Ethical hacking involves using the same tools and techniques as criminal hackers but in a legal and responsible way to test an organization's security. It is done by white hat hackers who work as independent security professionals and evaluate target systems without damaging them or stealing information. They identify bugs and weaknesses and report them back to system owners. Ethical hackers require strong programming, networking, and computer skills as well as expertise in operating systems, firewalls, routers, network protocols, and security project management. Their work helps organizations protect themselves from external attacks and close security holes.