Tudor Barbu

IBM defines hacking as the use of “unconventional or illicit means” to gain unauthorized access to a digital device, network, or computer system. It’s normally associated with malicious hacking, which involves cracking into such resources to cause harm.

Malicious hackers are often motivated by personal or financial gain. They commonly target banks, enterprises, governments, hospitals, military websites, and individuals. As IBM states, they typically “earn their pay” by:

• Stealing sensitive data, such as login credentials, credit card numbers, or Social Security numbers
• Extorting victims by holding sensitive information, devices, or business operations hostage until they pay a ransom
• Conducting corporate espionage to steal trade secrets, intellectual property, and other confidential information

A malicious hacker can also launch an attack out of revenge. For example, a disgruntled employee may retaliate against their employer for a perceived slight, such as being passed over for a promotion.

Ethical hacking serves the opposite purpose. IBM explains it as “the use of hacking techniques by friendly parties in an attempt to uncover, understand, and fix security vulnerabilities.”

“Ethical hackers are paid by organizations to test the security of the organization,” says Randy Stauber, MS, faculty member in the School of Business and Information Technology at Purdue Global. “Even though they know how to breach organizations, they do not because they are ethical. They must be trusted by the organizations they work for, and that trust is critical.”

According to CompTIA Security, an ethical hacker differs from a malicious hacker in several ways:

• Their primary goal is to look for gaps in the system’s security measures.
• They use several legal methods to test systems in addition to gaining access through illegal pathways.
• They follow a strict code of ethics when conducting their work.

Types of Ethical Hacking

An ethical hack can involve several hacking techniques, according to EC-Council:

• Social engineering: A social engineering approach aims to manipulate targets and trick them into revealing sensitive information, such as a username and password.
• Web application hacking: Attackers can exploit application security flaws that organizations may not realize exist. Common security vulnerabilities include issues with user authentication.
• Web server hacking: EC-Council reports that servers are subject to similar security flaws. For instance, they may inadvertently expose sensitive data. They might also be susceptible to denial-of-service attacks that overwhelm the system with too much traffic.
• Wireless network hacking: Ethical hackers also test network security to ensure cybercriminals can’t gain unauthorized access. They may look for rogue access points or exploit encryption issues to intercept traffic and steal information.
• System hacking: Attackers often target specific systems within a company’s infrastructure, allowing them to install viruses, ransomware, and other cyber threats. Ethical hacking assessments involve searching for vulnerabilities that enable this, such as weak passwords or excessive user privileges.

Why Is Ethical Hacking Important?

Modern society heavily depends on information technology. From transportation and communication systems to medical facilities and the electrical grid, critical infrastructures are increasingly digital.

However, as the researchers state, “our physical world is becoming even more intertwined with the virtual one,” especially with the development of smart cars, drones, medical devices, and the Internet of Things. Now, any disruption of internet services or information infrastructure could significantly impact an entire country.

At the same time, cyber threats are becoming more common. The U.S. government received a record number of cybersecurity complaints in 2023, with potential losses exceeding $12.5 billion. That marked a 10% increase in complaints from the previous year and a 22% increase in losses. IBM’s annual Cost of a Data Breach Report states that the average data breach causes $4.88 million in damage — the highest total in the study’s history.

Rising cybercrime has created a need for ethical hacking services. Ethical hacking’s primary benefit is its ability to prevent a data breach from compromising sensitive information. However, it can also help:

• Discover vulnerabilities from an attacker’s perspective so they can be fixed
• Enhance network security to prevent unauthorized access
• Defend national security by protecting data from terrorists
• Improve customer and investor trust by securing their data and products

Ethical hacking assessments can identify common security flaws by simulating a malicious attack. As cybersecurity vendor Splunk says, this can include:

• Broken authentication systems
• Components with known vulnerabilities
• Sensitive data exposure
• Security misconfigurations
• Injection attacks