---
title: "What is ethical hacker? | Daniel Christensen"
canonical_url: "https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/etisk-hacker"
last_updated: "2026-09-02T13:50:00.509Z"
locale: en
meta:
  description: "A security professional who attacks systems with the owner’s permission, to find the holes before criminals do."
  "og:description": "A security professional who attacks systems with the owner’s permission, to find the holes before criminals do."
  "og:title": "What is ethical hacker?"
---

[← All terms](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary)Glossary

# Ethical hacker

A security professional who attacks systems with the owner’s permission, to find the holes before criminals do.

Also called: ethical hackers, ethical hacking

An ethical hacker uses the same techniques as criminal hackers, with one crucial difference: permission. The engagement is agreed in advance, the scope is defined, and every vulnerability found is reported to the owner instead of exploited.

This is my day job. Companies pay me to break into their systems, precisely because it’s better that I find the holes than that someone else does. The result is a report showing what’s wrong, how serious it is, and how to fix it.

An engagement always starts with an agreement covering what will be tested, how and when. It sets the boundaries: which systems are in scope, what I’m allowed to do once I’m inside, and who to call if I find something critical at two in the morning. Without that agreement, the exact same actions are a crime. It isn’t the technique that separates an ethical hacker from a criminal, it’s the permission.

Some companies buy single engagements, others keep a standing arrangement, and some run open bug bounty programmes where anyone can report findings for a reward. What they share is a preference for hearing about the problem from someone who reports it. The thing that surprises people most when I describe the job is how rarely it comes down to advanced technique. The way in is usually a reused password, a forgotten test server, or an employee who just wanted to be helpful.

See also: [See talks on digital security](https://danielchristensen.no/en/talks) [Read: how I became an ethical hacker](https://danielchristensen.no/en/blog/hvordan-ble-jeg-en-etisk-hacker)

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