


Term derived from old Western movies wherein the villain was usually protrayed as wearing a black hat, whereas the hero was usually wearing a white hat.

Not related to Red Hat.

black art = B = black hole

black hat

[common among security specialists] A cracker, someone bent on breaking into the system you are protecting. Oppose the less comon `white hat' for an ally or friendly security specialist; the term `gray hat' is in occasional use for people with cracker skills operating within the law, e.g. in doing security evaluations. All three terms derive from the dress code of formulaic Westerns, in which bad guys wore black hats and good guys white ones.


A black hat is also a nickname for a Jumpmaster in the U.S. Army. Monikered for their spiffy black head gear, these are the the guys who try to persuade you out of the perfectly operational plane for a static-line jump. They make Drill Sergeants appear friendly and personable.
