Hacking is such a interesting topic, that I’ve always found completely fascinated. Hacking explained in one of it’s outer most layers simply refers to the act of manipulating or modifying systems and or devices to achieve objectives aside from it’s original goal. Now trust me I know when you hear that you may picture some under the radar geek in a dark room, with dramatic motions and random characters floating across a computer screen like exaggerated in movies, but I can assure you it’s one of those situations where the phrase “everything is not what it seems” fits perfectly here. Even though hacking is often looked at in a negative spotlight, understandably due to it’s relationship with illegal acts ranging from all sizes, it also can be used for many positive things also. Understanding hacking becomes easier to grasp once the individual allow themselves to be open minded, and consider the evolution of it, and the possible impacts its able to have within society.
The early days of where hacking was first becoming in the computer world can easily be tracked all the way back to the 1950s, where hacking was first used a cool nerdy term, meaning how creative could one get inside of the programming world. Passionate programmers wanted to see how far could they achieve modifying code, letting their imaginations roam wherever it possibly could. This was nothing more than curiosity of a specific niche, just like any other lane of focus. When people become so comfortable and experienced with something, it’s natural for their minds to roam and wonder exactly how far they can go. In some cases it’s even possible for some individuals to not just wonder how far they could go, but just repeatedly push their limits.
At the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) there was even a club called the Tech Model Railroad Club, which was affiliated with early computer hackers, having originated many different hacking styles and traditions. The tech savvy individuals within the Tech Model Railroad Club, would go on to create the blueprint that would go on to become known as the hacker culture, which stood on the values of keen problem solving, adventuring, and attacking curiosity. These students primarily focused on exploring ways to manipulate and modify complex systems.
As time went on in the years and technology became more advanced and popularity increased throughout society, the presence of hacking gained an even larger amount of individuals. With the personal computer making a uproar in the 1980s, this was the perfect opportunity for individuals all throughout society who had curiosity for technology to finally get a taste and see what they can do when it came to modifying these complex systems. It allowed innocent individuals to see how far they could let their creative minds roam within the computer world, and make their ideas come to life. However, with this being possible, as all things we know comes a dark side too. As one side allowed the harmless developers to let their creative brains roam free, it also birthed a generation of hackers seeing exactly how far they can go when it came to damaging systems taking actions with bad intentions.
There’s three different types of hacking which has to do with ones intentions and lawfulness. There’s white hat hacking, black hat hacking and gray hat hacking. They all independently stand for their own sole reason for existing, each being different than the other.
White Hat Hacking is also known as ethical hacking, and this primarily focuses on attempts to attack systems and identify vulnerabilities and improve security with given permission. These type of hackers play a very important role within cybersecurity, commonly assisting organizations in protecting their content or data from different type of attacks. These individuals are very useful for increasing protection from potential hits.
Next, there is Black Hat Hacking, which is hacking done without permission, usually for the most part involving illegal activitity being done without good intentions. These type of hackers find weaknesses within systems, and utilize them for their own use, which can include stealing information, or simply just attaking a system and making it not work properly. These powerful hacks can cause corporations or individuals to lose money, or lose data.
Finally there is Gray Hat Hacking, which is not so much Black Hat Hacking, but also not so much White Hat Hacking either. These type of hackers fall in between. They do things like gain access to weaknesses within systems without permission, but there isn’t any bad intentions behind them doing it. If they are seeking weaknesses within a system, and successfully get through their protection, even though their intentions aren’t bad, they still want a reward for doing it. Which isn’t so bad at all, and is honestly expected.
sources:
http://tmrc.mit.edu/hackers-ref.html
https://www.proofpoint.com/us/threat-reference/hacking
https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/white-hat
https://www.cybersmile.org/what-we-do/advice-help/online-security/hacking
https://digitalskills.ce.ucf.edu/cybersecurity/black-or-white-into-the-mind-of-the-hacker/
https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/black-vs-gray-vs-white-hat-hackers/
