A
white hat is the
heroA hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
or
good guy, especially in computing slang, where it refers to an
ethical hacker or penetration tester who focuses on securing and protecting
ITInformation technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic...
systems.
White hat
hackersIn common usage, a hacker is a person who breaks into computers, usually by gaining access to administrative controls. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground...
, also known as "ethical hackers," are computer security experts, who specialize in penetration testing, and other testing methodologies, to ensure that a company's
information systemsIn a broad sense, the term Information Systems refers to the interaction between people, processes, and technology. This interaction can occur within or across organizational boundaries...
are secure.
A
white hat is the
heroA hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
or
good guy, especially in computing slang, where it refers to an
ethical hacker or penetration tester who focuses on securing and protecting
ITInformation technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic...
systems.
White hat hacker
White hat
hackersIn common usage, a hacker is a person who breaks into computers, usually by gaining access to administrative controls. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground...
, also known as "ethical hackers," are computer security experts, who specialize in penetration testing, and other testing methodologies, to ensure that a company's
information systemsIn a broad sense, the term Information Systems refers to the interaction between people, processes, and technology. This interaction can occur within or across organizational boundaries...
are secure. Such people are employed by companies where these professionals are sometimes called "
sneakersIn common usage, a hacker is a person who breaks into computers, usually by gaining access to administrative controls. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground...
." Groups of these people are often called
tiger teamA tiger team is a specialized group tasked with testing the effectiveness of an organization's ability to protect assets by attempting to circumvent, defeat, or otherwise thwart that organization's internal and external security.- Overview :...
s or red teams. These security experts may utilize a variety of methods to carry out their tests, including
social engineeringSocial engineering may refer to:* Social engineering , efforts to influence popular societies on a large scale.* Social engineering , the practice of obtaining confidential information by manipulating users....
tactics, use of hacking tools, and attempts to evade security to gain entry into secured areas.
The
National Security AgencyThe National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States government, administered as part of the United States Department of Defense. Created on November 4, 1952 by President Harry S...
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.
Search engine optimization
In recent years, the terms white hat and
black hatA black hat is the villain or bad guy, especially in a western movie in which such a character would wear a black hat in contrast to the hero's white hat...
have been applied to the
Search Engine OptimizationSearch engine optimization is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" or un-paid search results as opposed to search engine marketing which deals with paid inclusion...
(SEO) industry. Black hat SEO tactics such as
spamdexingSpamdexing involves a number of methods, such as repeating unrelated phrases, to manipulate the relevancy or prominence of resources indexed by a search engine, in a manner inconsistent with the purpose of the indexing system.Some consider it to be a part of search engine optimization, though...
, attempt to redirect search results to particular target pages in a fashion that is against the search engines' terms of service, whereas white hat methods are generally approved by the search engines. White hats tend to produce results that last a long time, whereas black hats anticipate that their sites may eventually be banned either temporarily or permanently once the search engines discover what they are doing.
In movies
In the movie industry, a white hat was someone in a
westernThe Western is a fiction genre seen in film, television, radio, literature, painting and other visual arts. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in what became the Western United States , but also in Western Canada, Mexico , Alaska The Western...
movie in which such a character would wear a
white White is a color, the perception which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
hatA hat is a head covering. It may be worn for protection against the elements, for religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
in contrast to the villain's
black hatA black hat is the villain or bad guy, especially in a western movie in which such a character would wear a black hat in contrast to the hero's white hat...
. Examples of such characters are
Red RyderRed Ryder a popular American fictional cowboy from the 1940s, was created by Stephen Slesinger and artist Fred Harman. Beginning Sunday, November 6, 1938, Red Ryder was syndicated by Newspaper Enterprise Association, expanding over the following decade to 750 newspapers with a readership of 14...
,
Tom MixThomas Edwin Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features...
, and
The Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger is an American radio and television show created by George W. Trendle and developed by writer Fran Striker.The eponymous character is a masked Texas Ranger in the American Old West, originally played by Paul Halliwell, who gallops about righting injustices with the aid of his...
.
Rob BrydonRob Brydon is a BAFTA nominated Welsh actor, comedian, radio presenter, and impressionist most famous for his role as Keith Barret in the BBC comedy Marion and Geoff and its spin-off The Keith Barret Show, as well as the host of panel quiz shows Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive and Would I Lie To...
riffed on this iconic use of the white hat in the TV series
Director's CommentaryDirectors Commentary was a comedy show created and written by Paul Duddridge and produced by Miles Ross. It was made by Jones The Film for ITV and broadvcast in 2004....
when his character, talentless director Peter De Lane, discussed making a 'good' character in a Western wear a black hat: "Can a good guy wear a black hat? Can a bad guy wear a white hat?"
In Freemasonry
In the
Scottish RiteThe Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
of
FreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 5 million, including just under two million in the United States and around 480,000 in...
, a white hat signifies an honorable degree which has been bestowed upon a member. It is also known as the 33rd degree. A 33° mason is a master mason who has exhibited knowledge, passion and sacrifice to his craft. It is awarded by the
Supreme CouncilSupreme Council may refer to:In culture:* Supreme Council of Antiquities, part of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture* Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes, an umbrella organisation in Greece established in 1997In Freemasonry:...
. Members selected for inclusion are elected at the Council's annual session. Members unanimously elected become honorary members of the Supreme Council. The cap for an Inspector General Honorary is white with a white band edged in gold, featuring the symbol for this honorary Degree, a red slanting Patriarchal Cross. .
See also
:Category:Computer hacking
- Wireless & RFID Identity Theft
"Wireless" Identity Theft, "Contactless Identity Theft" or RFID Identity Theft, is described as ....the act of compromising an individual's personal identifying information using wireless mechanics....
- Hacker Ethic
The hacker ethic comprises the values and philosophy that are standard in the hacker community. The early hacker culture and resulting philosophy originated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1950s and 1960s...
- Black hat
A black hat is the villain or bad guy, especially in a western movie in which such a character would wear a black hat in contrast to the hero's white hat...
- Grey hat
A grey hat, in the hacking community, refers to a skilled hacker who sometimes acts illegally, sometimes in good will, and sometimes not. They are a hybrid between white and black hat hackers...