Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

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.

See Examples For:

“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

One self-styled ethical hacker, who goes by the name Sick Codes and asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC he had discovered weaknesses in John Deere's software, which he had reported.

From BBC May 19, 2022

Chowdhury was trained as an ethical hacker and observed that her friends working in cybersecurity are often able to protect systems more nimbly by creating financial incentives for people to help.

From The Verge Nov. 19, 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

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training