A Comprehensive Guide to Ethical Hacking

It would not be wrong to say that many people still believe that hacking is in itself an unethical concept as it involves breaching the security that has been put in place by others to protect their information from any unauthorized access. Therefore, when someone stumbles upon a title like ethical hacking, it makes him wonder why one would describe hacking as ethical let alone making it as one of the wisest career choices for many.

In the initial stages of its development, hacking really was only a means of accessing information that was closed for the rest of the world. However, it will come as a surprise for you, but most of the major computer and IT companies such as IBM, Microsoft and Apple have a large dedicated team of hackers, proficient in ethical hacking procedures. They aren’t, however, doing anything illegal. The job description of an ethical hacking professional usually involves testing all the firewalls that these companies are developing, and protect their precious data from hackers. Once they test drive these security programs, the designers can fill in whatever gap that was left behind which can enable unethical hackers to get through the firewall. In simpler terms, ethical hacking experts protect your data from unethical hacking threats.

If you have made up your mind for learning ethical hacking, you should know some basics about this job. Ethical hacking experts normally try to hack in all the ways they possibly can and then send back a list of vulnerabilities to the original program developers. Sometimes these hackers are also expected to evaluate and compare different programs. This entire process helps in making the programs that are fool-proof and completely hacker resistant.

This is one of the most important benefits of learning ethical hacking. Precisely due to this reason ethical hacking has become a popular course taught all over the world as the demand for efficient and skilled ethical hackers is all-time high. This rise in demand can be attributed to the increased dependence that companies have on computers and IT infrastructure. Due to the usage of computers and internet for almost every procedure in today’s businesses they have become extremely vulnerable to possible hacker threats that companies cannot afford.

Learning ethical hacking skills can help you build a promising career as in-house hackers in many multinationals. This will help them save billions and enable them to maintain their reputation in the market. Meanwhile, the buyers of hack-proof products will be protected from being duped for buying tampered software programs. Excellent in-house team of ethical hackers helps in increasing overall efficiency by developing fool-proof programs for any organization.

What Ethical Hacking Is - Hacking Course CEH v8

If you have ever wondered what Ethical Hacking is, you have come to the right place. The Ethical Hacker Certification, also called the Certified Ethical Hacker (or C|EH), is the certification that is designed to get the security professional up to snuff in their abilities to uncover security flaws both from within and outside their companies networks. This means that the Ethical Hacker Certification is there to help people in their venture to become an ethical hacker. An Ethical Hacker is commonly referred to as a White Hat Hacker in the underground. These hackers utilize the same tools the unethical, or Black Hat, hackers use, but they use them to help their company to fix the vulnerabilities. That means that when a criminal hacker is using their skills for their own gain, the ethical hacker is using theirs to help organizations become more secure.

The latest version of the Ethical Hacker Certification is C|EH Version 8. This version was made publicly available on 8th May 2013 by the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants.

When you take the exam it is geared to help students evaluate their knowledge of security in general. It also focuses on ethical hacking, focusing particularly on a range of topics that are across seven knowledge areas and six task areas. What the certification is supposed to do is test the students knowledge of both the tactical methods and tools, as well as the overall systems and security knowledge that is the base of their ethical hacking skill set.

The seven knowledge areas are as follows:

• Background - Web technologies, Protocols, Networking technologies, and more.
• Analysis/Assessment - Risk assessment, Systems analysis, Data analysis, and more.
• Security - knowledge of a range of policies, technologies and security domains.
• Tools/Programs/Systems - knowledge in operating systems, applications, methodologies and tools.
• Methodology/Procedures - Service Oriented Architecture, N-tier application design, cryptography, Security architecture, and more.
• Policy/Regulation - Compliance regulations, Security policies, and more.
• Ethics - The appropriateness of hacking, Professional code of conduct, and more.

The six task areas are as follows:

• System Management and Development
• System Audits and Analysis
• Security Testing of Vulnerabilities
• Reporting
• Mitigation
• Ethics

To be eligible to take the Ethical Hacker Certification you should have taken one of the C|EH training courses at a registered training facility, though it is not a requirement to take the exam. Students that wish to not partake in the training sessions are required to show proof of at least two years experience in the field of computer security. This is to be done by submitting the eligibility application form along with the application fee. For those students who have taken the training course the exam can then be taken through a web based examination system. If you training course does not include the cost of the examination, there may be an additional charge for the examination. Students who pursue a self study methodology will have to pay the application fee as well as the examination fee to take the examination. Typically the examination will have one hundred and twenty five multiple choice questions to be answered. You are given a four hour time frame to complete the exam. To earn a passing grade and become a Certified Ethical Hacker you must achieve a minimum of seventy percent on your exam.

An Ethical explanation of Ethical Hacking

Ethical hacking is usually a white hat approach, wherein the hacker breaches the protection of your computer system or network, to uncover the protection system's weaknesses. A job in ethical hacking, being an expert, has bright prospects taking into consideration the reliance on the planet on computer technology, and straightforward accessibility to internet.

What exactly is Ethical Hacking?
 In ethical hacking, the hacker identifies the weakness inside system, but instead of benefiting from the specific situation, alerts the webmaster/administrator, in order that the later can fix their vulnerabilities and earn his system secured. The ethical hacker can convey what it's all about for the owner by various means ranging from a straightforward telephone call to leaving an electronic card in the system, for obvious signal that the system was breached. Ethical hackers make use of the same tools as hackers do, but they are not really a threat somewhere. Many people do ethical hacking like a hobby, while some pursue it as their career.

 Ethical Hacking for Newbies

 It's very hard to defend yourself against a mystery enemy, similarly when it comes to hacking, it's difficult to fight them not understanding that they work. Hackers use various methods and tools to hack into a particular system, plus order to know their methodology, you have to find yourself in the hacker's shoes. Ethical hacking guides covers black hat methods utilized by hackers to vandalize your network, due to the security. Be careful to use your own computer to rehearse ethical hacking. You can try hacking your system to discover the loopholes from the security. You may also hack a family members PC, but make sure that you possess the permission to do so. Illegal hacking is regarded to be a severe Internet crime, and may earn around a decade imprisonment, hence it is wiser to consider necessary precautions.

 Computer security has changed into a major concern nowadays. Though ethical hackers can penetrate into your whole body and warn the administrators concerning the possible hacking attacks, is it doesn't administrators who've to get careful concerning the hazards of the advanced technologies. Make certain that laptop computer security is at place and the wonderful in control of the security are very well versed with changing concepts of computer malpractices.

 Simple requirements to Become an Ethical Hacker
 The ethical hacker needs to possess excellent programming as well as networking skills, as well as good working information about various OS's. One must be master of both Linus and Windows to become an Ethical hacker.  Each one of these skills should be supported with all the understanding of necessary hardware and software. Furthermore a certified ethical hacking or cyber security course is the basic requirement to become an ethical hacker. Ethical hacking isn't an operation which can be executed using a snap in the finger, being patient may be the important key, specially in ethical hacking for beginners. Sometimes, possibly you have to evaluate the machine for the days or weeks to have a single opportunity to hit the jackpot.

 Privacy on the client's info is just about the most predominant issue within the ethical hacking guide. While working away at a project, the ethical hacker comes across some vital information regarding an individual or the company. He should make sure that it data is kept secret. All the results, documented and electronic format, must be saved in safe custody. The data may mean a lot to the user or perhaps the company, thus the ethical hacker has to respect his client's priorities.