Ethical Hacking is compromising computer systems for assessing security and acting in good faith by informing the vulnerable party. Ethical hacking is a key skill for many job roles related to securing the online assets of an organization. The professionals working on these job roles maintain the organization’s computers, servers, and other components of its infrastructure in working conditions preventing unauthorized access through non-physical channels.
People believe that “hacking” means to hack any website within a minute. This concept comes from watching movies, so they do not even know the original basic concept of what it means to hack or how to do it. To crack passwords or to steal data? No, Ethical Hacking is much more than that. Ethical hacking is to scan vulnerabilities and to find potential threats on a computer or network. An ethical hacker finds the weak points or loopholes in a computer, web applications, or network and reports them to the organization. So, let’s explore the skills required to become an ethical hacker.
Ethical hacking involves an authorized attempt to gain unauthorized access to a computer system, application, or data. Carrying out an ethical hack involves duplicating strategies and actions of malicious attackers. This practice helps to identify security vulnerabilities which can then be resolved before a malicious attacker has the opportunity to exploit them.
Also known as “white hats,” ethical hackers are security experts that perform these assessments. The proactive work they do helps to improve an organization’s security posture. With prior approval from the organization or owner of the IT asset, the mission of ethical hacking is opposite from malicious hacking.
What are the key concepts of ethical hacking?
Hacking experts follow four key protocol concepts:
Stay legal. Obtain proper approval before accessing and performing a security assessment.
Define the scope. Determine the scope of the assessment so that the ethical hacker’s work remains legal and within the organization’s approved boundaries.
Report vulnerabilities. Notify the organization of all vulnerabilities discovered during the assessment. Provide remediation advice for resolving these vulnerabilities.
Respect data sensitivity. Depending on the data sensitivity, ethical hackers may have to agree to a non-disclosure agreement, in addition to other terms and conditions required by the assessed organization.
