Who Are the People Behind the Attacks on IT Networks
The people who stand behind the attacks on IT networks are never discovered. This is due to the fact that hackers are usually people with an advanced knowledge about the system who seem to be always one step ahead of the security systems. They come from different age groups, professions and nationalities. Just about all hackers seem to be motivated by the intellectual challenge (at least at the beginning) but they have different reasons why they break into IT networks. According to the purpose of breaking into the systems, hackers can be divided into:
-
Black hat hackers. They are hackers that are feared the most because they break into networks for malicious purposes. Black hat hackers are highly destructive and steal or destroy data, carry out industrial espionage, crash the network or cause other form of damage.
-
White hat hackers. As opposed to black hat hackers, white hat hackers (also known as ethical hackers) actually mean no harm. They are usually computer experts who want to point out to weaknesses of a security system with an aim to encourage its improvement. Many of them actually work for security software companies to test their programmes before they become available to the public.
-
Grey hat hackers. They are not as malicious as black hat intruders but they are not exactly harmless either. They may hack a computer system, use your phone details on a site if you dont wipe your details or website but they are usually willing to restore it for small payment.
-
Hactivists. This term refers to groups of hackers who break into networks for ideological, political or religious purposes with an aim to attract the attention of the public. They disrupt normal activities but they usually do not do any serious damage. Their targets are usually governmental organisations.
-
Insiders. Although most people associate attacks on IT networks with the above mentioned groups of hackers, the attacks often occur from the inside. Disgruntled employees who have the access to the system and know its security vulnerabilities are perhaps even a greater threat to the IT network security. They are often led by some sort of resentment to their company and seek to inflict the greatest damage possible. But the IT network security can also be seriously compromised unintentionally. Examples include unwitting planting of the viruses and Trojans, data entry errors, being tricked by the outsiders into revealing key security information, etc.. Non-malicious insiders can sometimes cause just as much damage as those that intentionally want to harm the company.