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white hat

[ hwahyt-hat, wahyt ]
/ ˈʰwaɪt ˈhæt, ˈwaɪt /
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noun Informal.
a virtuous hero, especially in a cowboy movie; good guy.
Also called white hat hack·er .Computers. a hacker who violates the security of a system with the knowledge and consent of the owner or developer in order to test the code, without malicious intent.

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Compare black hat.

Origin of white hat

First recorded in 1960–65 for def. 1, and in 1990–95 for def. 2; from the white hat often worn by the virtuous hero in a cowboy movie

OTHER WORDS FROM white hat

white-hat, white-hat·ted, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use white hat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for white hat

white hat

noun
informal
  1. a computer hacker who is hired by an organization to undertake nonmalicious hacking work in order to discover computer-security flaws
  2. (as modifier)a white-hat hacker Compare black hat
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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