There is a saying among security officials that goes like this: There are two types of companies in the world — those that know they have been hacked and those that don’t yet know it. Some companies even go a step further and say there is a third one you can add to the list: Those that expect to be hacked soon.”

In the past we have heard in the news about the hacking of widely recognizable companies and government databases. A few years ago hackers were able to obtain Facebook users' passwords because of Facebook’s security failures. Hackers were able to obtain personal information by exploiting Facebook’s weak password security system. In addition the Chinese government have been hacking political campaigns such as the campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain in 2008. In doing so, they were able to obtain internal documents like private emails.

The threat of being hacked is a threat to both government and to business at the cost of individual’s privacy. Yet most of the non-technical savvy people that I know have no interest in equipping themselves with the necessary knowledge.

This type of person wrongly assumes that all hackers are criminals committing an illegal act. However, hacking is more complex than just crime; it has many different aspects that I will explain. The key difference lies within the motive.

While this information will not prevent your business from being hacked, it is a start in learning more about what is out there. The many different classifications of hackers are as follows:

White hat hackers:
These are the good guys, otherwise known as ethical hackers. They do not illegally break into a computer’s network, rather they run a series of tests to check the efficiency of a company’s security systems. In doing so there is no personal or profit motive. The type of people who do this are usually computer security software manufacturers. They are the only line of defense between a company and a black hat hacker.

Black hat hackers:
These guys are the complete opposite of white hat hackers in both methodology and intention. When they gain access into a network it is usually to corrupt data for their own personal gain. Once they gain access they will share the information with other hackers to take advantage of the same vulnerabilities. These guys are the stereotypes of computer criminals.

Gray Hat Hackers:
They possess properties of both white and black hat hackers. Usually they scan the Internet to see flaws in a network. Once found they will hack into them and show the flaws to their administrator. In doing so they seek adequate compensation.

Blue hat hackers:
These are the rogue hackers like something you would see in a Denzel Washington movie. Security companies usually call them to check for vulnerabilities in their system. Before launching a new product, companies will hire them for testing their system.

Elite hackers:
Just as the name implies, these are the best. These are the people who are the first to break into impenetrable systems.

Skiddie:
Amateurs who hack the system using programs given out by elite hackers. They customarily hack a website for two reasons 1) excitement 2) to get recognized and gain more popularity among the hacker groups

Newbie:
The beginners of the hacking world. They have no experience and their intent is to learn the ways of the trade.

State-sponsored hackers:
One famous state-sponsored hacker is the “Online Blue Army” of China. These are the groups that belong to intelligence agencies who are heavily funded.

Hacktivists:
These are the guys who hack to advance social causes like religion, politics or personal beliefs. Their purpose is to deface a website or to embarrass the victim. They fall under two categories: right to information and cyber terrorism. The former is to take confidential information and expose it to the public because they believe all information is free. The latter is meant to cause widespread fear by destroying a system’s operation and making it useless in order to advance political motives.

Intelligence Agencies:
These are the guys who safeguard the national systems from foreign threats. The type of people who work for the intelligence agencies are blue hat hackers.

Organized Crime:
This is a group of black hat hackers who seek to find their own personal gain by exposing computer systems.