What is ethical hacking? Hacking comes in many colors: white, gray, black, and shades in between. White hat hackers use their skills for good. They practice ethical hacking: involved testing to see if an organization's network is vulnerable to outside attacks. Ethical hacking is key to strengthening network security, and it's one of the most desired skills for any IT security professional. If you're interested in becoming an ethical hacker, or learning enough to secure your own networks, this introduction is for you.