Distinguish Between Hacker "Hat" Colors

Not all hackers are villains. The term "hacker" actually describes a wide spectrum of individuals with different motivations and ethics. This article clearly explains the key differences between white-hat, black-hat, and gray-hat hackers, using the classic "good guy vs. bad guy" analogy from western movies to make the concepts stick. Understanding these distinctions is fundamental to cyber ethics and choosing your career path. The goal of this curriculum is to train you to become a white-hat hacker—an ethical professional who uses their skills to find and fix vulnerabilities before the black hats can exploit them. This concept is central to careers in penetration testing and security research.