Ethical hacking is a field within cybersecurity where security experts assume the role of an unauthorized user and attempt to gain access to a private network or computer. These exercises aim to help targets identify any security vulnerabilities that could be exploited in a real cyberattack. Show
Cybersecurity professionals utilize non-invasive methods, such as risk assessments, audits, and security questionnaires, to discover security risks. On the other hand, ethical hackers utilize invasive methods, such as penetration testing and unauthorized access attempts to discover security risks that might be overlooked by scanning methods alone. Learn more about Cybersecurity. How Cybersecurity Experts and Ethical Hackers Work TogetherCybersecurity professionals and ethical hackers work together to develop a security strategy with the highest chances of protecting sensitive information from compromise. To understand how this relationship works, think of cybersecurity experts as architects of a security control strategy and ethical hackers as the quality control team.
This iteration process continues until ethical hackers can no longer discover exploits leading to security breaches. Learn why cybersecurity is important. Ethical hackers don’t always work with cybersecurity experts. Businesses occasionally hire ethical hackers directly to evaluate the resilience of their network security. This ethical hacking service, known as penetration testing, should be conducted regularly to confirm system security efficacy against evolving cyber threats. Penetration Testing (or Pen Testing) is especially necessary after any changes to application security or information technology occur. Both newly developed and modified applications are vulnerable to misconfigurations that could facilitate a data breach. Learn about the Microsoft Power Apps misconfiguration exposing 38 million records. Ethical hackers are also known as pen testers and white-hat hackers When Should I Perform a Penetration Test?You should hire a penetration tester or an ethical hacker when:
What is Penetration Testing? The 5 Different Types of HackersThe term ‘hacker’ is often only used to describe cybercriminals, but there are five different categories of hackers, and some of them include professionals fighting against cybercrime. The six main categories of hackers are:
What is a White Hat Hacker?A white hat hacker is an ethical hacker that uses their hacking skillsets to identify security vulnerabilities in computer systems. White Hat hackers report all detected risks to the security manager - or representative of the targeted network - to support their remediation. What is a Black Hat Hacker?A black hat hacker is a cybercriminal or any individual contributing to the proliferation of cybercrime. Black hat hackers violate computer security to compromise sensitive data and inject malware like ransomware. Common black hat malicious activities include:
What is a Grey Hat Hacker?Grey hat hackers attempt to break into an IT network to document its vulnerabilities, but they do so without the owner’s consent, making their actions illegal. But a recent revision of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) by the DOJ could move certain grey hat tactics into white hat territory if they can be proven to be motivated by good intentions. This initiative could significantly increase computer security research contributions from grey hat security teams harboring valuable security insights that could benefit the advancement of cybersecurity. “The department has never been interested in prosecuting good-faith computer security research as a crime, and today’s announcement promotes cybersecurity by providing clarity for good-faith security researchers who root out vulnerabilities for the common good.” What is a Blue Hat Hacker?There are two types of blue hat hackers:
What is a Red Hat Hacker?Red hat hackers are highly skilled professionals often hired by government agencies to hunt down black hat hackers or disrupt their
operations. They are free to employ any tactic to achieve these objectives, which could involve using the same malware and hacking strategies used by black hats. Learn moreDownload our free ebooks and whitepapersInsights on cybersecurity and vendor risk management. eBooks, Reports & Whitepapers What is the difference between criminal hacker and ethical hacker?While hacking is illegal, ethical hacking is a legal method of breaching a security system to detect potential security threats. Ethical hackers look at systems to see if there are any flaws that cybercriminals could take advantage of.
What is the difference between ethical and unethical hacker?This sort of hacking entails the use of technological understanding as well as instruments similar to those used by unethical hackers. Ethical hacking, on the other hand, is circumventing the security system in order to get legitimate access to a company's network.
What are the differences between the three types of hackers?Unlike black hat hackers, who access systems illegally, with malicious intent, and often for personal gain, white hat hackers work with companies to help identify weaknesses in their systems and make corresponding updates. They do this to ensure that black hat hackers cannot access the system's data illegally.
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