Ethical Hacking - A boon to career growth

The topic of cyber security is rapidly developing, making it an exciting time to be a computer scientist. The Internet of Things (IoT) and smartphones have become information supercomputers in the digital world. The Cisco research predicts that by 2030, there will be 500 billion internet-connected devices. Furthermore, Cisco's Annual Visual Networking Index report forecasts that global IP traffic will climb from 122 exabytes per month in 2017 to 396 exabytes per month in 2022, representing an increase of more than 300 percent.

More and more devices are getting online, making them susceptible to attacks from anywhere in the world. It is the responsibility of every company and organization to safeguard its resources and information against cyber criminals. This increased demand opens up numerous doors for computer experts seeking employment in the dynamic field of cybersecurity. By testing for these vulnerabilities, ethical hacking provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen the security of the network and systems.

Definition of Ethical Hacking

What we call "ethical hacking" is assessing the security of a system's networks against potential intrusions, thefts, or attacks that could cause monetary or other types of damage. An estimated half a million British Airways customers were compromised by a data breach in 2018, costing the company £183.39 million ($230 million). The harm goes beyond monetary loss, as the companies' reputations and images are also harmed.

Ethical hackers use the same techniques as their criminal counterparts when breaking into systems. The critical distinction is that an ethical hacker has been granted authorization by the proper authorities to attempt a breach to strengthen the system's defenses against actual attacks. According to research from Juniper, cybercrime will cost organizations over $2 trillion in 2019. Moreover, extremist organizations provide funding for cybercriminals who insert malware or spyware to compromise a nation's security or extort enormous amounts of data.

Five Phases of Ethical Hacking

1. Reconnaissance

An ethical hacker will first research the system in question. Hackers can use various footprinting tools to investigate many aspects of a target system, including search engines, web services, social networking sites, domain name servers (DNS), email, networks, and more.

2. Scanning

Next, ethical hackers collect data on the system's infrastructure, such as open ports, protocols, services, hosts, and active servers.

3. Gaining Access

The most important part of the process is the penetration test. The ethical hacker uses the vulnerabilities discovered in the scanning phase to attempt to break into the targeted network, host, device, or application.

4. Maintaining Access

A vulnerability is not always required to remain open once a hacker gains access, especially if users apply updates. A hacker who plans to keep using the device despite the vulnerability may feel compelled to add keyloggers, trojans, or spyware.

5. Covering Tracks

The final steps involve eradicating any malicious software (trojans, spyware) that may have been installed during the hack. It is a Proof Of Concept (POC) to see if malicious actors can replicate the conditions without being spotted.

Types of Hackers

Career Benefits of Ethical Hacking

• High demand According to research conducted at the University of Maryland's Clark School, on average, a hacker attempts to breach a system every 39 seconds. Cybersecurity attacks are likely to target one in three Americans.

• Lucrative rewards Many large companies, including Facebook, offer bounties to anyone who discovers a security hole in one of their products. Such that responsibly report threats to their platforms to make those networks safer receive significant rewards.

• Growing market Cyber Security Ventures projects that by 2020, worldwide spending on cyber defense will have reached $1 trillion. Meanwhile, it estimates that cybercrime will cost $6 trillion by 2021.

• Critical protection Learning ethical hacking can equip you to protect networks and data from malicious actors and assist government entities in preventing terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

• Carry out assessments and investigations of the target systems from a hacker's perspective to uncover any security or system flaws and provide a solution.

• Contribute to setting up a highly secure network capable of withstanding any potential threats.

• Maintain customers' faith by keeping their personal information safe using industry-leading security measures.

• Help enterprises better prepare for future harmful hacker attacks by conducting controlled assessments of their networks and systems.

Conclusion

The cybersecurity industry faces a persistent talent gap, with 3.5 million openings expected by 2021 according to Security magazine. As businesses spend more money to tackle cyber security concerns, ethical hacking provides an excellent career opportunity with strong growth potential and the ability to make a meaningful impact in protecting digital assets.