I know you’re very familiar with the word “hacking.” But did you also know that hackers are very important to any business organization? They play very crucial role in the safety and security of any nation. Actually, a lot of companies will pay through their nose to hire the best hackers to work for them. I wouldn’t be surprised if you argue with the second sentence of this article because I would also think the same if I never read about the White Hacker.
The White hat hacker is an ethical security hacker whose aim is to identify vulnerabilities in the current system of any platform where the owner has given his consent to do so. While white hat hackers have good intentions but black hat hackers would gain access without being authorized in order to exploit and do away with relevant information in a system or device. More often than not, black hat hackers introduce risk and cause damages to systems and computers of organizations.
Hacking can be traced back to 1970 when governments and companies set up a team known then as “tiger teams.” Their activities were aimed at discovering vulnerabilities in telecom and computing systems. They were the first ethical hackers, otherwise known as the White hat hackers.
In the 1980s and 1990s when personal computers were gradually becoming common and accessible, hacking became a global perception. It was at this point that there was disparity between a white and a black hacker.
Demystifying White and Black Hackers
Since the definition of hacking is to gain access to data in a computer or online account, the ethical hacker and the unauthorized hackers are both hackers and guess what? They both get paid to hack. But while the activities of a black hat hacker are illegal, it’s a noble job for the White hat hacker.
Maybe you’re thinking you could venture into black hacking since you also get paid just like a White hacker. But before you go into black hat hacking, I think you should read this:
Black hackers break into systems, steal data, manipulate data and even compromise security but White hat hackers will find vulnerable points in a system’s infrastructure, fix the problems and make sure it’s strengthened against any form of attack or data compromise.
Black hat hackers derive joy in exploiting weaknesses, reasons including for financial gain or revenge.
Ethical hackers share cyber security information positively to enhance growth.
Ethical hackers are mostly concerned with developing tools and contingency plans to help people deal with spyware and malware attacks while a black hat hacker would rather write malwares to attack.
Because ethical hackers are concerned about safety, they educate people about cyber security threats and risks and how to mitigate and manage them.
Black hackers are usually knowledgeable and can be termed experts but their intentions are illegal and never pure.
Inasmuch as both types of hackers operate on the value of information, ethical hackers produce more value with the skills they possess.
So, if you’re remotely considering a career in cyber security, I’ll recommend ethical hacking because it guarantees safety of data for their employer and also to the people who receive the rendered services.
