Purple hat hacker definition
Purple hat hacker refers to someone who combines defensive (blue team) and offensive (red team) cyber security skills, working together to strengthen overall security. When you mix red and blue, you get purple — that's why they’re called purple hackers.They know how both attack and defense strategies work, and help these typically separate teams cooperate closely to improve security.
See also: anonymous hacker, blue hat hacker, green hat hacker
Skills of purple hat hackers
Purple hackers combine offensive and defensive skills:
- Penetration testing (finding and exploiting vulnerabilities)
- Vulnerability scanning and reporting
- Understanding hacker methods and tactics
- Exploit development and testing
- Social engineering awareness
- Network security monitoring
- Incident detection and response
- Knowledge of firewall and anti-virus configurations
- Threat analysis
- Security tools management (SIEM, IDS, IPS)
Purple hat hacking examples
- Simulated cyber exercises. Purple hat hackers create realistic attack simulations to test defense teams, then analyze performance and suggest ways to improve response times.
- Vulnerability collaboration. Involving both attack and defense members in joint exercises, purple hat hackers bridge communication gaps, ensuring defenders understand real-world hacker methods, and attackers consider defenses when working.
- Hybrid threat detection workshops. Purple hat hackers facilitate workshops where both attackers and defenders work side by side to identify blind spots in security. Through collaborative discussions and role-playing, these exercises uncover innovative solutions to prevent and detect complex, multi-layered threats.
