The term hacker it can have a positive or negative connotation depending on the definition. In a negative senseHackers are individuals or groups who gain unauthorized access to websites by exploiting existing vulnerabilities. In a positive sense, hackers are computer professionals who discover the weak points of computer apps and help solve them. In a broad context, hackers are technophiles who enjoy finding solutions to complex tasks.
Types of hackers
Unauthorized access to other computers or servers is punished by legislation worldwide. Such criminal acts have shaped the image of hackers to this day. However, within different settings, individual actors differ enormously. In principle, you can distinguish between three types of hackers. Even if most hackers cannot be accurately classified therefore it serves to provide a better understanding.
White-hat Hackers
The group of white-hat hackers (analogous to white-hat SEO) uses its extensive knowledge in the field of information technology only in accordance with applicable laws and in accordance with its own established rules, which are frequently referred to as the hacker ethic. Members of this group frequently work for security agencies or IT security sections of companies. Perform pen tests (penetration testing) or security analysis to detect existing vulnerabilities in an IT infrastructure and manage them.
Black-hat Hackers
This group would be analogous to black hat SEO. They generally act with criminal intent. They are involved in data theft, manipulation or deliberate damage to websites. Hence, large companies become targets of data theft from time to time, such as eBay. DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service Attack) is a popular attack method in the black hat scene, by which even a large server can be paralyzed.
Gray-hat Hackers
In this group, cannot always be clearly established if the actions are merely for criminal purposes or if there is a higher purpose behind them. A good example of this is the group Anonymous that attacked the PayPal payment service in 2010, to protest PayPal's failure to forward payments to WikiLeaks. The same group decided in November 2015 to fight the Islamic State online. Anonymous itself does not have a fixed structure. The members of this group of hackers collaborate in a decentralized way.
Hack
Successful access to a secure network is commonly known as hacking. The «Hacking» It was originally used in the field of wireless technology in the United States to denote better radio performance than a radio through technical tricks. Another example of the use of the term is the growth hacking, which means the use of new information technologies to achieve marketing objectives more quickly and at a lower cost.
Development
While at the end of the last millennium hackers were frequently denounced by the general population as criminal geeks, the image of computer specialists has improved enormously. In the age of the Internet, professionals are in great demand in the field of computer security. And those who know how to crack a network, in turn, also know how to protect networks. A very good example of the transformation of the hacker concept is the Chaos Computer Club (CCC). Its members, long viewed as criminals, are now highly sought-after experts when it comes to Internet security issues. In 2014, the annual meeting of the CCC was a well-attended event in times of growing criticism regarding Internet monitoring.
Hacking and SEO
Hacks is a definition used in SEO circles very frequently. However, in this aspect it does not refer to the intervention in the networks, but rather to technical tips and tricks that aid in search engine optimization. These can be special methods to make the best use of a web analytics tool like Google Analytics or suggestions about how to get more traffic to your web portal. Instructions for customizing CMS or source code for one are also often cited SEO hacks. In a negative sense, SEO hackers are those who manipulate websites to spread malicious software or spam. SEO hackers can in this case be put on the same level as Black Hat SEOs who not only violate the webmaster guidelines, but also the legislation.