gray hat
(computing, computer security, slang) A hybrid between a white hat and a black hat hacker, who hacks for no personal gain, and does not have malicious intentions, but does sometimes commit crimes.
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#1·Apr 27, 2026
(computing, computer security, slang) A hybrid between a white hat and a black hat hacker, who hacks for no personal gain, and does not have malicious intentions, but does sometimes commit crimes.
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#2·Apr 27, 2026
(idiomatic, fiction) A morally ambiguous character; an antihero.
Origin: From being gray, a mix between black and white, morally grey/gray. From white hat + black hat. From cowboy country and western fiction, where good guys wear white Stetson hats with light attire, and bad guys wear black ones with black attire. From chivalric fiction, with white knights and black knights. From the association of the color white with good and black with evil. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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