STUDY OF ETHICAL HACKING

Introduction

An ethical hacker finds the weak points or loopholes in a computer, web applications or
network and reports them to the organization. So, let’s explore more about Ethical Hacking
step-by-step.Hacking is the activity of identifying weaknesses in a computer system or
a network to exploit the security to gain access to personal data or business data. An example
of computer hacking can be: using a password cracking algorithm to gain access to a
computer system.
Computers have become mandatory to run a successful businesses. It is not enough to have
isolated computers systems; they need to be networked to facilitate communication with
external businesses. This exposes them to the outside world and hacking. System hacking
means using computers to commit fraudulentacts such as fraud, privacy invasion, stealing
corporate/personal data, etc. Cyber crimes costmany organizations millions of dollars every
year. Businesses need to protect them selves against such attacks.

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Who is a Hacker

A Hacker is a person who finds and exploitsthe weakness in computer systems

and/or networks to gain access. Hackers are usually skilled computer programmers with
knowledge of computer security.

Need of ethical hacking

We hear that attkeres are hacked the big companies and big systems. Sometimes ago, a hacker
hacked the Uber website. Due to this, the important information of around 50 million users
was exposed. Many big companies like Google,Yahoo, Instagram, Facebook, Uber, they hire
hackers. The hackers try to hack their systems.After hacking the system, they tell all the
places where they found the weakness so that the company can fix it. Many companies
also perform bug bounty programs. In this program,all the hackers around the world try to
hack the website or web of that company. If the hacker finds any bug, the company will pay
them are ward for the bug.Ethical hacking is used to secure important data from enemies. It
works as a safeguard of your computer from blackmail by the people who want to exploit
the vulnerability. Using ethical hacking, a company or organization can find out security
vulnerability and risks.

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Types of ethical hacking:

●Web application hacking

●Social engineering

●System hacking

●Hacking wireless networks

●Web server hacking

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1)Web application hacking

Web Applications acts as an interface between the users and servers using web pages
that consist of script code that is supposed to be dynamically executed. One can access web
applications with the help of the internet or intranet. Web hacking in general refers to the
exploitation of applications via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) which can be done by
manipulating the application through web interface, tampering the Uniform Resource
Identifier (URI) or exploiting HTTP elements.

2)Social Engineering
In the context of information security, social engineering is the psychological manipulation
of people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. This differs from
social engineering within the social sciences, which does not concern the divulging of
confidential information. A type of confidence trick for the purpose of information gathering,
fraud, or system access, it differs from a traditional "con"in that it is often one of many steps
in a more complex fraud scheme.

3)System Hacking
System hacking is a vast subject that consists of hacking the different software-based
technological systems such as laptops, desktops,etc. System hacking is defined as the
compromise of computer systems and software to access the target computer and steal or
misuse their sensitive information. Here the malicious hacker exploits the weaknesses in a
computer system or network to gain unauthorized access toits data or take illegal advantage.

4)Hacking wireless networks

Cracking a wireless network is defeating thesecurity of a wireless local-area network (back-
jack wireless LAN). A commonly used wireless LAN is a Wi-Fi network. Wireless
LANs have inherent security weaknesses from which wired networks are exempt.Wireless
cracking is an information network attack similar to a direct intrusion. Two frequenttypes of
vulnerabilities in wireless LANs are those caused by poor configuration, and those caused by
weak or flawed security protocols.

5)Web Server Hacking

Over the past decade, more individuals have access to the internet than ever before. Many
organizations develop web-based applications,which their users can use to interact with
them.But improper configuration and poorly written codes in web servers are a threat and can
be used to gain unauthorized access to the servers'sensitive data.This article tries to give
an overview on WebServers. We will be covering some topics which include working of
a server, top web servers in the industry,web server vulnerabilities, web server attacks, tools
and some counter measures to protect against such attacks.

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Types of Ethical Hackers:

1)White Hat Hackers
2)Black Hat Hackers
3)Gray Hat Hackers
4)Miscellaneous Hackers

1)White Hat Hackers

White Hat hackers are also known as Ethical Hackers. They never intent to harm a
system,rather they try to find out weaknesses in a computer or a network system as a part
of penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.Ethical hacking is not illegal and it
is oneof the demanding jobs available in the IT industry.There are numerous companies that hire
ethical hackers for penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.

2)Black Hat Hackers

Black Hat hackers, also known as crackers,are those who hack in order to gain unauthorized
access to a system and harm its operations or steal sensitive information.Black Hat hacking is
always illegal because of its bad intent which includes stealing corporate data, violating
privacy, damaging the system, blocking network communication, etc.

3)Grey Hat Hackers

Grey hat hackers are a blend of both black hat and white hat hackers. They act without
malicious intent but for their fun, they exploit a security weakness in a computer system
or network without the owner’s permission or knowledge.Their intent is to bring the
weakness to the attention of the owners and getting appreciation or a little bounty from the
owners.

4) Miscellaneous Hackers
Apart from the above well-known classes of hackers, we have the following categories
of hackers based on what they hack and how theydo it –

a)Red Hat Hackers:

Red hat hackers are again a blend of both black hat and white hat hackers. They are usually
on the level of hacking government agencies,top-secret information hubs, and generally
anything that falls under the category of sensitive information.

b)Blue hat Hackers:

A blue hat hacker is someone outside computer security consulting firms who is used to bug-
test a system prior to its launch. They look for loopholes that can be exploited and try to close
these gaps. Microsoft also uses the term Blue Hat to represent a series of security briefing
events.

3)Elite Hackers:
This is a social status among hackers, which isused to describe the most skilled. Newly
discovered exploits will circulate among these hackers.

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4)Script Kiddie:
A script kiddie is a non-expert who breaks into computer systems by using pre-packaged
automated tools written by others, usually with little understanding of the underlying
concept,hence the term Kiddie.

5)Neophyte:
A neophyte, "n00b", or "newbie" or "Green Hat Hacker" is someone who is new to hacking
or phreaking and has almost no knowledge or experience of the workings of technology and
hacking.

6)Hacktivist:
A hacktivist is a hacker who utilizes technology to announce a social, ideological,religious, or
political message. In general, mosthacktivism involves website defacement or denial of
service attacks.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, ethical hacking is not a criminal activity and should not be considered as
such.While it is true that malicious hacking is a computer crime and criminal activity, ethical
hacking is never a crime. Ethical hacking is in line with industry regulation and
organizational IT policies. Malicious hacking should be prevented while ethical hacking
which promotesre search, innovation, and technological breakthroughs should be encouraged
and allowed.

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Reference

 https://www.scribd.com/document/637860346/Untitled
 https://www.coursehero.com/file/148944081/18303-18361-Ethical-Hacking-ETI-
Project-2pdf/
 https://www.collegesidekick.com/study-docs/2235489

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