Nicolas just found a vulnerability on a public-facing system that is considered a zero-day vulnerability. He sent an email to the owner of the public system describing the problem and how the owner ca

A black hat hacker would exploit the zero-day vulnerability for personal gain, malicious purposes, or financial benefit rather than responsibly disclosing it to the affected parties.

A white hat hacker operates ethically and legally, following responsible disclosure practices. Nicolas notified both the system owner and Microsoft about the vulnerability rather than exploiting it, which aligns with the coordinated vulnerability disclosure model that defines white hat behavior. His actions are intended to protect systems and users, not cause harm.

A gray hat hacker typically exploits or accesses systems without authorization first and may disclose vulnerabilities without permission, often seeking recognition or payment, which does not match Nicolas's purely responsible and ethical disclosure approach.

A red hat hacker is a term associated with aggressive vigilante-style actors who take offensive action against black hat hackers rather than performing vulnerability disclosure activities as Nicolas did.