Penetration Testing

ALSO CALLED: Red Team, Ethical Hackers, Ethical Hacking, Vulnerability Testing, Security Testing, Intrusion Testing, Red Teaming, Security Scans, White Hat Hackers, and White Hats
DEFINITION: White hat describes a hacker (or, if you prefer, cracker) who identifies a security weakness in a computer system or network but, instead of taking malicious advantage of it, exposes the weakness in a way that will allow the system's owners to fix the breach before it is can  … 
Definition continues below.

PENETRATION TESTING DEFINITION (continued): …  be taken advantage by others (such as black hat hackers.) Methods of telling the owners about it range from a simple phone call through sending an e-mail note to a Webmaster or administrator all the way to leaving an electronic "calling card" in the system that makes it obvious that security has been breached.

While white hat hacking is a hobby for some, others provide their services for a fee. Thus, a white hat hacker may work as a consultant or be a permanent employee on a company's … 
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