bad actors
Those causing harm
Bad actors are people who behave dishonestly or maliciously within a system.
The term appears most often in discussions of security, politics, and online platforms: Bad actors exploited the vulnerability to steal user data, The platform struggles to identify bad actors spreading misinformation.
The theatrical sense—performers who act poorly—exists but is rarely intended.
- crooksCriminals or hooked staffs
- miscreantEvildoer or villain
- black sheepDisreputable family member
- offenderOne who breaks rules
- perpetratorOne who commits wrongdoing
fraudster · con artist · malefactor · hacker · puppet master · rogue · double-dealer · snake oil salesman · criminals · villains · grifter · cybercriminals · phishing scam · charlatan · troll farms · confidence trickster · identity thief · wrongdoer
bad actorswhite hats
Benevolent security experts
honest brokers · do-gooders · benefactors · altruists · whistleblowers