Black hat (computer security) facts for kids

A black hat (or black hat hacker) is a computer expert who breaks into computer systems for bad reasons. They might want to steal secrets, take money, or damage data. This is a form of cybercrime.

The name comes from old Western movies from the 1950s. In those movies, the "bad guys" usually wore black hats, while the "good guys" wore white hats. In the computer world, a "white hat" is a person who hacks to help protect systems.

What Black Hat Hackers Do

Black hat hackers enter computer networks without permission. They often use malicious software, known as malware, to break in. Once inside, they might steal login names, passwords, or credit card numbers.

Some hackers sell this stolen information on hidden parts of the internet called the dark web. Others might use malware to lock a computer and demand money to unlock it. This is called ransomware. While some hackers work alone, others work in groups to make money illegally.

Famous Black Hat Hackers

Kevin Mitnick became a security consultant after leaving prison.

• Kevin Mitnick: He was once the most wanted computer criminal in the United States. He hacked into more than forty big companies, including Motorola and IBM. He was caught and went to prison in 1995. After he was released in 2001, he changed his ways. He became a "white hat" and started helping companies protect their computers.
• Vladimir Levin: He was a Russian hacker. In 1994, he used a laptop to steal over 10 million dollars from Citibank accounts. He was caught and spent three years in jail.

Different Types of Hackers

Not all hackers are bad. There are different "hats" to describe what they do.

White Hat

A white hat hacker is a good guy. They are also called ethical hackers. Companies hire them to try to break into their systems on purpose. This helps the company find weak spots and fix them before bad hackers can get in.

Grey Hat

A grey hat is somewhere in the middle. They might break into a system without permission, but they usually do not want to steal or destroy anything. They might tell the company about the problem afterwards. Sometimes they ask for a small reward or a "thank you."

See also

• BlueHat
• Cybercrime
• Cyberwarfare