Ethical hacking involves using hacking skills to test a system's security vulnerabilities in order to improve defenses. Ethical hackers, also called white hats, work with organizations' permission to find flaws and help strengthen security. Their work is important for preventing data theft, fraud, and cyberattacks from malicious hackers known as black hats. Businesses hire ethical hackers as penetration testers to regularly probe their networks and systems, helping to ensure sensitive data remains protected. The goal of ethical hacking is to protect systems from attacks by understanding hacking techniques and how defenses could be improved.