61. Introduction to Ethical Hacking

Understanding Ethical Hacking

In the contemporary digital world, the resilience of any organisation’s cybersecurity defences often represents the critical difference in safeguarding its confidential data and intellectual property. This preamble serves as a conduit to the conception of ethical hacking, a method practised by cybersecurity professionals to proactively safeguard system security.

What is Ethical Hacking?

Ethical hacking, also known as penetration testing or pen testing, involves an authorised individual, often referred to as a “white-hat” hacker, exploiting system vulnerabilities to uncover potential security risks. Done with the express authorisation of the organisation, the objective of ethical hacking is to identify and rectify vulnerabilities before malicious “black-hat” hackers can exploit them.

The Ethical Hacker

An ethical hacker, rather like a cybersecurity guardian, operates with a mindset to ‘think like a hacker’ but acts responsibly. Their main objective is to expose potentially exploitable vulnerabilities in the system, network, or application in question. The findings then form the basis of implementing fortifications to the cyber defences of the organisation. It’s critical to underline that ethical hackers should operate within the boundaries of legality and the company’s remit.

Types of Ethical Hacking

Different organisations may require different types and levels of security assurance. Hence, ethical hacking may take different forms, including:

1. Black Box Testing: Also recognised as “trial and error” hacking, the ethical hacker has no information about the system other than its existence.
2. White Box Testing: Also called “crystal box testing,” the ethical hacker possesses full knowledge of the system, including detailed architecture and source code.
3. Grey Box Testing: A hybrid approach, where the ethical hacker has partial knowledge of the system.

Process of Ethical Hacking

Ethical hacking requires a systematic approach.

1. Planning and reconnaissance: This involves defining the scope and goal of the test, gathering information about the target, and identifying vulnerabilities.
2. Scanning: Using manual or automated tools, ethical hackers attempt to understand how the target application or system responds to various intrusion attempts.
3. Gaining Access: Here, the ethical hacker exploits the identified vulnerabilities to assess their potential impact.
4. Maintaining Access: This step simulates a cyber attacker’s activity, aiming to remain within the system unnoticed, which often exposes deeper vulnerabilities.
5. Covering Tracks: To avoid detection, an ethical hacker tries to erase the evidence of intrusion or vulnerability exploitation.
6. Reporting: Post-assessment, the detailed report of findings, including exploited vulnerabilities and the severity of each, is prepared. Remediation strategies are often included.

Best Practices in Ethical Hacking

The fundamental principle of ethical hacking practice is to respect the privacy and policies of the organisation. Here are a few best practices.

1. Always obtain appropriate authorisation before beginning the ethical hacking process.
2. Report all identified vulnerabilities in detail.
3. Respect the organisation’s values and policies.
4. Always aim to improve the target system’s security, and not harm it.

References to enrich your knowledge include:
SANS institute for robust cybersecurity and pen testing courses,
and CompTIA Security+ for a solid base in cybersecurity foundations and principles.

Additionally, CREST provides information about professional level certifications in penetration testing, cyber incident response, threat intelligence, and Security Operations Centre (SOC) services.