What Is a Hacker? And How Can You Protect Yourself?

A hacker is someone who digitally "breaks in" or gains unauthorized access to computer systems, programs, or networks. Hackers may be bad actors who exploit vulnerabilities, or they may be ethical professionals hired by companies to identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

Unfortunately, cyberattacks are getting more prevalent, and bad hackers are more active today than ever. Even with advanced hacking techniques, there are ways to protect yourself online. Some examples include installing antivirus software on your device, investing in identity theft protection, and using strong passwords stored in a password manager.

Here’s everything you need to know about how hackers operate and how to protect yourself online.

What is a hacker?

A hacker is someone who gains unauthorized, or specially authorized, access to a computer system, network, or device. Not all hackers are criminals: white-hat hackers use their skills to find and fix security vulnerabilities with permission, while black-hat hackers exploit those same vulnerabilities for personal gain. The term covers everyone from cybersecurity professionals to cybercriminals.

7 types of hackers

Hackers' motives vary widely, from stealing financial information to protecting the systems they hack. Some work for corporations, some for governments, and some purely for personal gain. 

Here's a breakdown of the most common types.

1. Black-hat hackers: These are cybercriminals who break into computer systems without authorization and with malicious intent. They're looking to steal sensitive data, install malware, demand ransom payments, or sell access to other attackers. 
2. White-hat hackers: Also called ethical hackers, these use the same techniques as black-hat hackers, but with one key difference: permission. Companies and government agencies hire white-hat hackers to probe their systems for vulnerabilities before bad actors can find them.
3. Gray-hat hackers: This group operates somewhere between black and white hat. They typically access systems without authorization, but without malicious intent, and may notify the owner of any vulnerabilities they find, sometimes asking for payment to fix them. 
4. Red-hat hackers: Red-hat hackers are sometimes called "vigilante hackers." Rather than reporting malicious hackers to authorities, red hats actively work to disable or disrupt cybercriminals' systems and infrastructure. 
5. Blue-hat hackers: Blue-hat hackers are outside security testers brought in to stress-test a system before a product launch or major update. Organizations hire them specifically to find exploitable bugs before release. 
6. Hacktivists: Hacktivists are hackers motivated by political or social causes rather than financial gain. They may break into networks, deface websites, or leak private communications to draw attention to an issue or put pressure on an organization. 
7. Script kiddies: Script kiddies are inexperienced hackers who rely on pre-written scripts and off-the-shelf tools to carry out attacks, rather than writing their own code. 

How does hacking work?

Hackers use a variety of tactics to accomplish their objectives. Below are some of the most common hacking strategies.

• Phishing: Phishing attacks are a common form of hacking that involves sending fraudulent emails or other messages while pretending to be someone else in order to obtain information. These phishing scams might look like emails or text messages from legitimate companies, but they’re actually from scammers looking to obtain your personal information.
• Viruses: Hackers may install malware or viruses onto your device. These malicious software programs may log your activity or even take over your device remotely.
• DDoS: A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack sends excessive amounts of traffic to a network, system, or service in an attempt to render the site non-functional. A hacker may try this tactic as a form of hacktivism or as an attempt to distract the company from other cyberattacks occurring simultaneously.
• Keylogging: Some programs allow hackers to track every keystroke on a device. Once installed, the hacker can access everything you do online, from account credentials to personal information like Social Security numbers, bank account information, and more — everything they need to commit identity theft.
• Brute-force attack: A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error method of guessing passwords. While it’s a less sophisticated form of infiltration, hackers can still easily guess predictable passwords.

The dangers of being hacked

The end game of most unethical hackers is money. They're looking to use your information to line their own pockets, either directly by stealing your banking info, or indirectly by gathering information to sell to third parties.

