Black Hat Hacker is described as computer hacker who uses his technical skills for unethical or illegal purposes with malicious intent. The term comes from old Western films, where the villains often wore black hats. The heroes wore white ones, creating a simple way to distinguish between “good” and “bad” actors in the cybersecurity world.
Key Characteristics of a Black Hat Hacker
- Intention: The primary goal of these hackers is to cause harm, steal data, disrupt systems, or hold information for ransom.
- Authorization: They gain unauthorized access to computer systems, networks, or applications. Their actions are illegal.
- Motivation: Typically, financial gain (selling stolen data, demanding ransom), revenge, espionage, or simply to cause disruption or chaos.
- Activities: Deploying malware, launching phishing scams, conducting ransomware attacks, executing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, and causing data breaches.
Black Hat Hacker: Famous Examples
- Kevin Mitnick: Once the most-wanted cybercriminal in the U.S., he famously hacked into over 40 major corporations like IBM and Motorola before eventually becoming a security consultant.
- WannaCry Attackers: In 2017, a massive ransomware attack infected 400,000+ computers globally, encrypting data and demanding Bitcoin payments for its release.
In short, it is the classic cyber criminal who breaks laws and ethical standards for their own nefarious benefit.
