Ethical hacking is performing security testing with an organization's permission to help improve security. There are different types of hackers - white hats work legally to protect systems, black hats hack maliciously, and grey hats have a mix of motives. The hacking process involves steps like footprinting, scanning, enumeration, access, privilege escalation, and covering tracks. Common hacking techniques discussed include phishing, keyloggers, trojans, SQL injection, using the Kali Linux distribution, and Bluetooth attacks. Ethical hackers are certified through exams like the CEH to legally test security as penetration testers.