Ethical Hacking: What Freelancers Need to Know 🥷🏼
- Engineering, Dev & IT
Discover the world of ethical hacking and its crucial role in defending against cyber threats.
A unique breed of vigilantes lurks in the digital twilight, where data becomes currency. Armed with keyboards instead of capes, they patrol the intricate pathways of the web, safeguarding businesses and individuals from menacing cyber threats. This is the complex and fascinating world of ethical hacking. Below, we’ll pull back the veil on the distinctive types of ethical hacking and their profound benefits. We’ll also examine its practitioners' daunting challenges to distinguish themselves from their malicious counterparts and protect us from the internet’s sinister underbelly.
What is ethical hacking? 💻
As technology integrates into every facet of our lives, cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important, and that’s where ethical hacking comes in. Also called penetration testing or white hat hacking, ethical hacking is a legal (and essential) practice that helps ensure digital security.
In ethical hacking, a trained professional probes computer systems, networks, tech stacks, application programming interfaces (APIs), and software applications for vulnerabilities. But unlike their malicious counterparts, these digital vigilantes use their skills for the greater good. Their objective? To identify and fix potential security weak points, keeping digital infrastructure and personal data safe.
This practice is particularly critical, as data breaches, identity theft, and other forms of cybercrime become more commonplace. Businesses, governments, and individuals rely on ethical hackers' expertise to fortify their cyber defenses, protect sensitive information, and maintain stakeholders’ and customers’ trust.
Introducing the ethical hacker 👋
An ethical hacker (white hat hacker) is a cybersecurity professional with an in-depth understanding of potential system and computer network vulnerabilities and, in some cases, certifications. These digital sentinels utilize their expertise to identify and rectify security gaps before unethical hackers get to them. Ethical hacking operates within the confines of the law and with proper authorization and is a proactive defense against cyber-attacks. These hackers conduct security assessments, known as penetration testing, simulate cyber-attacks, report their findings, and more.
To differentiate between hackers, we often use color-coded labels:
- White hat hackers. These professionals use their hacking skills to improve security systems. They work legally and are often employed by organizations to strengthen their systems and networks.
- Black hat hackers. When you think of the word “hacker” in a negative context, this is who you’re referring to. These individuals engage in illegal activities, exploiting security vulnerabilities for malicious purposes or personal gain.
- Grey hat hackers. These hackers fall somewhere in between white and black hat hacking. Gray hat hackers use a mix of white and black hat hacking techniques — in some cases, they violate laws or usual ethical standards, but they rarely have the malicious intent typically associated with black hat practices.
Types of ethical hacking 🔐
The field of ethical hacking is expansive. There are several distinct types of hacking, each focusing on a different cybersecurity domain. Understanding the scope of these specializations helps appreciate the breadth of protection a non-certified or certified ethical hacker (CEH) provides.
- Web application hacking. This branch of ethical hacking focuses on identifying and fixing loopholes and weaknesses within web applications. Ethical hackers hunt for weak spots in a web application’s code, configuration, and features to expose potential security threats.
- System hacking. Ethical system hackers dive deep into computer systems, examining them for vulnerabilities. This includes password cracking, privilege escalation, and keylogging to protect the system from internal and external threats.
- Web server hacking. Web servers are frequent targets of malicious hackers. To combat this, ethical hackers search for weaknesses in server configuration, test server security measures, and identify software vulnerabilities.
- Wireless network hacking. Wireless networks are ubiquitous, and that’s why network security is paramount. These ethical hackers focus on identifying potential threats in wireless encryption protocols, access points, and client systems to safeguard the network from unauthorized access and possible data and security breaches.
- Social engineering. This form of ethical hacking is all about human vulnerabilities. It uses various techniques to convince people to reveal sensitive or confidential information.
Phases of ethical hacking 🌙
Ethical hacking follows a structured methodology. Typically broken down into distinct stages, this methodology allows for thorough, systematic probing of systems and networks. Executed sequentially, the following steps ensure a comprehensive evaluation of the system or network’s security:
Reconnaissance 🗣️
Often referred to as information gathering or footprinting, this phase sees the ethical hacker collect as much information as possible about the target system, network, or organization. Reconnaissance may include information like passwords, IP addresses, domain details, network configurations, and other sensitive data. Active reconnaissance involves gathering data directly from the target, while passive reconnaissance consists of gathering data without accessing the target.
Scanning 📠
Armed with the information gathered in the reconnaissance stage, ethical hackers now must figure out how to access the target to gain knowledge. They use ethical hacking tools like network mappers, sweepers, and dialers for port scanning, vulnerability scanning, and network scanning, which help identify potential points of exploitation.
Gaining access ✅
Next, ethical hackers attempt to exploit the vulnerabilities identified previously to gain access to the system or network. They ensure systems are password-protected, use firewalls to secure infrastructure, and check potential entry points.
Maintaining access 👍
After gaining access, the ethical hacker tries to maintain that access for as long as needed to simulate a real-world attack. This may involve deploying backdoors in the system, escalating privileges, or compromising additional systems to create a network stronghold. Ethical hackers may also scan the organization’s infrastructure to find the root cause of nefarious activities.
Covering tracks 🦶
No one wants to get caught — even ethical hackers. In this phase, the ethical hacker obscures their actions to avoid being detected. This could involve modifying or corrupting logs, deleting files, or uninstalling software.
Reporting 📊
One of the most critical phases is reporting. Ethical hackers compile a detailed report outlining their methodologies, the vulnerabilities found, the tools used, and the steps taken to exploit those vulnerabilities. Most reports also include remediation strategies to help protect the system or network from real-world attacks.
Ethical versus malicious hackers 🌐
While ethical and malicious hackers use similar tools and techniques, their motivations and legal status differ. These differences separate the cybersecurity protectors from the digital predators.
Ethical or white hat hackers are typically employed or contracted by organizations to strengthen their cybersecurity. These types of hackers work with permission, and their primary goal is discovering and fixing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. These hackers’ work is proactive and legal.
Malicious hackers, or black hat hackers, are cybercriminals who operate outside the law. Motivated by personal gain, mischief, or malice, they exploit system vulnerabilities without permission, often resulting in data theft, system damage, and other detrimental outcomes. These hackers create and spread malware, conduct phishing and DDoS attacks, and engage in activities that infringe on privacy.
While ethical and malicious hackers understand how to break into systems, the former use this knowledge to prevent breaches and fortify defenses. Conversely, the latter aims to exploit weaknesses, breach defenses, and cause harm.
Showcase your freelance services on Contra 🫶
Now that you understand the complex world of ethical hacking, you stand on the threshold of a growing and essential field in cybersecurity. With your knowledge of the types, benefits, and challenges of ethical hacking and its stark contrast from malicious hacking practices, you’re well equipped to navigate the changing digital landscape.
Knowledge is most impactful when applied, and that’s where Contra comes in. A commission-free platform for Independents, Contra’s the perfect place to offer your front and back-end development, programming and coding, and ethical hacking services to contribute to the development and safety of the digital world.
