There are two most popular types of hackings - white hacking and black hacking. However, most people get perplexed as they don’t know the dissimilarity between these two types of hackers. In this blog, we will discuss White Hat Vs Black Hat Hackers.

Most of us associate the term "hacker" with cyber criminals. Not all hackers, though, are crooks. Some businesses hire them to prevent cyber threats. Based on their aim of hacking a system, hackers are broadly divided into White Hat and Black Hat Hackers. This blog will teach us more about these two types of hackers and their methods. We'll also look at the distinction between White Hat and Black Hat hackers.

What is a black hat hacker?

A black hat hacker more closely reflects the usual media images of hackers. Black hats are infamous for using their technological skills to wreak harm and scam others. They typically have expertise and understanding in breaking into computer networks, conducting various cyberattacks, writing malware, and circumventing security standards. They get access to systems without the permission of the owners, and their goals are not pure.

But what motivates black hat hackers? Motives of black hat hackers frequently include:

• Trying to make money,
• Ruining someone’s reputation for revenge,
• Proving their religion/social extremist views,
• Working on political agendas, and
• Gaining notoriety.

Some black hat hackers hack solely to cause confusion and terror. In certain situations, it appears that black hat hackers take sadistic enjoyment in harming a person's or company's reputation, disrupting government operations, or destroying crucial data. Some of them may become hooked to hacking and derive a sense of accomplishment from compromising a system or defrauding someone.

What black hat hackers do

Black hat hackers are commonly involved in the following actions:

I. Create malware and other malicious code

Malware is short for malicious software. Some of the most popular malware kinds include-

• Viruses,
• Trojan horses,
• Computer worms,
• Botnets,
• Rootkits.

Black hat hackers create and disseminate malware in order to compromise the security posture of a system or device.

II. Deploy phishing attacks

Black hat hackers use various social engineering methods to mislead or manipulate individuals into doing things they shouldn't in order to propagate malware or swindle people. Here are a few examples:

• Sending phishing emails or SMS messages imitating the person, company, or institution victims' trust.
• Requesting money transfers in response to a bogus emergency or charitable donations.
• Attempting to persuade customers to download bogus products or services.
• Hiding malware in email attachments or links.

When comparing white hacking and black hacking, the former includes developed tools to identify phishing frauds, whereas the latter uses phishing tactics to commit cybercrime.

III. Exploit the security vulnerabilities

Vulnerabilities are defects in software or weak points in IT systems that hackers can exploit. But did you realise that there are really lists of common vulnerabilities that may be found in the public domain? One such example is the list of typical security flaws and exposures from MITRE.

So, in this case, how would one compare a black hat hacker to a white hat hacker? Black hat hackers are constantly on the lookout for these vulnerabilities in order to exploit them for personal benefit. As a result, consumers who utilise older versions of operating systems, software, themes, plugins, or apps are easy targets for black hat hackers. White hat hackers also look for software defects, but their goal is to assist software publishers and device makers in closing security gaps and fixing vulnerabilities.

IV. Conduct social engineering scams

Black hat hackers create false social media profiles of people you trust in order to trick you into disclosing confidential, personal, or financial information that they can then use fraudulently. They may even hijack social media profiles and transmit malware-infected links or attachments to the victim's contacts. Black hat hackers also exploit the information you reveal on social media to guess your credentials to overcome security systems.

What is a white hat hacker?

These are the good hackers who utilise their technical skills to keep the wprld safe from the bad guys. Ethical hackers are an alternate term for white hat hackers. They're equally talented IT experts who own degrees and certifications in cybersecurity and ethical hacking. White hat hackers apply the same hacking tactics as black hat hackers, but they work legally and with the authorisation or approval of the system owners.

White hat hackers are very common, and you may be surprised to know that. White hat hackers are typically found in roles such as security specialists, information security analysts, pen-testers, and cyber security researchers. They work as freelancers or independent consultants as well. You could even get the opportunity to work with one or two of them at your organisation.

White hat hackers’ intentions are to-

• Educate users about various cyber hazards and how to avoid them.
• Recognise susceptibilities and exploits in applications and infrastructure so associations can fix them.
• Help organisations strengthen their overall security posture.
• Create malware detection and removal programme.
• Make contingency measures in the case of a cyber assault.

What white hat hackers do

Now that we've established what white hat hackers are, let's look at some of the activities in which they are frequently involved:

I. Penetration testing

White hat hackers use penetration testing to uncover faults or security vulnerabilities in a computer system, software, network, or web application. White hat hackers, unlike black hat hackers, do this with the owner's approval.

Ethical hackers attempt to break into all entry points or launch various forms of cyber attacks on the system without causing any harm. They basically aim to find security flaws so that they may correct them before black hat hackers can exploit them. White hat hackers perform manual or automated penetration testing (pen testing) utilising various techniques and software.

II. Develop security products

White hat hackers include programmers who create security products such as antivirus, antimalware, antispyware, firewalls, browser security extensions, honeypots, and data filters. White hat hackers also provide tools and procedures for websites to use in detecting and mitigating cyber assaults, such as-

• DDoS attacks,
• Brute force attacks,
• Cross-site scripting, and
• SQL injections.

III. Help companies be compliant

Companies that handle sensitive user data must follow the security rules established in laws such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, and others. White hat hackers ensure that businesses are in compliance with the most recent laws and industry security requirements. This enables those firms to retain and build their consumers' trust while avoiding noncompliance fees.

IV. Educate users about cybersecurity

White hat hackers are frequently professors or researchers who teach people how to detect and prevent cyber threats. They also may build contingency plans that firms and organisations might deploy in the case of a disaster.

Difference between white hat and black hat hackers

Here are the fundamental distinctions between white hat and black hat hackers:

Conclusion

Now that you understand the major differences between white hat hacking and black hat hacking, we hope that the next time you hear the phrase "HACKER," you won't automatically think of the hoodie guy. Instead, we hope you'll take a moment to consider what kind of hacker someone is before jumping to conclusions. You can also become an ethical hacker by taking an online Ethical Hacking Course provided by FastInfo Class.