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When one hears of hacking or hackers, one automatically thinks of a bad guy hunched over a computer in the dark room with green text flowing down his or her screen. This is the image that movies and TV have painted us.  Is this the correct image? Is this what hacking is all about?

Not exactly.  Hacking can be both an ethical or unethical activity.  There is good hacking, and there is also bad hacking.  Indeed, there are three types of hackers: White-Hat hackers, Grey-Hat hackers, and the infamous Black-Hat hackers.  Let me explain.

 

White-Hat hackers are ethical hackers.  They are hired by companies to attempt to break into their servers and internal systems to identify the areas of weakness.  If they can hack the system, they make sure that they fix all vulnerabilities and that the company’s data are safe and secure.  This is legal because they get permission from the company to do so.

Black-Hat hackers, on the other hand, hack unethically. They steal information and/or money from companies and sell the information on the Dark Web.  They are bad people; the lowest of the low.  Their activities are illegal, and they can go to jail for many years if caught.

 

Grey-Hat hackers are somewhere in the middle.  Just as how black and white colours mix to produce grey; a grey-hat hacker is someone who, on their own, finds vulnerabilities in a company’s defenses and use the information to blackmail the company.  Grey-hat hackers inform the company of the vulnerability and then demand a ransom.  If the money isn’t paid, they release the vulnerability on the Dark Web for people to exploit. But if they are paid, they fix it for the company. This activity is still illegal because they hacked the company without permission.

The Dark Web is another part of the vast internet where illegal activities are carried out. It is a dangerous place where you must be careful because you can be arrested for taking part in illegal activities like selling credit card information, drugs, email passwords, company vulnerabilities and more.

 

Somebody can trade your personal information which is not appropriately protected can be on the Dark Web. The internet is a vast universe, and it is full of malware and viruses.  Every user of the internet is advised to be careful of the sites you visit and what you download.  Technology has made it easy to steal information. As a matter of fact, your data can sell for thousands of dollars online, so be careful.

 

Here are some of the things you can do as a company to protect yourself from Grey-Hat and Black-Hat hackers:

1. Be wary of scammers

2. Don’t use the same passwords

3. Disabling third-party apps access

4. Don’t click on ads that say something like, “Earn money fast online.”

5. Most significantly, don’t give away any of your personal information to anyone.

 

As individuals, you should also protect your information on the internet.  Here are some simple tips to keep your info safe:

1. By using different passwords for different accounts.

2. By using passwords with alphanumeric characters.

3. By downloading apps only from secure sites.

4. Using a proxy (to hide your IP address)

5. Disabling online tracking

 

Everyone, individuals, and companies can maintain a safe online presence by focusing on the above tips.  As the saying goes, it better to be safe than sorry. The time to act is now.