Which term describes hacking that may not be malicious but violates laws or ethical standards?

The term that describes hacking which may not be malicious but still violates laws or ethical standards is gray hat hacking. Gray hat hackers typically operate in a space between ethical (white hat) and unethical (black hat) hacking. They may exploit vulnerabilities in a system without permission, but their intent often is not to cause harm or steal information; rather, they might aim to highlight these vulnerabilities to the owner of the system, sometimes even without their knowledge, and may offer to fix the issues.

This behavior creates a gray area—hence the name "gray hat"—where the hacker’s actions are technically illegal (due to unauthorized access), yet the intention is often benign. For example, if a gray hat hacker discovers a security flaw in a website and informs the company about it, while their method of discovering the flaw might involve illegal access, their goal is to improve security, not to exploit it.

Other terms in the options refer to different types of hacking with clearer motivations. Black hat hacking refers to malicious activities with the intent to steal or harm, while white hat hacking is ethical hacking for defensive purposes, often with permission. Red team hacking involves testing defense mechanisms through simulated attacks, generally in a controlled and authorized manner.