Also known as: Black Hat Hacker, Cracker, Information Broker
Cyber criminals known as ‘black hackers’ are some of the most notorious and dangerous predators in the digital world. They are the stereotypical hackers who illegally gain unauthorized access to computer or information systems.
They use their expertise in cybersecurity and cyber crime to unlawfully access computers or computer networks. Black Hackers are skilled in exploiting vulnerabilities in information networks and to gain access to confidential and sensitive data. The aim to typically to acquire someone else’s private information or even cause damage and disruption to sensitive networks.
It is mainly a result of black hat hackers that cybersecurity has become a growing concern in today’s digital world. As companies increasingly become dependent on using technology for their businesses, the need for reliable and secure information security is more important than ever. To protect their businesses from these malicious black hackers, companies must deploy a range of strategies including training their staff about information security and implementing robust cybersecurity mechanisms.
In this age of unprecedented technology usage, black hackers pose an imminent threat to our privacy and critical infrastructure. As such, it is imperative that organizations take effective steps towards understanding the risks posed by black hackers so as to mitigate them before it’s too late. Black hackers are professionals who perform sophisticated attacks using customized scripts. Law enforcement usually struggles to catch these cyber criminals because they are cautious not leave any trail behind.
Black hat hackers are usually recruited for “jobs” in group forums on the Dark web hackers will use several strategies, such as phishing and developing malicious software.
Ways a black hacker may attack include
- distributed denial-of-service (DDoS)
- trojan
- virus
- phishing
- malware
- ransomware
- SQL injection attack
- cross-site scripting
- supply chain attack
- session hijacking
- social media hijacking
Cybersecurity experts need to be aware of the sophisticated strategies used by black hackers to prevent them from accessing information through illegal means. To protect a company’s confidential data, organizations must deploy advanced security measures such as encryption, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, malware scans, etc. Information security analysts need to stay educated on the latest methods that cyber criminals are using to hack into networks so they can be prepared for any situation
Sources:
Kaespersky – Black hat, White hat, and Gray hat hackers; Definition and Explanation
Rohit Lotlikar, Board Infinity – White Hat Hackers: The Good Guys
