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What is ethical hacking

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Jhon s
What is ethical hacking

 

Effective ethical hacking relies on knowledge of the system network, equipment, user interaction, policies, procedures, physical security, and company culture. From this conjecture one could define what is ethical hacking.

Protecting today's systems and networks requires a broad understanding of attack strategies and a deep understanding of the hacker's tactics, tools, and motivations. The increasing use of social engineering attack methodologies demands that each tester be aware of the organization and habits of their IT users (staff).

WHAT IS ETHICAL HACKING AND WHY IS IT DONE?

What is ethical hacking is defined by what the professionals who are dedicated to it do, that is, the ethical hackers. These people are hired to hack into a system and identify and repair potential vulnerabilities, effectively preventing exploitation by malicious hackers. They are experts who specialize in penetration testing of computer and software systems in order to evaluate, strengthen and improve security.

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This type of hacker is often referred to as a 'white hat' hacker, in order to differentiate them from criminal hackers, who are known as 'black hat' hackers.

One of the most powerful weapons in the fight against cybercriminals has been that of hackers. Professionals with a deep understanding of how to penetrate the security of an online infrastructure are commonly deployed to find vulnerabilities that those on the other end of the moral hacking spectrum would seek to exploit.

TYPES OF HACKERS

If it is necessary to explain what ethical hacking is, it is because there is another type of piracy that has caused its appearance.

Within the cybersecurity community, hackers fall into three camps: 'black hat', 'gray hat' and 'white hat' hackers.

Black Hats hack their targets for selfish reasons, such as financial gain, to get revenge, or simply to wreak havoc.

This is how cybercriminals attack

White hat hackers, instead, aim to improve security, find holes in it, and notify the victim so they have a chance to fix them before a less scrupulous hacker exploits them.

The gray hats sit somewhere in between the two camps, often carrying out slightly more morally questionable operations, such as hacking into groups they ideologically oppose, or launching hacktivist protests.

The way these professionals use to earn money also explains what ethical hacking is. Those who do practice it are quite often employed by cybersecurity companies, or within the security departments of larger organizations. The fact that they know how attackers operate often gives them valuable insight into how to prevent attacks.

Another way that ethical hackers can earn a living is by collecting "bug bounties." Big companies, particularly tech companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Google, offer a reward to researchers or hackers who discover security holes within their networks or services.

On the other hand, black hackers hackers generally earn their money through theft, fraud, extortion, and other nefarious means.

IS LEGAL HACKING ETHICAL?

Most organizations believe that the act of authorizing an ethical hacker to test a company's defenses is enough legal protection to justify both types of actions. First, the act of hiring an ethical hacker, and second, providing the necessary cover for questionable activities.

Obviously, it depends on how far the hacker is willing to test the systems. Or, what is worse, to go into gray hat mode, determined to enter to show that they can.

Social engineering is a technique used by hackers to trick people into leaving confidential information. White hat hackers use it to help test a company's defenses. After all, under real attack, a black hat hacker might as well do the same.

This often means that the ethical hacker ends up breaking into systems using someone else's credentials, obtained using illicit methods. At this point, the laws are being broken as they then have access to confidential information. If it is customer or employee information, the hacker and the company may violate the various data protection laws in force.

A common technique for testing a company's systems is to gain access through its business partners. Large corporate organizations often have strong security measures in place, so it is natural to focus on the weakest elements in the supply chain, your suppliers or customers. They may be smaller companies with limited protections, but have privileged access to systems provided by the large company.

Thus, an ethical hacker can hack (in whatever way makes sense) into a business partner's systems and then be able to jump to the desired target through this privileged backdoor. Unless the business partner has been included in the scope of the penetration test, the ethical hacker has deviated from the limits of the law to achieve his goals.

CONCLUSION

Ethical hacking was born as a measure to combat hackers with malicious intentions. Companies hire these professionals because they need to prove their security. By granting your permission, they effectively cover your corporate eyes and ears while these tests are being conducted.

In the end, the ethical hacker presents a well-polished report that points out the weaknesses and associated recommendations. Along the way, it is very likely that laws have been broken that the white hat pirate does not know (or is not interested in). It is a subject condemned to generate controversy.

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