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ethical hacker

American  
[eth-i-kuhl hak-er] / ˈɛθ ɪ kəl ˈhæk ər /

noun

Digital Technology.
  1. a hacker who violates the security of a system usually with the knowledge and consent of the owner or developer, in order to test the code, without malicious intent.


Etymology

Origin of ethical hacker

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“This idea is that an ethical hacker can find vulnerabilities that can be fixed before they can be exploited by bad actors,” Lippincott said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2024

Rachel Tobac, an ethical hacker and CEO of SocialProof Security, offered a hypothetical example of how the feature could go awry.

From Washington Post • Sep. 1, 2022

Amena is now an ethical hacker for GCHQ.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2021

Sophos director and ethical hacker Mark Loman tweeted about the attack earlier today, and now reports that affected systems will demand $44,999 to be unlocked.

From The Verge • Jul. 2, 2021

As an ethical hacker, security researcher and data analyst, I have seen firsthand how disinformation is becoming the new focus of cyberattacks.

From Salon • Aug. 5, 2018