Disclaimer
Ethical hacking is a critical skill in today’s technology-driven world, where security breaches and cyber attacks are becoming increasingly common. The course on ethical hacking is designed to teach people to identify and prevent cyber attacks.
The course covers various aspects of ethical hacking, including penetration testing, network scanning, vulnerability assessment, and system hacking. The training is designed to provide hands-on experience in ethical hacking techniques and tools, focusing on ensuring the security and integrity of information systems.
The course will cover the legal and ethical issues related to hacking and teach individuals how to stay within the boundaries of ethical hacking. Students will discover flaws in computer systems, networks, and applications and how to exploit them to improve system security.
Through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, The methods, resources, and equipment employed in ethical hacking. The course is ideal for individuals who want to pursue a career in information security or for people that are interested in learning more and growing professionally
in cyber security.
The course’s final goal is for students to understand ethical hacking comprehensively. They can use their skills to secure information systems, networks, and applications against cyber attacks.
Introduction to Ethical Hacking
Humans depend heavily on the internet and other forms of contemporary technology in today’s highly technological environment. Our reliance on digital technologies has made it more difficult to keep private information like passwords, bank account information, and medical records secure. The WannaCry ransomware assault, which began in Asia in May 2017 and swiftly spread worldwide, exemplifies the danger posed by cyber threats.
Over 230,000 computers in 150 countries were infected in less than 24 hours. Users’ data was encrypted by the Wanna Cry virus, and they could not access their computers. Users were required to pay a ransom to recover access to their data.
Ransom payments in the range of $300-$600 in Bitcoin were requested from the assailants. They zeroed in on computers running obsolete versions of Microsoft Windows and those still needed to implement the April 2017 security patch. Top-tier companies such as Hitachi, Nissan, and FedEx were impacted by the WannaCry assault and forced to halt operations temporarily.
The incident again emphasizes the need for robust cybersecurity measures to forestall future assaults like this one. Computer, network, and data security safeguards prevent tampering, theft, or destruction.
Cybersecurity refers to protecting digital infrastructures and the data contained within them against unauthorized intrusion. Hacking refers to attacking computer systems without authorization using security holes to obtain protected data. “hacker” refers to someone trying to break into a computer system.
The widespread belief that all hackers are evil should be dispelled. Some hackers have nefarious intentions. First, we’ll take a look at the three main types of hackers: the black hats, the white hats, and the grey hats.
A black hat hacker breaks into a system dishonestly for financial benefit. White hat hackers, on the other hand, gain access to a plan to report security flaws. This sort of hacking, which they use to aid the organization’s defense, is entirely legitimate and above board. That’s why you could hear them called “ethical hackers” instead.
The third kind of hacker is the “grey hat,” which operates between the extremes. As its name implies, Grey combines the two primary colors, white and black. These cybercriminals find security flaws in a system without authorization but don’t exploit them for financial benefit. Instead, they alert the system owner and occasionally ask for payment. Since grey hat hacking often involves unauthorized access to information, the ethics of this practice are murky, even if the motivation behind the intrusion isn’t malicious.
Grey hat hackers do the right thing by finding security flaws and alerting the right people. They do this, however, without first getting the owner’s permission. It’s very uncommon for grey hat hackers to demand payment in exchange for sharing security flaws they’ve discovered to earn money. After discussing the various categories of hackers, let’s go further into ethical hacking through a gripping narrative.
Dan manages a trading firm and teaches clients how to make money online using their capital. His business was booming until he learned that the account information of some of his customers had been stolen. Dan hired an ethical hacker out of concern that his client’s money would be compromised. The ethical hacker found many flaws and assisted Dan in fixing them before any damage could be done.
Ethical hacking helped Dan keep his clients’ money safe and their faith in his business intact.
Dan’s firm was doing well until a hacker broke into its computers and stole the login information for all of its trading accounts. The hacker asked for a substantial ransom in return for the info. In any case, Dan didn’t take the hacker seriously, and thus, he didn’t give in and pay the ransom.
Consequently, the hacker withdrew funds from several clients’ accounts, and Dan was responsible for restitution to those consumers. Due to this occurrence, Dan lost a lot of money and his client’s confidence. Dan reflected deeply on the significance of cybersecurity after this experience and resolved to take measures to avoid such events in the future.
Dan scratched his head, wondering where the security system had gone awry. Before the hacker broke into their network, he wished someone from his company would have conducted a test attack to find the weaknesses in their defenses. When that happened, he knew he needed someone on staff with a hacker mentality to identify security holes in their network before an attacker could take advantage of them. He recruited John, an ethical hacker, to fill this position.
John was a highly trained expert who mimicked the hacker’s methods to a T. In a short amount of time, he was able to pinpoint several security gaps in Dan’s system and implement fixes. Dan’s decision to employ an ethical hacker to protect his clients from future assaults has boosted business and saved the company’s good name.
Data about the intended system and network. This is referred to as surveillance or intelligence gathering. John will employ several methods, like scanning, footprinting, and enumeration, to learn as much as possible about the target’s infrastructure and software.
John uses various scanners in the scanning phase to check the target network and systems for security flaws. Network mapping, vulnerability scanning, and port scanning all fall under this category.
The third step, which begins after John has found possible vulnerabilities, entails a more thorough enumeration of the target systems to learn more about the vulnerabilities and their potential effect on the target.
John begins to exploit the holes he has found in the fourth stage. This is done in a safe and regulated setting to avoid breaking the intended systems.
John continues to step five once he has successfully exploited the vulnerabilities, where he seeks to keep access to the target systems so he may continue testing and analyzing them.
The last step is to wipe up John’s testing footprints so that his experiments can’t be traced back to him. This is crucial to protecting the privacy of the testing and avoiding unwanted results.
In conclusion, ethical hacking is carefully and methodically finding security flaws and exploiting them. Ethical hackers may aid businesses in thwarting attacks by uncovering and fixing vulnerabilities before they are used. This process consists of six steps.
A solid computer networking, programming, and data security foundation is required. You should be familiar with the methods and mindset of hackers. You may get several courses and credentials to hone your talents in the emerging ethical hacking profession.
Remember that to safeguard the security and privacy of persons and businesses, ethical hacking must always be performed with their express consent and following all applicable laws and regulations.
He uses hacking skills to get a job as an ethical hacker like John. The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification, the CompTIA PenTest+ certification, and the Licenced Penetration Tester (LPT) certification are all examples of ethical hacking certifications.
Keeping abreast of emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and attack methods is crucial for aspiring ethical hackers. This calls for ongoing study and practices practice using a variety of mediums and equipment. Participating in a group or online discussion board where experts in the subject may exchange insights is another excellent way to stay abreast of new findings and trends.
Courses, certificates, and online groups are just some of the online options for anyone looking to enter the field of ethical hacking. Before diving into a new lot, finding trustworthy information and building a solid foundation in the necessary skills is crucial.
U.S., as reported by Payscale.com. This demonstrates the excellent demand for ethical hackers and the profitable nature of the sector. Keep in mind, however, that there is such a thing as “ethical hacking.” it involves more than merely generating a profit; it also involves helping others and preventing harm in the cyber world.
