security researcher
Digital defense analyst
A security researcher is someone who investigates vulnerabilities in computer systems, software, or networks.
The work ranges from academic study to actively probing systems for exploitable flaws.
Many work for companies or governments; others operate independently, sometimes reporting bugs to vendors for bounties.
The term can euphemistically describe hackers whose methods blur legal and ethical lines: The security researcher disclosed the flaw after the company ignored his warnings.
- hackerUnauthorized system accessor
- white hatEthical cybersecurity professional
- black hatUnethical computer intruder
- vulnerabilityOpenness to harm
- exploitNotable act or abuse
cybersecurity · bug · bug bounty · penetration · tester · red team · malware · firewall · breach · disclosure · ethical · infosec · reverse engineering · zero-day · proof of concept · patch · cryptography · analyst
security researchercybercriminal
Online law-breaker
cracker · script kiddie · carder · hacktivist
security researcherattacker
One who strikes first
intruder · adversary · perpetrator · phisher · identity thief
security, researcher, secure, securely, insecure, insecurity, securities, securing, secured