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A grey hat (greyhat or gray hat) is a computer hacker or computer security expert who may sometimes violate laws or typical ethical standards, but usually does not have the malicious intent typical of a black hat hacker. The term came into use in the late 1990s, and was derived from the concepts of "white hat" and "black hat" hackers. [1]
A grey hat hacker lies between a black hat and a white hat hacker, hacking for ideological reasons. [20] A grey hat hacker may surf the Internet and hack into a computer system for the sole purpose of notifying the administrator that their system has a security defect, for example. They may then offer to correct the defect for a fee. [19]
Global kOS was a grey hat (leaning black hat) computer hacker group active from 1996 through 2000. globalHell was a group of hackers, composed of about 60 individuals. The group disbanded in 1999 when 12 members were prosecuted for computer intrusion and 30 for lesser offenses.
Grey hat hackers may not be malicious, but what they do is illegal in most cases. They hack systems without permission and request payment in exchange for their silence. If the problem is not promptly fixed then the hackers may go public. Grey hat hackers create a more competitive environment in the software field.
In the same way, black hat hacking is contrasted with the more ethical white hat approach to hacking. Additionally, there exists a third category, called grey hat hacking, characterized by individuals who hack, usually with good intentions but by illegal means. [2] [3] [4]
In the infancy of the hacker subculture and the computer underground, [3] criminal convictions were rare because there was an informal code of ethics that was followed by white hat hackers. [4] Proponents of hacking claim to be motivated by artistic and political ends, but are often unconcerned about the use of criminal means to achieve them. [5]
From January 2008 to December 2012, if you bought shares in companies when William H. Gray, III joined the board, and sold them when he left, you would have a -17.6 percent return on your investment, compared to a -2.8 percent return from the S&P 500.
From the black hat perspective, the grey hat is still an enemy because they seek to fix vulnerabilities rather than exploit them. From the white hat perspective, the grey hat is distrusted because they are not engaging in full disclosure and may break the law sometimes, but they are still an ally because their intent is good.