What a white hat hacker does in many (not all, maybe not even a majority) of instances is the equivalent of trying new lock picks in the door, watching them swi

What a white hat hacker does in many (not all, maybe not even a majority) of instances is the equivalent of trying new lock picks in the door, watching them swing open, and then reporting dutifully on it. "Not going inside" and "not stealing" aren't sufficient defenses in the eyes of the law for this behavior any more than attempted burglary.