Ethical
Hacking is the practice of performing computer crimes that are detrimental to
society. This includes data theft, data manipulation, system hacking,
intentional mis-selling of commercial software and hardware, programming
viruses, spamming, security cracking, and trespassing. Ethical hacker training
is a specialized certification obtained by showing knowledge of testing a
system's security by seeking weaknesses and vulnerabilities in commercial
target systems. Security experts, however, do not label people who this
expertise as "ethics hackers". This is because there are some cases
where ethical hackers may not be able to gain any information from a system and
yet still perform their evil deeds.
The
term "ethical hacker" was coined in 1980 by Bruce Schneier and Bruce
Byfield for describing an individual who hacks into other computers. However,
there is no specific definition for this person's behavior. In fact, there are
many gray areas. Bruce Schneier believes that an ethical hacker may be a
computer technician who finds ways to circumvent existing security measures in
order to disclose proprietary information.
On
the other hand, an "ethically compromised hacker" is someone who
penetrates a computer system without benefiting anyone. Computer hacking refers
to the use of deception to obtain confidential information. Computer hackers
can use a number of methods to carry out their nefarious plans. The most common
methods include data theft, data manipulation, network attack, system attack,
and keylogger. These activities are often performed for profit or malicious
reasons.
Ethical
hacking is conducted to benefit a hacker's identity by means of unauthorized
access to system information. There are many circumstances under which an
employee may obtain unauthorized access to a computer system. An employee may
surreptitiously download programs on a work computer without the authorization
of the supervisor. A hacker may surreptitiously install a virus to sabotage a
company's network or create a hole in the computer code to allow the entry of
unauthorized persons. It is in these cases that the hacker gathers valuable
information and transfers it to the hands of the criminal group that aids in
the criminal activity.
The
most prolific and widely recognized form of Ethical Hacking is Computer
Security. It is the installation of malicious software that allows hackers to
gain unauthorized access to a computer system. This method of breaking into a
computer system allows the perpetrator to install Trojans, worms, viruses, spyware,
or other harmful software that destroys critical system files and exposes
personal information stored in the hard drives. This information can then be
used to commit identity theft.
While
there are traditionalists who believe that hacking is wrong, it is becoming
increasingly clear that there are plenty of grey hats participating in the
investigation, analysis, and reporting of online threats. Some people involved
in computer security believe that there is no difference between the two types
of hacking. "White hat" hackers and "black hat" hackers,
they claim, are responsible for the same number of attacks on sensitive
information systems.
The
question is what distinguishes these two types of intrusions? The consensus
opinion is that the first step for attackers is to research the systems they
want to attack. They often rely on open source tools to discover the most
vulnerable points of systems. After they have identified the most vulnerable
systems, they begin the process of infiltration. At this point, it is too late;
the intruders have already installed their own software in the victim's system,
took over the keyboard, and executed their own code.
The
difference between the two groups of hackers is not purely ethical. According
to the federal government, there is no hard and fast definition of what
constitutes a hacker or a malicious actor. This leaves the door wide open to
any group that has the resources to do so. However, with more companies are
moving to protect their intellectual property and data by using third party
security suppliers, we can expect an increase in the training and development
of programs that will help organizations define appropriate defenses against
external threats.
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