Introduction

A permitted attempt to acquire unauthorised access to a computer system, application, or data is ethical hacking. Carrying out an ethical hack involves duplicating the strategies and actions of malicious attackers. This approach aids in the detection of security flaws, which users can then address before a malicious attacker has a chance to exploit them. This article will discuss ethical hacking and how it helps organisations by providing them with more insight into their systems and vulnerabilities. There are many different types of hackers, and we will explain what each is used for and how we can use ethical hacking to ensure that organisations are protected from cyber threats.

Concept

An ethical hacker is a person who tests the security of a system or network by trying to break into it. Ethical hackers are the good guys who try to find vulnerabilities in a company’s network before malicious hackers do. Ethical hacking is identifying and assessing all the potential vulnerabilities in a system or network and recommending the best ways to fix them. Instead of being driven by malicious intent, as with cybercriminals, the objectives of ethical hacking are to discover vulnerabilities, improve the security of a system or network, and test an organisation’s systems/network security.

Advantages

The many advantages of ethical hacking are: – Access: Ethical hackers can get into the systems and networks that are off limits to other auditors. – Non-destructive: Ethical hackers do not modify, delete, or add data to systems or networks. – Flexible approach: Ethical hackers can use different methods to get in and test the systems and networks, depending on the type of systems and networks they are testing. – Little disruption: Ethical hacking may require more time than traditional security testing methods, but it often causes less disruption since it does not involve taking the system offline while auditors fix vulnerabilities. – Fewer false positives: Ethical hackers know that they are looking for vulnerabilities, so they tend to take a more systematic approach than auditors who are just trying to find problems. – Fewer false negatives: Ethical hackers know what they are searching for and can focus their efforts, so they tend to find more vulnerabilities than auditors who are simply trying to find problems.

• The following are some of the benefits of ethical hacking.
• This aids in the battle against cyber terrorism and breaches of national security.
• This aids in the prevention of hacker attacks.
• This aids in the development of a system that is resistant to hacker intrusion.
• Banking and financial institutions will be safer as a result of this.
• This aids in detecting and closing security flaws in a computer system or network.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage of ethical hacking is that it may take longer than other security testing methods, such as manual reviews, automated scans, or walkthroughs. – Complicated process: Ethical hacking is often a more complicated process requiring much planning and analysis. – Unpredictable results: Even if the ethical hacking process is done correctly, the results may not be predictable. – Requires knowledge: Ethical hacking requires knowledge of what to test, how to test, and what the vulnerabilities mean. – Requires communication: Ethical hacking also requires communication between the ethical hackers and the organisation being tested so that the ethical hackers can share their results. – May not be accepted: Although more companies recognise the value of ethical hacking, it may not be accepted by organisations that are risk averse. – More time consuming: Ethical hacking can be more time-consuming than automated security testing methods such as scanning, penetration testing, and code reviews.

The following are the disadvantages of ethical hacking.

• This has the potential to corrupt an organisation’s files or data.
• They might utilise the information they have gathered for nefarious purposes. As a result, dependable programmers are required to succeed in this framework.
• The company’s costs will rise as a result of engaging such individuals.
• This method may jeopardise someone’s privacy.
• This system is unconstitutional.

Examples

Penetration Testing – Penetration testing is another term for ethical hacking. Still, it usually involves trying to break into a system or network by actually altering data and damaging the system. Penetration testing usually requires the systems or networks to be taken offline. – Capture the Flag – Capture the Flag is an online game where competitors attempt to hack into each other’s systems. Ethical hacking competitions are also a great way to test systems. – Security auditing is a more traditional approach to testing systems. Ethical hackers use this method to test systems by trying to find problems without breaking into the systems. – Code review – Code review is another method auditors use to test systems. Ethical hackers may use this method when testing systems to find issues such as bad coding practices that could put a system at risk. – Risk assessment – Ethical hackers can also use a more traditional risk assessment method to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities.

There have been several cases of ethical hacking, including one from the early days of computers. The US Air Force used it to conduct a security review of an operating system. Due to this, they found holes such as insecure hardware, software, and procedural security. They discovered that hackers could defeat their protection with minimal effort, and the intruder could walk away with valuable information. They were able to prevent such an incident from occurring  

thanks to ethical hacking. The persons in charge of this mission acted as if they were the enemy, doing everything they could to break into the system. They could figure out exactly how to do it this way.

Regulation

There are no specific rules or regulations for ethical hacking, but ethical hackers should follow industry best practices. Ethical hackers should follow the same best methods for systems security as auditors, but they should also test systems for vulnerabilities that malicious hackers could exploit.

Conclusion

Ethical hacking is a valuable method that organisations can use to identify vulnerabilities in their systems and networks. Ethical hackers will use various approaches to test systems, but they will do so to improve the security of the systems.