Ethical Hacking: How do you know, for example, if your company is vulnerable to a ransomware attack? Or if sensitive and strategic data is secure enough that competing companies don’t have access to it?
To uncover this and other security issues, many companies are turning to ethical hacking, an effective and secure way to discover vulnerabilities.
With this in mind, this post will talk about this profession that is helping many companies. Want to know more about ethical hacking? So happy reading to you!
Ethical Hacking
It can be a professional working for a specific company or a consultant serving several companies on demand. Its objective is to find security flaws in the system and indicate to companies the best ways to prevent attacks so that they never happen.
Its goal is to prevent companies from spending much money on inefficient security systems and data leaks. This professional is being highly sought after by organizations that need to defend themselves from attacks.
What Are The Phases Of Ethical Hacking?
Hiring these professionals, like any other, depends on mutual trust between both parties. However, some caution is needed, as bad professionals can harm a company. Then, a business model is divided into several phases for hiring an ethical hacker.
Establish An Agreement
It is necessary to establish an agreement between both parties in advance. What are the goals of ethical hacking? How far is it allowed to go? The professional needs formal and written permission that authorizes him to do his service in a way that does not have legal implications in the future.
Investigate Systems
Once the parties have agreed, ethical hacking is then performed. Systems are investigated for security holes. In this phase, all types of tools are used to steal confidential data from the company being tested.
Develop An Attack Plan
Once the possible points of vulnerability have been identified, an attack plan is created. This plan simulates all the possibilities a hacker would use if he were attacking the contracted company.
Discover The Vulnerabilities
Finally, the ethical hacker informs the contractor of the vulnerabilities found. He needs to prove his justifications through explanations, reports, and data about the attacks carried out on the system. Then alternatives are shown to improve security to avoid real scenarios of the attacks.
What Is The Relationship Between Ethical Hacking And Information Technology?
Every ethical hacker needs to be very knowledgeable in information technology. The main ones are:
computer network;
schedule;
operational systems;
information security.
Knowledge of networks is essential, as this is where most attacks will come from. You need to know how to analyze the network, check inventory, system ports, firewalls, etc. The network analysis comprises all devices connected to the company’s server, its website, and any internal and external means of communication such as emails and messages.
Programming knowledge is required for debugging and analyzing suspect applications. It is also necessary to develop applications to simulate attacks, such as password analysis, programs that simulate viruses, and detect and correct bugs on websites.
Knowledge of operating systems is essential to detect security flaws, which hackers often use. For example, Wanna Cry used Windows XP flaws to infect machines. Subjects such as memory management and reviewing system logs to identify strange behavior are some examples of tasks performed by the ethical hacker.
Finally, information security knowledge is essential to identify company security policy flaws. Subjects such as social engineering, privacy policy, and internal company processes are analyzed by the ethical hacker to try to identify vulnerabilities as a whole.
Why Is Ethical Hacking Necessary For A Company’s Security?
Ethical hacking is a tangible demonstration of what a skilled hacker’s attack on a business would look like. And nothing better than the practice of testing whether systems are safe or not. In addition, there are other essential aspects to consider about ethical hacking. Follow up!
Fix System Vulnerabilities
It helps to fix vulnerabilities of the systems that are tested. This makes for a very effective security plan in a company. It is much more efficient, for example, hiring several antivirus and firewalls without knowing the problem. Ethical hacking can prevent unnecessary security spending and fix vulnerabilities with concrete measures.
Preventing Attacks
Undoubtedly, preventing attacks is the most crucial benefit of ethical hacking. With security measures adopted after the consultation, many problems will undoubtedly be avoided.
The damage of having strategic data stolen cannot be measured. Preventing system instabilities caused by attacks will significantly impact users’ perceptions. A stable system, available to the customer whenever he needs it, gives confidence and improves the relationship.