Types of Ethical Hacking & How It Operates?

Types of Ethical Hacking & How It Operates

A collection of rules about how we ought to conduct ourselves appropriately while performing our duties is known as ethical hacking. To try to get the greatest result from our work, these principles have been evolved over time. We should act morally uprightly by being truthful, dependable, and considerate of others' privacy and security. If we disregard these guidelines, we are acting unethically.

Why is it termed "Ethical" hacking?

In today's society, the word "hacker" has negative connotations. People frequently link the word with criminals and nefarious attacks when they hear it. But a hacker is just someone who likes to overcome obstacles and issues. There are ethical hackers out there that devote their entire life to solving problems in the real world. For them, coming up with a solution is a means to do more than simply generate money—a it's way to make the world a better place. In fact, a lot of ethical hackers use their expertise to support businesses in combating cybercrime globally.

How Can You Begin?

There are numerous ways to educate yourself on ethical hacking. Start reading articles like this one; it's one of the simplest things you can do. There are several books and online courses that explain various hacking techniques and demonstrate how to use them in practical situations. Attending hackathons is a fantastic alternative. Developers, programmers, and computer aficionados come together during hackathons to compete in various challenges. Many people who attend these activities are eager to pick up new skills, so they might be happy to share their knowledge with you along the road.

What if I'm unsure of something's legality or ethics?

Not to worry! Before beginning to practise, you are not required to know everything. Ethical hacking is primarily a philosophical concept. You won't be breaching any laws if you adhere to the fundamental ideas you studied.

                                          Ethical hacking advantages

Finding software flaws is the practise of ethical hacking. Finding security weaknesses is what it is, to put it simply. Unreliable hackers have frequently taken advantage of these holes and stolen important data. A notable illustration of this is the 2014 Sony data leak. Access was made available to hackers. Sensitive data and private user profiles. They were also made to seem. This hack's perpetrator is yet unknown. But they had a goal in mind. These hackers wished to profit from the publicity. The hackers were eventually taken into custody after a series of events.

• Here are some pointers on how to get started if you're interested in learning how to hack using white hat techniques.

Don't steal money or personal data.

Don't hurt other people with your abilities.

Be ethical at all times.

Investigating computer systems without the system administrator's consent or knowledge is referred to as ethical hacking. A network, computer system, database, or web server can be improperly accessed using a variety of techniques (or tools) by an ethical hacker. Depending on the sort of infrastructure being targeted, these technologies might change. The tools employed can occasionally be considered illegal. However, a lot of legitimate instruments have been altered to carry out unlawful deeds. It's possible that legal tools were illegally reverse-engineered.

methods for exploiting weaknesses. Penetration testing is done for businesses by white hat hackers to uncover software problems. Black hat hackers carry out attacks for their own benefit or Different categories of ethical hackers exist. A penetration tester may utilise any means to make money.

It is obvious how white hats and black hats differ from one another. Black hat hackers attempt to profit from security weaknesses, whereas white hat hackers work to find them. Black hat hackers that sell information to criminals are paid to hack computers. Others do it out of necessity or personal interest.

Ethical hacking tools

VBScan, Metasploit, Nmap, nikto, Nessus, Burp Suite, GRC, XSSer, SQLMap, Kismet, and Wireshark are a few examples of ethical hacking tools. Both free and commercial versions of these apps are available on various websites.

                                          Ethical Hacker Types

1.     White Hat Hacker:
Someone who does not purposefully try to hack into a system is known as a "white hat hacker." Instead, they seek information on a company's data handling practises, whether or not it is sufficiently secure, and any potential weak points. Companies frequently use white hat hackers to scan their networks for flaws.

2.     Black Hat Hacker:
Black hat hackers are people who access computers or networks with the intention of doing harm. This might involve stealing priceless data (such credit card numbers), bringing down servers, or even engaging in fraud. Black hat hackers may work alone, while other times they collaborate with a company named L0pht Heavy Industries, which was established by US military personnel.

3.     Gray Hat Hacker:
Instead of hacking into a network, grey hat hackers hijack user accounts, deface websites, or otherwise cause trouble. They could want to draw attention to issues that might otherwise go ignored. Since they are not paid and only seek to assist others in defending themselves, they are viewed as being less than trustworthy.

                                               Various stages of ethical hacking

1. Ethical Hacking Phase 1 – Research Phase

Any course on ethical hacking starts with a research component. You must make sure you have access to and are examining the appropriate data. There are numerous courses available that concentrate on online research techniques. However, always make sure you adhere to the proper rules and regulations when doing research online. By doing this, you can prevent being blocked from particular websites or, worse yet, getting into legal difficulties.

2. Ethical Hacking Cycle 2 – Identification Phase

Identification is the second stage of any ethical hacking cycle. In order to exploit vulnerabilities, you want to locate them at this point. As we previously discussed, the goal of research should be to gather the required facts and information. Once you have all the information you need, you can start searching for vulnerabilities. These flaws could be found in servers, databases, web applications, etc. The second part of ethical hacking focuses on finding these vulnerabilities.

3. Ethical Hacking Stage 3 – Exploitation Phase

 Once a vulnerability has been found, you will employ methods and strategies to exploit it. You'll start creating exploits in the third step to obtain access to networks and systems. Tools like Metasploit, Nmap, NMAP, and Burp Suite are used for this.

 4. Ethical Hacking Final Phase – Post exploitation Phase

The entire ethical hacking process revolves around post-exploitation. Everything following the original exploit is meant by this. It is feasible to carry out a variety of tasks once you have access to a system or network. These actions could include stealing private data, editing files, deleting important data, or even wiping off the entire system.