How To Become A Professional In Ethical Hacking?
Before talking about what is Ethical hacking, I have to admit that personally, the topic of information security has always seemed curious to me. It is curious because it seems to ordinary mortals that their data may not fall into the wrong hands. Because the mantra in these cases is “but who is going to want to spy on me if I am nobody?”. Forgetting that our behavior as a group, which arises from the interaction of individual elements, if processed and analyzed, leads to very interesting conclusions.
As the saying goes, something must have water when they bless it. The question is that our data, whether we care or not, are a valuable element for many, and the events that have recently happened with the theft of Facebook is the penultimate sample, not the last, of a fact that will repeat itself and put on everyone’s lips the issue of computer security.
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Concept and responsibility of ethical hacking
Ethical hacking is a way of referring to the act of a person, or better known as a hacker, who uses his/her computer and security knowledge to find the quantity or security flaws in the system, with the aim of reporting them to the organization, so they can be taken all necessary measures to prevent a cyber catastrophe, such as theft of information.
Professionals who dedicate themselves to ethical Hacking, carry out a series of tests or tests called “Penetration test” whose objective is to be able to circumvent the different security fences that the network has for different organizations, with the sole intention of proving its effectiveness, or on the contrary, demonstrate the vulnerability of that system.
If they find any security system failure, the ethical hacker reports the situation through a complete report to the company, and they proceed to improve security by hiring the services of this cyber security professional.
In this sense, and very contrary to what is commonly thought, in this type of ethical hacking, the professional does no harm to the organization, becoming a fundamental part of the company.
Therefore, unlike hackers that we commonly call cybercriminals, they give the organization all the information they have obtained. They explain in detail how they have achieved this and how they can solve their security problems.
How to become an ethical hacker:
To become a Certified Ethical Hacker, it is not only enough to study computer engineering, the professional must specialize with a master’s degree in cyber security engineering. That seeks to spread an adequate culture on the use of computer systems in a correct and safe way in order to improve personal abilities to counter threats from cyberspace.
Within its study plan, it strongly integrates ethical hacking as the main focus for the correct use of tools that help improve vulnerabilities in information systems.
What is ethical hacking?
The word hacker has been so misused in the media that we confuse it with a cracker. Even the RAE registers in its first meaning that of “hacker”, “person who illegally accesses other people’s computer systems to appropriate them or obtain secret information”. That’s just a cracker, according to experts in cyber defense and the world of computer security.
Skills and competences of an ethical hacker
The security market focused on new technologies has fueled the birth of new very specific professional profiles, unknown decades ago. Among them, the figure of the ethical hacker is increasing its notoriety more and more, and companies that demand this type of specialization grow day by day.
The skills of those responsible for corporate ethical hacking must be focused on the protection of business systems and networks. To do this, it is essential that your knowledge includes a highly advanced understanding of the hacker’s attack strategies, methodology, tools, and motivations.
Advantages of ethical hacking
The main benefit of ethical hacking is that it provides companies with the keys to protect themselves from cyber-attacks and achieve three fundamental advantages:
- Improve all your security processes.
- Get ahead of cyber attacks, fixing the vulnerabilities that can cause them.
- Raise awareness among organization managers of the great importance of computer security in their IT infrastructures.
Ethical hacking is an essential measure to combat cybercriminals. For this reason, more and more companies are looking for this type of professionals. Thus opening a market of very interesting job opportunities for this specialized and necessary profession.
Is ethical hacking legal?
In most cases, authorizing an ethical hacker, to test a company’s defenses is thought to be a reason to get legal justifications. But coverage must be made for all those questionable activities.
This process will depend on how far the hacker wants to go. We must be very aware of whom we hire.
We must bear in mind that hackers use the technique of social engineering. This is used to trick people into providing confidential information.
As a general rule, ethical hackers access systems using credentials that belong to someone else. These are always obtained through lawful methods. However, at this point, there are many laws that are not properly respected.
This is because they later have access to confidential information. In the case of employee or customer information, the hacker and the company must violate numerous data protection laws.
Knowing what ethical hacking is will allow us to know how to differentiate it from a real attack. It is important to remember the need to have true professionals, to avoid a scam. If you have any questions or want to know more about this topic, please contact us. We offer completely free advice.
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