White Hat, Black Hat & Grey Hat Hacking – Meaning & Difference

Today we all know how technological advancements have increased in every corner of the world. It has made work easier and helped businesses grow significantly. But, it has come with several cons as well. It has made businesses suffer because of cyber fraud. We all know how hacking has affected the business of every kind. The term hacking doesn't go well with anyone these days. But there is a lot more to "White Hat Black Hat & Grey Hat Hacking: ".

We are here to help you understand different forms of hacking that can not only help your business remain secure but also assist you in making the most out of the technologies. We are going to discuss;

• Black Hat Hacking
• White Hat Hacking
• Grey Hat Hacking

#1 Black Hat Hacking

The ones who are going to get into your system network through different malicious means are acknowledged as black hat hackers. They are going to send you all the malicious attachments through which they can enter your system or network and eventually get access to your business data.

This can literally give them access to misuse your business network, steal data and passwords, and run away with all that can make your business shut down.
Mostly black hackers perform these activities to gain finances, take revenge, or anything else. They have different tools and techniques with them that allow them to execute the respective action successfully. In fact, the ones who are skilled in this domain can literally run businesses that act as legit and eventually perform fraudulent activities without any hassle.
Because of this, several businesses across the world have been affected, and it has cost millions and millions of losses, still counting. There are different types of black hat hacking being followed to get hold of the network or system and get the data they are looking for. Take a look below at a few of the popular black hat hacking techniques:

• Sending phishing messages.
• Stealing personal details
• Selling business information.
• Executing cyberattacks.
• Carrying out financial fraud.
• Blackmailing victims
• Ransomware attacks.
• And more.

Hopefully, you got an idea about what black hat hacking is and how it can affect your business. But, the attackers employ different strategies to perform the black hat hacking approach to get hold of your system. So, you need to be careful and be prepared all the time to keep the attackers at bay and eventually keep your business safe and secure.

Now that you are clear about what black hat hacking is, let's move on to the next segment of white hat hacking.

#2. White Hat Hacking

Now that you have got an understanding of black hat hacking, you might think hacking is all about executing fraudulent activities. But, not many know that the only way to beat the black hat hackers in getting access to their business system is through hacking itself. Yes, hacking is the only solution to help your business remain secure and safe from black hat hackers.

We are talking about White hat hacking. It is a process where the hacker is going to step ahead and get hold of all the loopholes that can give access to the fraudsters. They are going to let you know about all the gaps that you have in your system that can cost. They are also acknowledged as ethical hackers as they are working for the system, not against it. They are basically the GOOD hackers that help businesses be ahead of the BAD hackers and help them protect their data in every which way.

The white hackers perform all the actions that help them understand the present situation of business IT infrastructure. Accordingly, they prepare a strategy and solution that can help them cover all the possible reasons that allow the black hat hackers to make an inroad and get access to your data. They take care of all the security flaws and recommend that businesses improve their security, which can assist them in serving their clients and customers swiftly.

Take a look at the steps below taken by white hat hackers to stay ahead in the game when compared to black hat hackers:

Social engineering, where they connect with the employees regularly to check the internal leaks or frauds. Pentesting is another technique followed by white hat hackers that helps them find the issues within the business IT infrastructure that can cause big damage. Constant research and auditing of the business system to keep it protected from the latest security threats. Using different tools and technologies that can help them with an alert whenever there is a possibility of an attack and assist them in recovering from it quickly.

These are the aspects that are covered by the white hacker to help businesses remain secure and sound all the time. Hopefully, you got complete clarity about how they help businesses keep working stress-free.

Now that you are clear about white hat hacking and black hat hacking let's jump to the world of grey hat hacking and understand what it is all about.

#3. Grey Hat Hacking

Grey is a combination of white and black colour. The same goes with the grey hat hacking as well. It is basically a blend of white and black hat hacking techniques. Basically, these types of hackers are always looking for risks, vulnerabilities, and gaps that can be exposed and that too without any authority or permission. But, they do not misuse the same and instead let the business owners know about the same. This means that the grey hat hacking experts are going to let the business owners know about the issues they have in their business system that can be misused and ask them to get the same fixed as the quickest.

Basically, grey hackers believe that they are doing a world of good for businesses by getting their websites or platforms hacked and letting them know about it. Eventually, it helps businesses as they know how things can be impacted. But, yes, not many business owners appreciate the unauthorised access to their business system and data and rarely appreciate the service of grey hat hacking experts.

The grey hat hackers are basically the NGOs of the cybersecurity world where the hackers just do a charity of helping the businesses owner know about the flaws in their systems and network. They are working to contribute to the world of cybersecurity and make a name out of it publicly.

Hopefully, you got complete clarity about what grey hat hacking is all about and how businesses can get affected because of it. Now that you are clear about all types of hacking, it is important that you understand the key differences between the same and also how to keep yourself protected from the attack. Move on.

Differences

Motive

1. Black hat hacker looks for personal gain.
2. White hat hackers look for business gain.
3. Grey hat hackers look for both personal and business gains.

Approach

1. Black hat hackers access the system illegally.
2. White hat hackers access the system legally.
3. Grey hat hackers access the system illegally.

Outcome

1. Black hat hackers weaken the business system.
2. White hat hackers add security to the business system.
3. Grey hat hackers help businesses to find their weak spots.
4. Tips to Protect Yourself From Hackers

Now that you have clarity about all types of hacking techniques, it is important that you imply all the best techniques that can help you keep yourself away from attacks. A few of them are mentioned below. Take a look.

• Using difficult and complex passwords.
• Changing the passwords regularly.
• Not clicking on the links shared through unsolicited mails
• Make sure to use a secure website that is a website with a URL starting from "HTTPS://" not "HTTP://".
• Not using public Wi-Fi networks
• Deactivating the option of autofill
• Not installing third-party applications.
• Installing trusted antivirus and cybersecurity tools

Summary

Hopefully, you got complete clarity about the three hacking techniques and how businesses are going to be impacted by them. We also helped you with a few of the steps that can assist you in keeping your business secure and safe from all types of fraudulent issues. This is why the demand for white hat hackers is getting higher, as it allows businesses to breathe easily. If you are thinking about pursuing white hat hacking courses, then you can consider connecting with the experts at Securium Solutions now! Good luck!