GlossaryIntermediate
White Hat Hack
An intervention where a security researcher exploits a vulnerability specifically to protect funds or demonstrate the risk, not to steal for personal gain.
A white hat hack is an intervention where a security researcher actively exploits a discovered vulnerability — sometimes moving at-risk funds to a secure location, or demonstrating the exploit directly to the project — specifically to protect user funds or force a fix, rather than to steal the funds for personal gain.
Several real, well-documented incidents involve a white hat researcher front-running a malicious exploit of the same vulnerability, rescuing funds before a less scrupulous attacker could, sometimes later returning the funds in exchange for a negotiated reward.
Examples
- A white hat hacker might drain a vulnerable contract's at-risk funds to a secure address specifically to protect them from a malicious exploit of the same bug.
- A white hat hack is distinguished from a malicious one by clear intent — protecting funds or forcing disclosure, not personal enrichment at victims' expense.