White hat

White hat

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This article is about computer hackers. For other uses, see White hat (disambiguation).

Look up white hat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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Computer Hacking

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A white hat is the hero or good guy, especially in computing slang, where it refers to an ethical hacker or penetration tester who focuses on securing and protecting IT systems.^[1]

White hat hackers are computer security experts, who specialize in penetration testing, and other testing methodologies, to ensure that a company's information systems are secure. White hat hackers are also called "sneakers"^[2], red teams, or tiger teams^[3]. These security experts may utilize a variety of methods to carry out their tests, including social engineering tactics, use of hacking tools, such as Metasploit, which exploits known vulnerabilities, and attempts to evade security to gain entry into secured areas.

The National Security Agency offers certifications such as the CNSS 4011. Such a certification covers orderly, ethical hacking techniques and team management. Aggressor teams are called "red" teams. Defender teams are called "blue" teams.

[edit] References

^ What is white hat? - a definition from Whatis.com
^ What is a White Hat?
^ Tiger team

[edit] See also

Black hat
Computer hacking
Exploit (computer security)
Grey hat
Hack (technology)
Hacker Ethic
IT risk
Metasploit
Penetration test
Vulnerability (computing)
Wireless & RFID Identity Theft

[edit] External Links

Ethical Hacking

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_hat"

Categories: Hacking (computer security)

This article is part of a series on: Computer Hacking

Hacker definition controversy
Hacking in computer security
Computer security Computer insecurity Network security
History
Phreaking Cryptovirology
Hacker ethic
Black hat, Grey hat, White hat Black Hat Briefings, DEF CON
Cybercrime
Computer crime, Crimeware List of convicted computer criminals Script kiddie
Hacking tools
Vulnerability Exploit Payload
Software
Malware Rootkit, Backdoor Trojan horse, Virus, Worm Spyware, Botnet, Keystroke logging Antivirus software, Firewall, HIDS