Ethical Hacking - An Introduction

HACKERS IN REAL

The realm of hackers and how they operate is unknown to most computer and security professionals. Hackers use specialized computer software tools to gain access to information. By learning the same skills and employing the software tools used by hackers, you will be able to defend your computer networks and systems against malicious attacks.
The goal of this first chapter is to introduce you to the world of the hacker and to define the terminology used in discussing computer security. To be able to defend against malicious hackers, security professionals must first understand how to employ ethical hacking techniques. This book will detail the tools and techniques used by hackers so that you can use those tools to identify potential risks in your systems. This book will guide you through the hacking process as a good guy.
Most ethical hackers are in the business of hacking for profit, an activity known as penetration testing, or pen testing for short. Pen testing is usually conducted by a security professional to identify security risks and vulnerabilities in systems and networks. The purpose of identifying risks and vulnerabilities is so that a countermeasure can be put in place and the risk mitigated to some degree. Ethical hackers are in the business of hacking and as such need to conduct themselves in a professional manner.
Additionally, state, country, or international laws must be understood and carefully considered prior to using hacking software and techniques. Staying within the law is a must for the ethical hacker. An ethical hacker is acting as a security professional when performing pen tests and must always act in a professional manner.

Defining Ethical Hacking

The next section will explain the purpose of ethical hacking and exactly what ethical hackers do. As mentioned earlier, ethical hackers must always act in a professional manner to differentiate themselves from malicious hackers. Gaining the trust of the client and taking all precautions to do no harm to their systems during a pen test are critical to being a professional. Another key component of ethical hacking is to always gain permission from the data owner prior to accessing the computer system. This is one of the ways ethical hackers can overcome the stereotype of hackers and gain the trust of clients.
The goals ethical hackers are trying to achieve in their hacking attempts will be explained as well in this section.

Understanding the Purpose of Ethical Hacking
When I tell people that I am an ethical hacker, I usually hear snickers and comments like “That’s an oxymoron.” Many people ask, “Can hacking be ethical?” Yes! That best describes what I do as a security professional. I use the same software tools and techniques as malicious hackers to find the security weakness in computer networks and systems. Then I apply the necessary fix or patch to prevent the malicious hacker from gaining access to the data. This is a never-ending cycle as new weaknesses are constantly being discovered in computer systems and patches are created by the software vendors to mitigate the risk of attack.
Ethical hackers are usually security professionals or network penetration testers who use their hacking skills and tool sets for defensive and protective purposes. Ethical hackers who are security professionals test their network and systems security for vulnerabilities using the same tools that a hacker might use to compromise the network. Any computer professional can learn the skills of ethical hacking.
The term cracker describes a hacker who uses their hacking skills and tool set for destructive or offensive purposes such as disseminating viruses or performing denial-of service (DoS) attacks to compromise or bring down systems and networks. No longer just looking for fun, these hackers are sometimes paid to damage corporate reputations or steal or reveal credit card information, while slowing business processes and compromising the integrity of the organization.