2.2.1 Cyber More on Malware

The unethical criminal hacker who breaks laws, steals data, holds information for ransom, and commits other criminal acts.

• black-hat hacker

• white-hat hacker

• gray-hat hacker

• hacker

The ethical cybersecurity expert who has permission to perform security tests and who fully discloses their activities.

• black-hat hacker

• white-hat hacker

• grey-hat hacker

• hacker

This in-between hacker uses illegal and/or unethical means to discover a system’s security vulnerabilities

• black-hat hacker

• white-hat hacker

• gray-hat hacker

• hacker

Uses existing software (scripts) to attack; lacks knowledge to write their own.

• script kiddie

• insider

• hacktivist

• cyber syndicate

Gains access to a system as an employee, student, or other internal person.

• script kiddie

• insider

• hacktivist

• warfare/espionage

Attacks systems to promote social or political change.

• script kiddie

• insider

• hacktivist

• cyber syndicate

Collects in a large group to systematically perform attacks.

• insider

• hacktivist

• cyber syndicate

• warfare/espionage

Performs terrorism and secret warfare between nations or nation states.

• warfare espionage

• script kiddie

• hacktivist

• insider

A (distributed) denial of service attack that targets websites and web servers with the intention of bringing the services they provide to a halt

• white-hat hacker

• Script kiddie

• DDoS (distributed denial of service)

• insider

With permission from the system owner, white-hat hackers find the weaknesses of a system and report their findings, often fixing the problem while doing so.

• whistleblower

• industrial espionage

• prevention

• social ideology

• financial gain