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Ethical hackers, also sometimes known as penetration testers, are tasked with using hacking techniques to search and identify vulnerabilities in an organization’s computer network or systems. While malicious hackers break into systems with an interest in stealing information or disrupting business, ethical hackers use their skills to find the problems so that they can be corrected before someone can exploit weaknesses. As technology continues to advance and change, ethical hackers will play a key role in helping organizations protect their data and keep business running as usual.
The day of an ethical hacker will be determined by the organization they are working for as well as the security systems that are in place. Ethical hackers may be employed internally by an organization or they may be contracted out from another company depending on the needs and/or size of the organization.
Ethical hackers may work remotely or in an office. In either case, one of the first things they will need to do is make sure their workstations are set up securely at the beginning of the day to avoid the possibility of someone hacking into their system while they are performing their own tests.
After the security of their system has been established the next step may involve catching up on recent emails and alerts as well as checking the news to find out about recent security incidents and making a note to keep an eye out for these newest threats going forward.
The bulk of an ethical hacker’s day is spent monitoring systems looking for potential vulnerabilities. Prior to getting starting on testing for vulnerabilities, an ethical hacker may spend some time on reconnaissance which involves finding out more about a particular system before actually going in to perform any tests. This gives them the opportunity to get to know the bigger picture so they can be more aware of the specific types of threats that the organization might face.
Being an ethical hacker involves a lot of planning and researching ahead of time to find out the best tools and techniques for carrying out penetration tests to find vulnerabilities. Once a plan has been devised and the tools and software have been selected, an ethical hacker will have to evaluate an organization’s operating system and network features. Once all of the data is gathered and safety measures have been established, testing can begin. The finding and exploiting of weaknesses can begin and the ethical hacker can determine where the problems are so they can be reported to the organization and ultimately fixed.
Beyond testing, ethical hackers will spend a lot of their time engaged in continuing education in an effort to keep up with current trends and technology changes. A well-educated ethical hacker will be better prepared to face the challenges involved with helping to protect organizations from security breaches.
Educational Opportunity
If you are interested in learning more about becoming an ethical hacker you should check out the Certificate program or the Associate of Science degree in Cyber and Network Security at Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology. These programs provide courses that are aimed at getting students ready to perform ethical hacking techniques along with risk assessment and how to prevent cyber-attacks. In addition, they will equip you with the skills that will help you to prepare for the ethical hacker certification exam so that you can get certified and find an entry level position right away upon completion of your studies. To find out more about these programs you can visit the Cambridge College website or fill out the Request Info form and someone will get back in touch with you. We hope to hear from you soon.