A new kind of hacker.

[thread_killer]

I have a proposal for a new "Hacker Hat"

The Blue Hat Hacker.

I know this is kind of silly, but I feel a definition and a back-story are in order. Last night, while having dinner with the family, I was discussing my job as the InfoSec officer at my place of employment. This is a relatively new job description for me, as I was originally hired to be the WAN engineer. So I was telling my wife about running a port scan against a server to check for security holes when my eight year old daughter asked me "Daddy, shouldn't you be wearing a blue hat or something when you are at work?"

"Why would I do that honey?" Was my reply

"Because don't security people wear blue hats when they're at work? All I see you wear is your tie."

Ahhh.....from the mouths of babes. What a perfect analogy for what I do given the current white hat/black hat division of hackers.

So my proposed definition is as follows:

"A blue hat hacker is an information security professional who employs the tools and methods of hackers and crackers against networks and systems for which (s)he has some measure of responsibility. The purpose of conducting said hacks is to find security vulnerabilities and mitigate threats before exploitation can occur from other sources."

So, two years from now when you hear someone call themselves a "blue hat" you can smile smugly to yourself and say "I knew what blue hats were on day 0. February 1st, 2003. The term was coined by Thread_Killer, thanks to his eight year old daughter."

[-DaRK-RaiDeR-]

Hi,

That was a good one!!!

But i have another story then...

My brother assembled a computer for his girlfriend (they're living together in the same room because she lives in another State of my Country but now she's living with us because she's studying here in my country's capital city, were we live).

One day, my brother was working and a friend of him came home and start using his girlfriend's computer (she wasn't at home). He started to use a program to scan IPs and he was using IPs given by our local ISP so in the screen it started to appear a lot of IP addresses together with a lot of info about the PCs using that IPs (he was just passing time waiting for my brother). Suddenly, my brother's girlfriend arrived home, enter her room and saw my brother's friend doing that:

Note:
GF = my bro's girlfriend
F = my bro's friend

GF: what are you doing in my PC?
F: I was scanning some IPs from xxx (our local ISP).
GF: whaaaaat???, are you crazy???
F: why?
GF: what if the ISP is monitoring what you are doing, as***le?
F: come on!!!, get calmed, no prob!!!
GF: Nooooo!!!, back off, give me my PC back!!!
F: don't be a silly girl!!!
GF: Get out!!!
F: No!!!
GF: Now!!!, you fuc**ng hacker!!! aaahhh!!!...

My brother's friend was eating a hamburger from McDonald's and... (i think you now what happend) yeah!!! All the hamburger KETCHUP flew around and most over his shirt... haha!!!

And so... since that day... we call him:

THE RED SHIRT HACKER!!!, haha!!!

Bye,

DKRR

[Neo-Icarus]

I have heard many types Black,Grey,White and oldschool but this blue hat springs a whole new breed of hackers and good posts ill let others know of this new name thanks guys

[Hyperthread]

Originally posted here by thread_killer
I have a proposal for a new "Hacker Hat"

So my proposed definition is as follows:

"A blue hat hacker is an information security professional who employs the tools and methods of hackers and crackers against networks and systems for which (s)he has some measure of responsibility. The purpose of conducting said hacks is to find security vulnerabilities and mitigate threats before exploitation can occur from other sources."

We already have a term for that: It's called a White Hat. This will just add to the confusion even more.

[thread_killer]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but people I've spoken with who profess to be "White Hats" will attack a network without permission under the auspices of "non-destructive discovery" or to "inform the sysadmin of security holes." My definition encompasses only networks which the hacker is responsible for. Whether directly employed by the networks owner or working as a vendor/consultant/contractor. Permission to perform the hack is implied, if not explicit. So is getting paid to do it. That's the way I see it at least. Besides, I thought my daughter was being extremely cute and I wanted to brag.

[|The|Specialist]

The only time whitehats "attack" is when they find holes and fix things WITH company approval. The peaple who crack software and find holes then rub it in the companies' faces for the sake activisum, open source, and 'freedom' are usually tossed as greyhats. And blackhats are usually seen as the virii and trojan guys....

The whole classifaction thing is very lame if you ask me....
Me personally? I kinda like the term computer hobbiest or enthusiast....

When you really think about it I guess anyone who likes computers and codeing could be called a 'hacker'

[ShagDevil]

And a Green hat only hacks on Sunday, and a Purple hat only hacks Windows 98 and a
Orange hat only hacks while eating bananas with his left hand. I've never seen so much analytical tofu.
I believe the terms are adequately established and nitpicking them into what basically constitutes 'verbal breadcrumbs ' is pointless.

[Laser]

thread_killer : i read your post and take it in the context that you were paying a tribute to your daugter. So from me congratulate her on coining this new hacker name
Laser

[Hyperthread]

thread killer, I didnt mean to sound like a jackass. I'm glad to hear that youre very proud of your daughter.
I got a pm from someone telling me Im an ass, I didnt mean for it to come out that way. And the fact that you signed your name, I totally commend you on that.

[thread_killer]

Don't worry about a thing Hyperthread. It takes a whole lot to hurt my feelings, and they weren't hurt at all. It was intended to be tongue-in-cheek humor. But this is how things get started. Someday you may hear the term blue hat.....and it will be all my doing........