white-hat
Good guy hacker
White-hat describes ethical hacking or security testing—probing computer systems for vulnerabilities with permission, to fix them rather than exploit them.
The term comes from old Western films where heroes wore white hats and villains wore black: The company hired white-hat hackers to test their defenses.
As a noun, a white hat is a person who does this work.
The adjective extends beyond computing to any ethically motivated activity in a gray area: white-hat SEO practices.
Network access control system
- encryptionConverting data into code
- authenticationConfirming genuine identity
- cyberdefenseProtecting networks from attacks
- antivirusMalware detection program
compliance · monitoring · VPN · SSL · hardening · forensics · two-factor
One who guards another
- guardianProtective caretaker of another
- watchdogGuard or monitor
- sentinelGuard who monitors
- safeguardPrecaution against harm
champion · infosec · analyst · consultant · responder · specialist · expert · auditor
Notable act or abuse
- cybersecurityProtection of digital systems
- red-teamAuthorized adversarial assessors
- reconnaissanceInformation-gathering before action
- zero-dayUnpatched security vulnerability
payload · backdoor · sandbox · proof-of-concept · Kali · CTF
Moral soundness and consistency
- responsibleObligated to answer for actions
- authorizedGiven official permission
- legalPermitted by statute
- legitimateConforming to accepted standards
transparent · trustworthy · principled · compliant · defensive · protective · benevolent · altruistic
firewall
Network access control system
- encryptionConverting data into code
- authenticationConfirming genuine identity
- cyberdefenseProtecting networks from attacks
antivirus · compliance · monitoring · VPN · SSL · hardening · forensics · two-factor
defender
One who guards another
safeguard · champion · infosec · analyst · consultant · responder · specialist · expert · auditor
exploit
Notable act or abuse
- cybersecurityProtection of digital systems
- red-teamAuthorized adversarial assessors
- reconnaissanceInformation-gathering before action
zero-day · payload · backdoor · sandbox · proof-of-concept · Kali · CTF
integrity
Moral soundness and consistency
- responsibleObligated to answer for actions
- authorizedGiven official permission
- legalPermitted by statute
legitimate · transparent · trustworthy · principled · compliant · defensive · protective · benevolent · altruistic · consent
white-hatblack-hat
Malicious computer intruder
cracker · cybercriminal · bad actor · gray-hat · attacker
white, hat, whiter, whitest, whiten, whitened, whitening, whitener, whiteness