What is Leet ("1337"), A.K.A. Eleet or Leetspeak

Do you sometime see a word written in the combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols even sometimes it doesn't have any single letter, like \/\/0|2|) on an online community, especially in an online gaming? Do you know what are the reasons why some people write a sentence or text in that way? When you see a word like that, mostly when you're using computer, it is a text written in Leet used by some online gamers, script kiddies, hackers, and some individuals such as adults. Leet or "1337", also known as eleet or leetspeak was originated as an encrypted or encoded text of a hacker. Maybe the words or sentence that these hackers want to encode was too complicated. It is mostly used for English language, but can also be used for other languages including Filipino or Tagalog.

One of many ways to write the title “Filipino ‘White Hat’ Hacker” in Leet or 1337.

Most people who have Leetspeaking are online gamers, specially the game's cheaters. But they don't know what is its real use for. They don't really care why they've using it! But the cause why they've doing it, is because it's just their practice and they just wanted it. There are also script kiddies who often uses Leet, just to show to the people who will going to read their message or comment, that they're a hacker. But in reality, they're not hackers but a skiddie. It is also used by some individuals just to hide a sensitive text which not good in the sight of a child, for those who has no capacity to guess what does they mean, such as @$$ and I'm pretty sure that you can guess that 1337 word if you're an adult. And last, the hackers who were originally used Leet! They still sometime use it to avoid search engines from catching the keywords of their public websites and public groups' news with their complicated message, comment, or announcement. But still, any other people can use Leet depend on their reason why they want it to use.

Seven Types of Computer Security Hackers

One of the most popular Internet users are a hacker. But do you know that there are many different types of computer security hackers? It's not because if someone is a hacker, means that this person is a hacker without classification. And the other rumored are just individuals who uses automated tools developed by a hacker, and not a hacker. For now, there are seven (real and not imaginary) types of hackers. And you can see those seven below, and may know if a script kiddie is a type of hacker:

1. White hat hacker: An ethical hacker who have permitted by a company to find a vulnerability into their computer system and network or website, and secure it if they found some leak. They are also known as a “computer security expert”, sneakers, red teams, or tiger teams.
2. Black hat hacker: A programmer who develops their own scripts or programs to crash or corrupt or to steal the information on the computer system or website of their target. For the cause of what they've done, they was titled as a "cracker".
3. Grey hat hacker: Someone who hack websites and computer systems and networks without any single signed permission of their target, and if they found a vulnerability or bug, they may slightly attack it, and surely offer to the administrator to fix it for a small fee.
4. Blue hat hacker: A hacker which employed outside the computer security of a company to find exploits on their products, so that they will be closed and avoid getting much problem in the coming future. Microsoft spelled the word “Blue Hat” without space as "BlueHat".
5. Neophyte: A programmer that starting to studies how to hack a website or computer system and network, and doesn't have any classification yet. They are still in learning before they've claim themselves a classification, such as a white hat, black hat, grey hat, or blue hat.

The Meanings of Neophyte and Hacktivist

All of the programmers who have a strong understanding how computer and network work, which entering in the world of hacking, is titled as a neophyte (at hacking). It means that they are a new hacker without any classification yet and in learning before they claim themselves to a classification, such as white hat a computer security expert, black hat an evil side which also known as cracker, grey hat a combination of a white hat and a black hat, or blue hat which employed outside computer security confirming firms to bug test. And don't be confuse with a script kiddie, because a skiddie is not a hacker, but just pretending to be a hacker. A skid are doesn't have a proper understanding how computer systems and networks work, and no capacity to develop their own programs. Instead a neophyte, they are a programmer and can develop their own scripts and programs.

Anyone who finds weaknesses in a computer system or network to shout their social, religious, or political idea and issue, can be called as a hacktivist. Most of them are “cyber protesters” and involves website defacement or D^enial-o^f-S^ervice attacks. But still, in hacking community, anyone who uses automated tools such as scripts and programs developed by the other programmer, without proper understanding how it and a computer system and network work, is still a script kiddie. Hacktivists may defaced the website of their target, chance the visual of it, to a web page that they've developed with their message, and may warn their target that they will attack, mostly by DoS, the computer system of their target if their request ignored or did not granted.

What are a Grey Hat and Blue Hat Hackers

A grey hat hacker is someone who act like a combination of a black hat and a white hat. These may hack into a computer system and network without signed permission, to notify the system or network's administrator that their system/network is vulnerable and then offer to repair it for a cost. And that's why they act both a white hat and black hat, because they're doing it for a good purpose but still hacking without signed permission for a company. So, that's why they was titled as “grey hat”.

A blue hat hacker is a computer security expert that are employed outside the computer security of a company to search a bug or used to bug test a system before a company lunch this tested system. They're looking for exploits on the systems, so that they can be closed, to avoid the problem get bigger. Usually, Microsoft uses the term "BlueHat", with the capital letters of B and H and no space, [ ] to refer a computer security professional that they invited to find a vulnerability of or to hack their products such as Windows, and to report it unto them.