a hacker, there are six main types of motivations, which are often combined:
- Lucrative: cybermercenaries, agencies
- Ideological: Hacktivists, cyberterrorists, cyberpatriots
- State: Specialized units
- Playful: Attackers without technical knowledge or script kiddies
- Technical: Experienced hackers or developers
- Pathological: Avengers, disgruntled employees.
See also: Meet Gaël Musquet, resident hacker at QWANT.
