Hacking, Types of Hackers, And Mitigating The Risks of Being Hacked.

What is hacking?
Hacking is the process of gaining access to a system with or without authorization. What it means is that a hacker can be granted access to penetrate a system to check for Vulnerabilities and proffer solutions.
A hacker can also penetrate a system without being granted access, this is unethical and it happens now and then.
Unfortunately, individuals and organizations are the target of these hackers and every day they are on the move trying to hack into a system.
TYPES OF HACKERS.
There are various types of hackers which include:-
(I) White Hat Hackers: These are hackers that work as security analysts of an organization, they help to penetrate systems and fix any vulnerabilities detected. They are also known as ethical hackers because they work within the confines of legality.
(2) Black Hat Hackers: These are unauthorized hackers whose main intent is to steal data and financial gains. They are the bad guys of hacking.
(3) Grey Hat Hackers: These types of hackers function as both white hat hackers and black hat hackers. They can work within the legality of law and also outside the ethics of law. They can switch between being a white hat hacker or a black hat hacker.
(4) Red Hat Hackers: These types of hackers see themselves as superheroes who are out there to save people from the activities of the black hat hacker. They are the “watchdogs” or vigilantes of the cyberspace.
(5) Script Kiddies: These are amateur hackers who use other experienced experts' scripts and software for their hacking activities. They are majorly upcoming hackers.
(6) Hacktivists: These are hackers who promote political agendas. They do this by secretly defacing and disabling websites.
(7) Cyber Terrorists: These are hackers who disrupt large-scale computer networks for political or religious reasons.
(8) State-Sponsored Hackers: These types of hackers are sponsored by the state to penetrate government networks, steal top secret information, or damage the information system of an opposing government.
(9) Suicide Hackers: These types of hackers' main goal is to bring down critical infrastructure to cause a social change.
(10) Cryptojackers: These are hackers that penetrate systems to mine cryptocurrencies. They exploit the weaknesses of a computer network to steal cryptocurrency.
HOW TO REDUCE THE RISKS OF BEING HACKED
No system is indeed one hundred percent safe but some measures can be put in place to reduce the risk of being hacked. These measures include
(1) Ensure the use of a strong password. Having a strong password will make it extremely difficult for hackers to easily hack into a system. Strong passwords should include letters(uppercase and lowercase), numbers and special character(s).
Also, passwords should be changed regularly.
(2) Two-step authentication. This will serve as a gate against hackers gaining access to your device as they will be asked to provide a two-step authentication
(3) Regular update of devices and software. You must ensure that your devices and software are updated regularly.
(4) Installing antivirus and anti-malware. These will help in keeping your system safe and easily inaccessible to hackers.
(5) Avoid phishing links. Most systems can be hacked into when a phishing link has been clicked, ensure to confirm the source of any links before clicking on them.
(6) Regular training of staff. As an organization, regular training of your staff will keep them abreast of cyber attacks and how hackers operate.
(7) Encryption. Ensure to encrypt sensitive data/information. This will make it hard for a third party or hacker to decode.
In conclusion, hacking involves accessing a device to get sensitive data or information that may be used for or against a system. Black hat hackers discover vulnerabilities or weaknesses in a device or system and take advantage of them. A system can be secured so that the risk of being hacked into is reduced when the above measures are taken.
Type your markdown here...