For most people, hacking is a bad thing. Hacking is a violent motion done with an axe, or a malicious attack on your electronic devices and computers. When people think of hacking, they imagine zeroed-out bank accounts, stolen identities, and breaches of national security. As manufacturing continues to move towards automation and the Internet of Things, the issue of cyber security and hacking is of growing interest to manufacturers. But while you mostly hear about the bad types of hacking in the news, hacking isn’t always a bad thing.
There are different types of hacking
Hacking is kind of like the Force in Star Wars. It’s not inherently good or bad, but it can be used for good or for evil. A hacker is merely someone with a deep understanding of computer programming. People commonly classify hacking into three main categories: white hat, black hat, and grey hat.
Black hat hacking
Black hat hacking is the hacking for malice or personal gain. Basically, this is the type of hacking you hear about on the news. Stolen identities and security breaches are the work of black hat hackers. They’re acting illegally or maliciously – AKA the bad guys.
When black hat hackers find vulnerabilities they exploit them illegally, and share how to do so with others.
White hat hacking
White hat hacking – or ethical hacking – is the good kind of hacking. White hat hackers look for flaws, vulnerabilities, or weak points in systems and software and reports or fixes the issues rather than gain from them.
This type of hacking improves cyber security rather instead of threatening cyber security. It’s hacking in the name of good.
Some companies are now hiring hackers to locate potential weak spots and areas that could be breached. This is an example of when hacking actually improves cyber security. Discovering weak points in software is incredibly beneficial. Finding holes in the fence allows you to mend them before the actual bad guys find them.
Grey hat hacking
This is the group that doesn’t believe in binary morality. There isn’t a stark line between good and bad, or ethical and unethical. There are various shade of grey.
Grey hat hackers may sometimes break laws or rules, but not in a malicious way. When a grey hat finds a vulnerability they won’t report it and they may or may not illegally exploit the vulnerability, but they won’t share the information with others.
Cyber security grows in importance as the number of connected devices increases. The Industrial Internet of Things is a fundamental part of Industry 4.0, so cyber security is a big concern for manufacturers looking forward. Hacking can help make software and connected devices more secure.
It’s definitely important to look forward and plan for the future, but you also have to think about the present. Call us today for Indramat repair or any of your Indramat motion control system needs!