Ethical Hacking is a form of official practice that is usually carried out by Cyber Security Engineers in a company or organization to identify potential threats and data breaches in the network.
Through this practice, the Cyber Security Engineer will investigate the network to find weak points that might be infiltrated by a black hat or malicious hackers.
This ethical Hacking or white hat will later analyze and collect information to find ways to strengthen the system, network, or application security. In addition, the duties of an ethical hacker also include the following:
- Perform some penetration tests on the system.
- Review and assess network security.
- Research company systems, network structures, and possible penetration sites.
- Provide suggestions for security improvements.
- Perform penetration tests after new security features are implemented.
- Prepare penetration test reports for clients or companies.
- Identify high-level security areas.
- When looking at the roles and tasks above, it can be concluded that what an ethical hacker does is a legal practice.
Ethical Hackil Skills Overview
Ethical hacking skills involve the use of techniques and tools to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, and web applications with the goal of improving security.
These skills include knowledge of various types of attacks, such as social engineering, denial-of-service (DoS), and SQL injection, as well as the ability to use tools such as port scanners, vulnerability scanners, and password cracking software.
Ethical hackers also need to have a deep understanding of various operating systems, network protocols, and web technologies. They should be well-versed in programming and scripting languages such as Python, Perl, and JavaScript to automate tasks and create custom tools.
In addition to the technical skills, ethical hackers should also have strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, as well as good communication skills to report and explain their findings to non-technical stakeholders.
Courses and certifications such as CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional), and CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) are available to help individuals develop these skills.
Top 11 Required Skills to Becoma Ethical Hacker
Want to try ethical hacking right away? Eits, wait a minute. Many skills must be possessed to become an ethical hacker.
According to Simplilearn, an ethical hacker must generally have in-depth knowledge of systems, networks, program codes, and security.
The list of skills that must be possessed to carry out ethical hacking include:
1. Programming
The primary skill that must be owned is, of course, programming. You have to know programming languages and how to tinker with them.
2. Knowledge of networking
To carry out ethical hacking, you must understand the network being checked. How does one device connect to another, is there a problem with the network, and so on.
3. Understand databases
Usually, the threats found in ethical hacking attack databases. The checking process will run efficiently if you understand the database management system.
4. Various types of platforms and hacking tools
To be a good and valuable ethical hacker anywhere, you have to understand different types of platforms. Such as Windows, Linux, Unix, and many more.
What would you do if you only knew Windows if a client needed you to check the network system on Unix? In addition, you also have to be able to use various kinds of hacking tools that exist.
5. Network and system penetration testing
Ethical hackers use various techniques to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems and networks, such as network mapping, port scanning, and vulnerability scanning. They simulate the actions of an attacker to identify and report security weaknesses.
6. Web application security
Ethical hackers have knowledge of web technologies, such as HTML, JavaScript, and SQL, to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in web applications, such as cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection.
7. Social engineering
Ethical hackers use techniques such as phishing and pretexting to trick individuals into providing sensitive information or performing actions that compromise security.
8. Cryptography
Ethical hackers use encryption techniques to secure communications and protect against eavesdropping and decryption techniques to access encrypted data.
9. Reverse engineering
Ethical hackers use reverse engineering techniques to analyze software, firmware, and hardware to identify and exploit vulnerabilities.
10. Compliance and regulations
Ethical hackers have knowledge of laws, regulations, and industry standards related to information security and privacy, such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR.
Ethical Hacking Certification
Is ethical hacking certification necessary? The certificate is needed as a form of trust that hackers can really be trusted with keeping company secrets. In addition, certification is also required to measure hackers’ ability in the security systems field.
The EC-Council certificate is the most common certification for an ethical hacker in Indonesia. There are several tier paths if you want an EC-Council certificate. Here’s the review:
1. Certified Network Defender (CND)
As the name implies, this certification aims to improve ethical hacker abilities from a defense standpoint. The material studied during the CND certification covers all areas of the network, including utilization, components, performance, and traffic.
CND certification proves that ethical hackers, in this case, network administrators, have been trained to respond to, detect, and maintain networks.
2. Certified Ethical Hacking (CEH)
If you already know about network defenders, the next level of certification is CEH or certified ethical hacking. In this certification, you will learn how to attack, which will later be used for testing and improving system security. The security system you previously improved is tested by trying to hack it yourself.
3. EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA)
ECSA certification aims to sharpen the abilities of an ethical hacker with a CEH certificate. The capability in question is understanding security penetration into various devices and systems in more detail.
The Role of Ethical Hacking for Companies
Many companies have collaborated with ethical hackers. This is inseparable from the function and role of ethical hacking in building system security. Following are some ethical hacking roles for companies:
1. Building security awareness
Lack of user security awareness is one of the factors in the occurrence of cyber-attacks. An ethical hacker is an IT security expert who understands various hacking methods. A reliable, ethical hacker knows the actions needed to overcome multiple cyber crimes.
2. Find loopholes or security weaknesses
Ethical hackers usually perform several tests on computers, applications, or websites to find security gaps or weaknesses. If there is a gap at a certain point or area, they will report it to relevant parties such as company management. Companies can determine the best steps to build a robust security system based on the test results.
3. Assist system security readiness
The role of ethical hackers is needed to help prepare system security for various cyber attack threats. They will test and repair loopholes in the system so that applications or websites are not easily hacked. With strong system security, users or customers will definitely feel safer.