Which type of hacker is usually characterized as having malicious intent and seeks to exploit systems for personal gain?

The choice of a hacker with malicious intent who seeks to exploit systems for personal gain is aptly represented by the term "Black Hat." Black Hat hackers are typically individuals who engage in illegal activities, such as stealing data, deploying malware, or breaching computer networks, all with the intention of achieving personal benefit, whether financial or otherwise.

In contrast to Black Hats, White Hat hackers are ethical security professionals who use their skills to protect systems and help organizations by finding vulnerabilities with the goal of fixing them. Gray Hat hackers fall somewhere in between, often probing systems without permission but with no malicious intent, sometimes making their findings known to the system owners for the sake of improvement. Blue Hat hackers are typically not professional hackers but rather individuals invited by companies to test their systems for vulnerabilities. Therefore, the term Black Hat specifically captures the essence of those who act with malicious intentions for personal gain.