What do ethical hackers do

In many ways, an ethical hacker is not unlike a secret shopper who visits retail stores incognito in order to spot problems and provide feedback on needed improvements. Similarly, ethical hacking skills—which are nearly identical to those employed by cyber criminals—are invaluable to organizations that want to spot weaknesses and fortify their networks and improve their processes. While companies often employ penetration testers to focus on one or a few potential vulnerabilities in the network, ethical hackers have a much broader role.

An ethical hacker might employ all or some of these strategies to penetrate a system or spot vulnerabilities:. Ethical hackers are legally required to report any issues they find during the course of their work, since this is privileged information that in theory, at least could be used for illegal purposes. Of course, even the most sophisticated ethical hacking skills are wasted if the organization fails to adequately respond to any of the problems or weak spots that are found and reported.

However, you also should realize that ethical hacking skills as with unethical hacking skills are constantly evolving. According to seemingly all stock images, they reside in dark rooms, wear hoodies, and their only light source is a computer screen - which is also their weapon of choice. This imagery is largely inspired by movies, such as The Matrix or the more recent Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Modern hackers don't always fit this rather simplistic cliche. In reality, they could look just like the average person whom you would pass on the street, which is a key fact to remember when preventing social engineering hacks like shoulder surfing. However, the image that a hacker is a shady figure in a dark room also negates the fact that not all are bad.

Some are in it for the greater good. It's hard to believe, but some people dedicate their lives to preventing cyber attacks by actually conducting them. Once successfully inside a system, however, they then inform the owner of any vulnerabilities. These types of hacking talent are in high demand, particularly with national security agencies.

The people that usually fill these roles are known as ' white hat hackers ' or occasionally 'ethical' hackers. The routes into this line of work varies; in the UK and the Netherlands , there are schemes that encourage code-savvy year-olds to take up ethical hacking challenges, with the aim of pushing them towards a white hacker role in the future. Since the demand for ethical hackers far exceeds supply, salaries tend to be much higher than average IT roles , especially within the first year.

However, the industry fights a constant tug of war, as those hackers motivated by financial reward will likely defect to criminal groups, given the potential financial reward. This is particularly true of those with intricate knowledge of protected industry secrets, which can be used against legitimate businesses. Before delving any deeper, it's important to clear up any misconceptions of what an ethical hacker is, rather than making judgements on what's morally right and wrong.

Jeff Schmidt, global head of business continuity , security and governance at BT, describes an ethical hacker as a computer security expert. They must specialise in penetration testing i. However, another expert in the field of cyber security , Conrad Constantine, a research team engineer at AlienVault, thinks the description of any role as a "hacker," whether ethical or not, is irrelevant. As well as developing the technical skills and strategies required to defend systems and networks against cyberattack often using the same tools used by criminal hackers , students also work on their communication skills.

These skills are especially important for helping students to become more effective security resources in any type of organization. To take your first step into the world of ethical hacking and to explore the skills you need to begin a career in the cybersecurity field, please visit our program page to request more information.

Following his retirement after a year career working for the City of San Diego, years in law enforcement and years in IT and security, Allan Watkins continues to work in the field of IT security as an independent information security consultant.

Watkins also teaches as an Adjunct Professor at National University where he delivers cybersecurity and information assurance classes as part of the online degree programs. I confirm that the information provided on this form is accurate and complete. I also understand that certain degree programs may not be available in all states. Unlike black hat hackers who use their computer science, social engineering, and network security skills for negative and often illegal purposes, ethical hacking involves using those same skills for good.

Ethical hackers apply the same hacking tools that a black hat hacker would to find potential access points and weaknesses in a network. Ethical Hackers have become an essential rung of cybersecurity professionals and now employed and contracted by businesses and government organizations across the globe. The Certified Ethical Hacker , also known as CEH, is a core certification for those looking to start a career in ethical hacking.

This program from the EC-Council teaches the fundamentals of ethical hacking. Students learn the basics of computer systems and operating systems along with the most common hacking tools. It also introduces more advanced techniques around penetration testing, blocking cyberattacks, cybercrime countermeasures, firewall testings, and more.