When someone gains unauthorized access to another computer without permission, they are called a hacker. Hacking is not bad; there are many career opportunities if you want to be a hacker. If someone uses the hacking skill for good work, they are called an ethical hacker. You can help the government, get a job in reputed tech companies or find bugs and loopholes in tech companies.
On the other hand, if someone uses the hacking skill for nefarious purposes, then it is illegal. They are called black hat hackers. Here we have compiled a list of; the top 10 notorious black hat hackers of all time.
Top 10 Notorious Black Hat Hackers of All Time
In today’s world of technology, hacking is getting more common. It is critical to protect our computers and device from being hacked. You can check out our guide on; how to protect your computer from hackers.
Now, let us take a look at the notorious black hat hackers of all time:
1. Vladimir Levin
The first vile Black Hat Hacker that we will talk about is Vladimir Levin. Born in Russia, he was a genius from the beginning. The mark of a decent hacker is to leave fewer traces, and Levin was a masterclass in this aspect. If we talk about his greatest infamous act, it would have to be the Citibank cyber robbery in 1994.
Even those, there are valid arguments that Levin was not directly involved in the robbery, most researchers believe he was the mastermind behind that plan. Vladimir Levin was then caught and imprisoned for 3 years.
The proven charge was he stole 10.7 million US dollars in Saint Petersburg. There are proofs that he did it with some cheap dial-up connection. Nonetheless, the hacking community is a legend, especially in Russia.
2. Michael Calce
Michael Calce is a notorious Black Hat Hacker who is from Canada. He most famously is known as the MariaBoy. Born in 1986, he is the worst nightmare for some of the leading tech companies today. The likes of Yahoo, eBay, CNN, and FIFA are some of his prime victims.
From a very young age, he has a knack for sneaking past others’ computers. However, his most infamous act is Project Rivolta. It was a series of DDoS attacks that he crafted when he was in high school.
In North America, he is a living legend, and today his activities are subject matter in the ethical hacking training school.
3. Kevin Mitnick
Kevin Mitnick is unquestionably one of the most dangerous cyber criminals the world has ever seen. He is that much infamous that there are documentaries made about him.
From tech giant IBM to cellphone company Motorola, he had an impact that those companies still feel. Even the US National Defense was not safe from his range of hacking skills.
Mitnick is a true magician if you talk to a hacker today. Meanwhile, he had quit Black Hat Hacking a few years ago. He was in prison for some years and had a change of heart after that. Now, he works in a company and guides young hackers to maintain balance and stay on the right path.
4. Adrian Lamo
Adrian “the homeless hacker” Lamo is an American hacker who had earned a reputation from scratch. He is among the few famous hackers who do it for fun, not out of necessity or greed. In fact, he publicly announced his obsession and, in his mind, this is all art.
He has incredible tinkering skills which many high-profile hackers do admire. In his mind, his biggest accomplishment is the hacking of The New York Times and Yahoo.
He had made quite a follower and then conducted several DDoS attacks on many Fortune 500 companies. Thankfully, he redeemed himself. Now, he works ethically and assists governments in fighting and preventing terrorist activities.
5. Johnathan James
Johnathan James is yet another extraordinarily talented man with sinister motives. He loves hacking and therefore, conducted some of the breath-taking stunts in the hacking fraternity. At 16, he breaks into the Department of Defence and NASA. Some of his adversaries also rate him as the best teenage hacker in the world of all time.
James found it exceedingly amusing to hack into other computers. He also stated “it was fun” while successfully stealing a piece of software that was worth 1.7 million. So, Johnathan will forever remain one of the best Black Hats in the world. Sadly, he is no more, as he had committed suicide at the age of 25. Ironically, many believed he was framed for a crime he didn’t commit.
6. Richard Pryce and Matthew Bevan
The dynamic duo of Richard Pryce and Matthew Bevan was once praised and cursed for the infamous actions they performed as hackers. Both Richard and Matthew had brilliant minds, which they used for sinister activities. At the age of 21 and 17 respectively, they managed to break into numerous US military computers, and stole information.
However, they almost started a war using a DDoS attack on North Korea. It is for this reason many believe that these two men are the devil’s incarnation in the digital world. They also had quite a bunch of loyal followers, and for them, Pryce and Bevan are heroes.
7. Gary Mckinnon
Gary Mckinnon is one of the worst nightmares for the US government. He has conducted a number of break-ins and caused quite a lot of money to several institutions.
As a matter of fact, many believe his numbers are top in the world. He has made a series of hacks in the US Army base and followed the same in NASA computers irrespective of high-level security.
He has a strong understanding of the timing to conduct a break-in. That is why people find it so challenging when he crafted a $700,000 break-in just after the 9/11 attack. That is why he is one of the most feared individual hackers today.
8. Kevin Poulsen
Kevin Poulsen is one of the trendsetters of the Black Hat Hacking. He was active in the 80′ where technology was limited. Many of his followers like to call him “the Hannibal Lecter of Hacking.” You can say he was an inspiration for Hollywood moviemakers to make a film on online hacking.
His greatest achievement, or so he thinks, is the LA radio’s KIIS-FM hacking. He hacked into the phone lines and acquire critical information that one civilian should not know. Meanwhile, Poulsen turned into a new leaf today.
He works for Wired now. Kevin Poulsen may not be the sensationalist that most hackers are today, but he was the fire starter that everyone respects.
9. Astra
Out of all these legendary black hat hackers, Astra is an alias name. His greatest achievement is no one knows his real identity publicly to date. Astra burst into the scene with a cyber robbery on the Salt Group’s computers.
As they sell weapons, Interpol is involved in this matter. Some trials led to the fact that Astra sold those weapons to various parties all over the world.
The only information the world has about Astra is the fact that the guy is Greek and probably around 58 to 60 years of age. When he was selling those weapons, he had around $361 million. Fortunately, he got caught, or so it is in records. He is often considered the best anonymous hacker in the world.
10. Jeanson James Ancheta
Jeanson James Ancheta is arguably the best Botnet hacker in the world. The control he displayed in his prime is comparable to none. As a matter of fact, he is the first hacker to let the world know that hacking can be done using Botnets. So, that is why he deserves this list.
One common attribute of any successful hacker is they always manage to find a bunch of followers to carry out a task. Ancheta too gathered some people and conducted an attack on the Military.
He has over 500,000 computers in control which eventually cost a lot of money. He paid a fine of $58,000 and was also halted in prison for 5 years.
Conclusion
What you should know is that there are millions of black hat hackers all around the world. So, there are definitely some evil geniuses plotting some gruesome plans. Meanwhile, we have mentioned those, who have been caught and have a record in the real world.
I hope this article was helpful to use. If you liked the article, share it with your friends. Please feel free to ask any questions, you may have in the comments section below. We are always there to assist you.
