nonmalicious

Nonmalicious is an adjective describing actions or behavior that are not intended to cause harm. It is formed by the prefix non- meaning "not" and "malicious," from Latin malitia meaning bad intent. In everyday language, a nonmalicious action aims to be harmless, though it may still have unintended negative consequences.

In ethics and law, distinguishing nonmalicious intent from malicious intent can affect judgments of responsibility and liability. A nonmalicious error may still require remediation, but it is typically treated differently from deliberate harm. However, nonmalicious outcomes do not guarantee safety, ethics, or legality; negligence or incompetence can produce harm even without intent.

In information security and technology, nonmalicious is used to describe actors or software that do not intend to cause damage. For instance, a nonmalicious insider may access restricted data accidentally, rather than to steal it. Similarly, nonmalicious software could refer to programs that are not designed to damage but may contain bugs or vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit. The term is sometimes contrasted with malicious code or malware and with malicious insiders or actors. Policies and incident responses often require distinctions between malicious and nonmalicious activity, since the approach to containment and remediation can differ based on intent.

In summary, nonmalicious denotes lack of harmful intent, though it does not by itself ensure safety or ethical outcomes, and context matters for interpretation and response.