Ethical hacking, also known as "white hat" hacking, is the practice of using hacking techniques to test and evaluate the security of computer systems, networks, and applications. The goal of ethical hacking is to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in a system, and then to provide recommendations for improving security.

Ethical hackers use the same tools and techniques as malicious hackers, but they do so with the permission and oversight of the system's owners. They use these tools to simulate real-world attacks and identify potential vulnerabilities, and then to report these vulnerabilities to the system's owners so that they can be fixed.

Some of the key techniques used in ethical hacking include:

1. 1. Network scanning: Identifying and profiling systems and devices on a network

   2. Vulnerability scanning: Identifying known vulnerabilities in systems and applications

   3. Penetration testing: Attempting to exploit vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to a system

   4. Social engineering: Attempting to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information