In the world of Terminal Contract, one of the main sources of income will be carrying out contracts for a variety of entities with a variety of motivations, both inside and outside the technical limits of the law. The content of these contracts are as diverse as the employers reputations, and can range from activities such as Security Audits and Reputation Management to Data Breaches and State Sponsored Terrorism. Of course, a hacker’s own reputation within the realm they operate is also heavily dependent upon the employers they choose, as well as, the manner in which the objectives of the contract are executed.
Some are in it for the money...
Cyber Espionage
Cyber espionage is focused on gaining illicit access confidential information, typically held by a government or other organization. Carried out at the expense of the target, for the benefit of the employer and for the monetary compensation to the contractor, espionage objectives typically require the theft or destruction of private data.
Some are in it for truth and justice...
Cyber Security
Motivated to protect networks, systems, and data, those that pursue cyber security seek to expose vulnerabilities before they can be maliciously detected and exploited. Carried out at he expense of the employing contractor themselves, Security objectives typically require exposing the same vulnerabilities that are exploited to commit espionage.
Some are in it for the cause...
Hacktivism
Hacktivists are motivated by politics or religion, while others may wish to expose wrongdoing, or exact vigilante justice upon a person, organization,the government or foreign entity for a perceived injustice. Carried out at the expense of a somewhat questionable entity, for somewhat questionable motivations, for the benefit of somewhat questionable beneficiaries (including no one at all), Hacktivism objectives typically involve Reputation Management , Data Breaches, and Denial of Service(DDOS) Attacks.
And still others, are in it for more sinister motivations...
Cyber War
Cyber War objectives are typically highly sensitive and their details usually remain hidden as a state secret within the military or intelligence agencies of the nations involved(with rare exceptions). Carried out with the intent of inflicting damage to the economy, industry, government, and military, the nature of Cyber War objectives can only be guessed at. It is safe to assume they include activities such as the penetration of the protected systems and networks through which a nation's critical infrastructures operate.