The growing digitalization of financial services has raised cybersecurity concerns, highlighting the financial sector as a main target for advanced cyberattacks. Conventional security policies have fallen short against sophisticated threats like bitcoin laundering, blockchain exploitation, and hostile artificial intelligence attacks. Emphasizing its integration inside financial intelligence operations, this paper examines how ethical hacking may be a proactive defence tool, improving financial cybersecurity. A qualitative study of modern literature, worldwide investment patterns, and case studies show that although ethical hacking methods, including penetration testing, red teaming, and vulnerability assessments, efficiently spot vulnerabilities, their use in actual financial settings remains uneven and under-optimized. Cross-border standardization of ethical hacking procedures revealed significant gaps that hampered group defence against worldwide financial crimes. Moreover, the research revealed that ethical hacking was not evolving to meet new technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence-driven platforms, and quantum computing, leaving financial institutions vulnerable to new cyber threats. This paper offers a methodical Operational Model for Ethical Hacking in Financial Cybersecurity to meet all of these challenges, including three primary components: Operationalized as continuous, intelligence-led processes,

(1) Continuous Threat Simulation and Penetration Testing; (2) Cross-Border Compliance and Standardization, supporting internationally recognized testing protocols; and (3) Adaptation to Emerging Technologies, including quantum-resistant cryptographic testing and blockchain penetration protocols. The results highlight the necessity of regulatory systems requiring ongoing ethical hacking evaluations and cross-border cooperation to prevent financial cyber threats. Institutions can improve predictive threat identification, regulatory compliance, and resilience against sophisticated cyber threats by including ethical hacking into financial intelligence processes. By providing a plan for the strategic incorporation of ethical hacking in worldwide financial infrastructures, this study contributes to the discourse on proactive financial cybersecurity.

Ethical Hacking, Financial Cybersecurity, Cyber Threats

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