5 Reasons Companies Need Ethical Hackers

Hacking, which has been a part of computing for over 50 years, is a very broad discipline that covers a wide range of topics. The first reported hack was in 1960 at MIT and the term ‘Hacker’ was used.

For the non-geeks, here is a brief introduction. Computer software consists of computer programs that give instructions on how the hardware should perform certain tasks. These softwares are often prepared by programmers, who have full access to all programs. The programs are then sold to users with strict rules or protocols whereby only certain authorized people can access them (usually with passwords) for security reasons. Theoretically, no one except these authorized people has access to use them.

How can others gain unauthorized access?

1. The original programmers, who prepared the source code and invariably provided their own entry points, trapdoors, and passwords.

2. Former users who are no longer authorized users, but whose passwords have not been removed.

3. Other unscrupulous persons who wish to access the system for ulterior motives.

4. Since there is so much activity and business run by computers, and most computers are connected to the Internet, they are open for various people to access them through the Internet.

5. Computers are also prone to malware attacks and virus attacks, leaving them open to attacks from hackers and malware. These ‘virus infections’ and ‘worms’ are introduced by people who want to hack into the system and steal information or cause entire systems to crash or destroy all stored data.
Just as virus attacks on computers are prevented by antivirus software like MacAfee etc. companies protect themselves from hacking by employing ethical hackers. The Council of the EC defines an ethical hacker as ‘a person who generally works with an organization and who can be trusted to attempt to penetrate networks and/or computer systems using the same methods and techniques as a malicious hacker’.

It refers to the act of locating weaknesses and vulnerabilities in computer and information systems by duplicating the intent and actions of malicious users.
It is also known as penetration testing, penetration testing, or red teaming. It requires them to look at the customer’s network for potential malicious attackers and then design the appropriate security measures to protect customers from attack. |

So why are ethical hackers needed?

1. They are necessary to identify and seal off all potential hacker access points, which can be people or sophisticated software, including ‘worms’.

2. In simple language, an ethical hacker thinks and works like an unethical hacker to find and exploit vulnerabilities and weaknesses in various systems, and how they can be breached.

3. Next, devise methods to protect vulnerabilities by building firewalls, stronger passwords, frequent password changes, using iris or fingerprint scans in addition to passwords, encryption, etc.

4 They must also prevent entry (entry) from the original programmers who created the software and from people who are no longer authorized to log on to the system.

5. They may also suggest VPN (Virtual Private Network), a secure tunnel between a computer and visited destinations on the Internet. It uses a VPN server, which can be located anywhere in the world and provides privacy. VPN will do the job to prevent someone from snooping on your browsing history or spying on you. VPN will make you browse from the geographical location of the server, not from the location of your computer, so we remain anonymous.

Since most personal data is available on the Internet today for a price, data privacy is a serious concern; Hackers can easily buy your personal data and steal your data using your passwords for other sites (since most people have the same weak passwords for different applications and they rarely change passwords). They will educate users on how to choose strong passwords, where to record or not to record passwords, and how often you need to change passwords.