Learn About Ethical Hacking – Definition, Responsibilities, Types & Stages

Data breaches, money theft, digital assaults, and cyber espionage are all common events in the headlines. All of this is made possible by the fact that persons with malevolent intent may now organize these operations from behind a computer screen in the comfort of their own homes. Because the Internet is so widely available across the world, it encourages an exponential number of hackers to undertake cybercrime. Naturally, the demand for skilled Ethical Hackers and other Cybersecurity professionals has increased as a result of this phenomenon. If you are interested in learning ethical hacking then having in-depth knowledge about hacking is essential.

What is Ethical Hacking?

When we think about ethical hacking, we’re implying that it’s driven by ethical or moral standards and doesn’t have harmful intent. Ethical hacking is any sort of hacking that has been approved by the owner of the target system. It may also refer to the process of implementing proactive security measures to protect systems from malevolent hackers.

From a technical standpoint, ethical hacking is the process of subverting or cracking a system’s security safeguards to find vulnerabilities, data breaches, and potential threats. Only if regional or organizational cyber laws/rules are obeyed, then it is considered ethical. Penetration testing is the professional name for this employment. As the name implies, this method entails attempting to penetrate the system and recording the process.

Roles and Responsibilities

Ethical hackers must follow a set of guidelines in order to hack legally. A competent hacker is aware of his or her responsibilities and follows all ethical norms. The most important ethical hacking standards are as follows:

• The organization that owns the system must provide permission to an ethical hacker. 
• Determine the extent of their assessment and inform the organization of their strategy.
• Any security flaws or vulnerabilities found in the system or network should be disclosed to the appropriate authorities.
• Keep their discoveries to themselves. Ethical hackers should agree to and follow their non-disclosure agreement because their goal is to safeguard the network or system.
• Discard any evidence of the attack after analysing the system for vulnerabilities. It prevents malicious hackers from abusing the system’s flaws.

Types of Ethical Hacking

Web Application Hacking

Web hacking is the process of attacking software through HTTP by making use of the software’s visual chrome browser, tampering with the URI, or cooperating with HTTP elements not stored in the URI.

System Hacking

Hacktivists use system hacking to obtain access to personal computers across a network. IT security specialists can utilize password breaking, privilege escalation, packet sniffing, malicious software building as defensive techniques to resist these attacks.

Web Server Hacking

An application software database server generates real-time web information. To steal credentials, passcodes, and corporate information from the web application, attackers utilize gluing, ping flood, port scan, social engineering tactics, and sniffing assaults.

Hacking Wireless networks

Because wireless networks broadcast via radio waves, a hacker may simply attack the system from any nearby place. These intruders frequently utilize network sniffing to discover the Identifier and bodge a wireless network.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is the technique of influencing people to get them to reveal sensitive information. Criminals utilize eugenics because it is easier to target your natural inability to trust than it is to find out how to fake your gadget.

Stages of Ethical Hacking

In every complicated hacking technique, there are numerous steps. Let’s take a closer look at each of the stage separately.

Reconnaissance

You should obtain some prior knowledge about the target system before attempting any attack. The main goal of this stage is to create a hack using the precise technology and security mechanisms used by the target system.

Scanning

Hacking is usually accomplished via gaining access to a network. Most of our gadgets are connected to a network like Wi-Fi or WLAN. As a hacker, you may take advantage of this feature and concentrate your efforts on getting illegal access to the target host’s network.

Obtaining Access

The data-gathering phase is now concluded. You must now begin the hacking procedure. This step entails breaking or evading the security mechanisms of the target system.

Maintaining Access

After acquiring access, you must verify if you can retain access to the target system after the first session. It is accomplished via a backdoor. Backdoors are exploits or hacks that are left in the target system to allow future access. Leaving a backdoor is important as the target system may apply a newer security patch forcing you to repeat the hacking process.

Clearing you Tracks

Once you have completed your attack or hack, it is critical to erase any evidence of your intrusion. This stage entails eliminating any backdoors or logs that may be used to track the attack back to you.

To Sum Up

Ethical hacking is a challenging subject to grasp since it demands a thorough understanding of all parts of a system or network. As a result, certifications have become increasingly common among prospective ethical hackers. 

This article has explained what ethical hacking is and is tasks and obligations of an ethical hacker. If you want to enter the field of cybersecurity, you can now do it with ease by obtaining the necessary Ethical Hacking certifications and advancing your cybersecurity career.