As information security becomes more important, the term "ethical hacker" is becoming common. Few people, however, understand what this means or the skills required to be an ethical hacker.
Searchsecurity.com, a well-known source for security information, offers the following definition of an ethical hacker: "An ethical hacker is a computer and network expert who attacks a security system on behalf of its owners, seeking vulnerabilities that a malicious hacker could exploit. To test a security system, ethical hackers use the same methods as their less-principled counterparts but report problems instead of taking advantage of them. Ethical hacking is also known as penetration testing, intrusion testing and red teaming. An ethical hacker is sometimes called a white hat, a term that comes from old Western movies, where the 'good guy' wore a white hat and the 'bad guy' wore a black hat."
Unfortunately, many security professionals disagree on what constitutes a "hacker." Some believe that with the proper training, anyone can become a hacker, while others feel hacking is more of an art than a science, meaning that it is something that cannot truly be taught. Either way, becoming an ethical hacker requires a variety of skills and background knowledge.
Career Opportunities
Due to the skills required, ethical hackers are capable of performing a wide range of security-related jobs. However, quite often, ethical hackers are involved in testing networks and software for vulnerabilities. Such tests consist of using the same steps and programs outside attackers use in an effort to find and resolve potential security problems before the bad guys do the same. When testing applications, an ethical hacker reports the problems found to the software vendor so the problems can then be resolved, hopefully before the vulnerability becomes known by those with less scrupulous ethics.
As with the job type, ethical hackers can work for a variety of employers. Some work for large corporations, testing systems and networks for vulnerabilities, while others work for or start independent consulting firms that offer similar services to their customers. Many ethical hackers also are employed with various government agencies. In these cases, appropriate security clearances are required.
So Download ebooks from here
No comments:
Post a Comment