Good actors, like white hat hackers or ethical hackers, always have permission before they try to find vulnerabilities in a system. It's like being invited to look for hidden doors in someone's house to make sure they're secure.

Their main goal is to protect people and information. They're like the guardians or police officers of the internet, looking for weaknesses so they can be fixed before bad guys find them.

When they find a problem, they report it to the people who can fix it. They don’t use the information to cause harm.

Many good actors follow a code of ethics. They often have certifications that show they are trained to hack responsibly and for the right reasons.

They're usually open about who they are and what they're doing, especially if they're working as part of their job.

Bad actors don’t get permission before breaking into systems. It's like breaking into someone's house to steal or cause damage.

Their actions are often meant to harm, steal, or disrupt. They might be motivated by money, a desire to cause chaos, or personal beliefs.

Instead of reporting vulnerabilities to be fixed, they exploit them to gain unauthorized access, steal data, or cause damage.

Many bad actors try to hide their identities and actions. They use the internet's anonymity to avoid getting caught.

Their actions are usually illegal, like stealing credit card information, launching attacks against websites, or spreading malware.

The real challenge comes when trying to categorize actions that might seem good in one context but harmful in another. For example:

A hacker working for their government might be seen as a patriot (good actor) by their own country but as a threat (bad actor) by others.

Groups like Anonymous might be viewed as good actors when they expose wrongdoing but could be seen as bad actors if their actions inadvertently harm innocent people.