Ethical Hacking: Techniques, Tools, and Countermeasures, 4th Edition

Profiles and Motives of Different Types of Hackers

Over the past four decades, the definition of a hacker has evolved quite a bit from the definition accepted in the 1980s and even the 1990s. Current hackers defy easy classification and are best understood by looking at the motivations for their actions. Although there is no comprehensive list of the types of hackers active in today’s global online environments, here is a general list of categories of their motivations (you’ll learn more about each type of hacker in a later section in this chapter):

• Good guys—Information security (InfoSec) professionals who engage in hacking activities to uncover vulnerabilities in hopes of mitigating them and making systems more secure and resistant to ...