With ceaseless inventions and evolutions in the field of computing, the process of storing, processing and sharing of the information has become a lot easier. Computers are now everywhere for managing data and information, and with the Internet being the major source of communication worldwide, information can be exchanged within a fraction of second from one end of the world to another. This has certainly revolutionized the modern communication system. However, where there are a lot of advantages computers have brought with them, there are flaws as well. The computers are prone to security attacks, any intruder can illegitimately gain access to the computer systems or networks and misuse the vital information of data causing serious damages in the network infrastructure, database or finances. This intrusion is what is referred to as hacking.
The term hacking has been associated with the field of computing for more than a decade. Hacking is a process of identifying the possible entry points in the computer system from where an intruder can make its way forth, and then entering through those points. Hacking usually refers to the act of entering the system or network illegally for siphoning sensitive information stored in the system. Mostly, hacking has been involved in some illegal acts like hacking of a bank account to steal money, hacking of internal database of a government organization, hacking of social media account, or email accounts etc. These types of hacking are illegal because they can have adverse effects. Do you know that hacking is also done legally? Yes, many organizations and government agencies employ professionals for this purpose. This kind of hacking is called Ethical Hacking. In this article, we will take you through the insights and benefits of ethical hacking. Before we do that, let us see what actually is Ethical Hacking?
What is Ethical Hacking?
The term Ethical Hacking, sometimes also called Penetration Testing, is an act of identifying the weak points and vulnerabilities in the system security which are prone to intrusion. In other words, ethical hacking is the process in which the possible entry points of a system are recognized from which a malicious attacker can enter the system and steal sensitive information pertaining to business, research or anything eventually resulting in the damage or loss of data, financial losses or other losses to the security infrastructure. The objective of Ethical Hacking is to enhance the security of the system or a network by fixing the weak points and vulnerabilities they were identified during the testing. There are professionals involved in Ethical Hacking and are known as Ethical Hackers. These professionals often make use of the same strategies and tools that are used by malicious hackers but the difference is that the ethical hackers use them purposely with the permission from an authorized entity, to identify the system vulnerabilities and improve the security of the system. They not only identify these flaws but report them to the higher management as well. Ethical Hackers are also known as “White Hat”.
Advantages of Ethical Hacking
Ethical Hacking is very useful because it helps an organization secure its systems from any security breach. The reason why ethical hacking is very useful is discussed as under.
1. Security Measures Testing
Ethical Hackers are employed in an organization to use the hacking tools and strategies to test the security measures of the company in a safe and controlled environment. With the help of these hacking techniques, the ethical hackers are able to determine what all security measures are effective and what all security measures need to be updated. With the data obtained from these tests, the management is able to make certain decisions on how to make improvements in the information security and what are the areas where it needs improvement.
2. Identifying Weak Areas
Ethical Hackers perform a complete analysis of the security system of the company after they have completed the task, they submit a detailed report to the company that covers the details of the vulnerabilities and system flaws. For example, the system administrators provide passwords to an unauthorized person, or the system lacks sufficient password encryption etc. Therefore, these weaknesses in the system enable the management to implement highly secured procedures to restrict the intruders from exploiting either the computer networks or the mistakes of their own personnel.
3. Understanding Hacker Techniques
Ethical Hackers have complete knowledge of the techniques that can be used by an unethical hacker to penetrate the system security. Ethical Hackers demonstrate these strategies and techniques to the management, which can help the management to figure out how unauthorized persons, or terrorists etc can penetrate their system and cause serious damages to their businesses. When the management is completely aware of the strategies and techniques used by the unethical hackers, they can get prepared to restrict any intrusion and prevent unauthorized access to their systems, thereby securing critical information of their business intact.
4. Preparing for a Hacker Attack
In recent times, the data has become the backbone of major businesses. Also, those organizations which handle very critical data like banks and government agencies, they are very prone to hacker invasions. Hackers target those companies which lack appropriate resources and security measures to prevent any cyber attacks. As a result, they lose vital data which can even result in their extinction from the business world. By using the ethical hacking techniques, the ethical hackers demonstrate the vulnerability level of the company and the devastating consequences of the cyber invasions on it. Thus making the company prepared for these sort of attacks.
Future of Ethical Hacking
The Internet is expanding day by day, and so if the E-Commerce industry. Research shows a significant growth in the number of internet users, and businesses are majorly relying on the internet for their functioning. With things getting more and more operated online, the risk of security breach and data leakage is also increasing. A recent survey conducted by KPMG across multiple industries says that cybercrime is the major threat to more than 94% of the companies. Approximately 72% of the companies were attacked in the past with the same sort of cyber attacks, and out of these companies, 78% of companies had no security measures to prevent these attacks. In today’s time, hackers are coming up with new tools and techniques to plunder the databases of the organizations and cause potential damage to their businesses. Where the new hacking techniques are evolving regularly, the companies need more enhanced plans and security measures along with improves tools to prevent such attacks. For that, reason, the demand for skilled ethical hackers is also increasing. As per the recent data based on the market research, there is a demand of 0.47 million ethical hackers in India, who can protect the IT infrastructure across the nation and also serve the export market. Which clearly indicates that Ethical hacking is very useful and important in the market, and thus it has a very bright future.