If your device is hacked, hackers could potentially have access to all the passwords, accounts, and personal information you have stored. That opens the door to financial and identity fraud through means like:

• Directly accessing your accounts and transferring funds to themselves
• Using your stored credit cards to make fraudulent purchases
• Collecting your personal information and using it to assume your identity to open new credit accounts in your name
• Locking your computer down and refusing to let you access it until you pay them a ransom
• Tracking your activity and using it to blackmail you into giving them money
• Compiling all your passwords and selling them on the black market

Is hacking illegal?

Whether hacking is illegal depends on who is doing the hacking and whether they have permission. In the U.S., the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) deems unauthorized access to a computer system or network illegal, and similar laws exist in most countries. 

Black-hat hackers are clearly breaking the law, and can face federal criminal charges, significant fines, and prison time. On the other hand, white-hat hackers operate legally. They work under written agreements, such as penetration testing contracts or bug bounty programs, that explicitly authorize them to probe a system for weaknesses. 

Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta run formal bug bounty programs that pay ethical hackers to find and report vulnerabilities before bad actors can exploit them.

Gray-hat hackers fall into a legal gray area. They typically access systems without permission, but without malicious intent. This is often done to expose a vulnerability and sometimes ask for payment to fix it. Even without harmful intent, accessing a system without authorization is still illegal in most jurisdictions, regardless of what the hacker does once inside.

So hacking without explicit permission is illegal, no matter how good your intentions are.

How to protect yourself against hackers

Fortunately, there are simple, straightforward ways to protect yourself from hackers, including using the right combination of antivirus software and identity theft protection.

Get reliable antivirus software

Antivirus programs are designed to protect your computer from malware that can destroy data, crash your device, or give hackers access to your accounts.

Antivirus software works by scanning your programs and files and comparing them with well-known computer viruses, Trojans, and worms. If the antivirus software finds anything suspicious, it can delete it or quarantine it until you decide whether to remove it or not.

Below, we share our recommendations for the best antivirus software programs, but if these don’t suit your needs, see our full guide to the best antivirus software programs.

Consider identity theft protection

Antivirus software protects your devices, but if a hacker gets hold of your personal information, you need a separate layer of defense. Identity theft protection services monitor your sensitive data across the web, dark web, and financial accounts, and alert you the moment something looks suspicious. 

Many plans also include recovery support and insurance if your identity is compromised. For a full comparison, see our guide to the best identity theft protection services.

Use trusted password managers

While it may be easy to remember a handful of passwords, a password manager makes keeping track of difficult-to-crack passwords convenient. The program securely stores passwords and login credentials for various online accounts.

Be suspicious of all incoming emails

If you receive an email from an unknown sender, proceed cautiously. Emails can contain phishing links or other scam attempts to steal your information and potentially hack your accounts.

Clicking on links may take you to spoofed versions of legitimate websites so that you enter your personal information, and installing files from an email may install malware on your device.

Often, these emails come from a fake email address that looks legitimate. The only difference might be a single letter or a small detail like an underscore.

To stay safe from email scams:

• Make sure the display name matches the email address, and look out for any glaring spelling or grammatical errors.
• Never follow a link from an email, no matter how legitimate it looks. Simply go to the website the email is coming from and sign in normally to verify the notification.

Practice basic cybersecurity hygiene

Online safety is a primary concern for anyone who spends time online. From phishing scams to malware, cybercriminals are always looking to obtain your sensitive personal information. Fortunately, there are easy ways to protect yourself and your information.

Basic cybersecurity hygiene practices like the ones outlined below can keep you safe online.

• Only download files or install programs from trusted sources
• Ignore and block all spam emails
• Enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication whenever possible
• Use a password manager
• Make sure all your devices are up-to-date on security updates

Bottom line

As our dependence on the internet continues to increase, threats to our online security also continue to increase. Every internet user should be aware of hackers, whether their intentions are malicious or not.

Protecting yourself online is straightforward, but it does require vigilance. Using randomly generated passwords is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself online, and the easiest way to remember those complex passwords is by using a top-notch password manager. Basic cybersecurity hygiene paired with a password manager and antivirus software is the cornerstone of digital protection.

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