15-02-2016, 03:39 PM
Hackers are here. Where are you?
Abstract
Computers around the world are systematically being victimized by rampant hacking. This hacking is not only widespread, but is being executed so fl awlessly that the attackers compromise a system, steal everything of value and completely erase their tracks within 20 minutes. The goal of the ethical hacker is to help the organization take preemptive measures against malicious attacks by attacking the system himself; all the while staying within legal limits. This philosophy stems from the proven practice of trying to catch a thief, by thinking like a thief. As technology advances and organization depend on technology increasingly, information assets have evolved into critical components of survival. If hacking involves creativity and thinking ‘out-of-the-box’, then vulnerability testing and security audits will not ensure the security proofi ng of an organization. To ensure that organizations have adequately protected their information assets, they must adopt the approach of ‘defense in depth’. In other words, they must penetrate their networks and assess the security posture for vulnerabilities and exposure. The defi nition of an Ethical Hacker is very similar to a Penetration Tester.
Introduction
The Ethical Hacker is an individual who is usually employed with the organization and who can be trusted to undertake an attempt to penetrate networks and/or computer systems using the same methods as a Hacker. Hacking is a felony in the United States and most other countries. When it is done by request and under a contract between an Ethical Hacker and an organization, it is legal. The most important point is that an Ethical Hacker has authorization to probe the target. The CEH Program certifi es individuals in the specifi c network security discipline of Ethical Hacking from a vendor-neutral perspective. The Certifi ed Ethical Hacker certifi cation will fortify the application knowledge of security offi cers, auditors, security professionals, site administrators, and anyone who is concerned about the integrity of the network infrastructure. A Certifi ed Ethical Hacker is a skilled professional who understands and knows how to look for the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in target systems and uses the same knowledge and tools
as a malicious hacker.