Hacking is one of the most dreaded fears in the digital world, especially for businesses. It can disrupt business operations and lead to severe financial and reputational losses. But do you know that there’s ethical hacking as well? And it is an important business cybersecurity practice.
The main aim of ethical hacking is to prevent cyber attacks. It helps businesses find and fix any internal issues in the business security structure. Tech giants pay ethical hackers really well. As per recent reports, Google currently offers an annual salary of USD 273,729 to ethical hackers.
As ethical hacking is an effective security strategy, businesses should consider training their workforce in this area. Education Nest offers comprehensive cybersecurity training and development, curated specially for a corporate setup. These programs can help you strengthen your business defense posture significantly.
So, What is ethical hacking? Why is ethical hacking important for your business? Read on to find out.
What is Ethical Hacking?
Business networks are exposed to cybersecurity threats. There are often loopholes in the system that make way for cyber attacks. So, ethical hacking is about thinking like a hacker and launching cyber attacks. But there are no malicious intentions involved. Rather, they try to identify any security flaws in the business infrastructure. As a result, it helps address these gaps before any actual hacking attempts. It is also called white-hat hacking.
Why is Ethical Hacking Important for Your Business?
New cyber threats keep emerging daily, so it is extremely important to check the security of the business network infrastructure. Also, the idea is to create a Zero Trust Architecture over traditional security methods.
So, ethical hackers replicate real-world cyberattacks with legal permissions from the concerned organizational authorities. These authorized hacking attempts help assess the business security position, how efficient the systems are, and what improvements are needed
Ethical Hackers Roles and Responsibilities
Ethical hackers should have the right morals. They must follow the ethical code strictly and use hacking only to fight against cybercrime. Even if they are in a position to exploit the vulnerabilities, they must never misuse their power.
Here are the roles and responsibilities of ethical hackers:
Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessments: Ethical hackers must conduct penetration testing and vulnerability assessments to uncover the weak points in the business network. Accordingly, remedial actions can be taken.
Check for Compliance: Ethical hackers should ensure that the organization adheres to the compliance requirements and regulatory standards set for cybersecurity. They must bring light into any gaps found in these areas.
Maintain Confidentiality: Ethical hackers are legally bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). They have to keep all information strictly confidential. So, they must maintain this trust and value their clients’ privacy.
Incident Response Plans: Ethical hackers should also create required response plans that can lessen the impact of any security incident. Also, in the case of actual attacks, they must assist in mitigation and recovery.
Ethical Hacker Skills
Ethical hackers deal with the security infrastructure and must develop the required skill set to perform their roles efficiently. Here are some essential skills that they must surely possess:
Programming Expertise
Ethical hackers need to master different programming languages to develop effective codes as per the requirements. They must be technically skilled enough to hack the systems and also reverse the effects.
Networking Skills
Ethical hackers must also work on their networking skills. These are a must for finding potential security issues. They must learn networking protocols, firewalls and routers, operating systems, databases, hardware functionalities, and other related aspects.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Apart from technical expertise, ethical hackers need to develop the real mindset of an actual hacker. Thus, they must be able to analyze issues deeply, get into the roots, and handle critical problems
Ethical Hacking: The Path Ahead
Ethical hacking requires thinking from the perspective of cybercriminals. It thus develops a better understanding of the security loopholes. With the exponentially rising rate of cybercrimes, there will be more demand for ethical hackers in the coming times.
So, it is the right time to upskill your workforce with ethical hacking training to strengthen your defenses. Choose advanced corporate training programs from Education Nest to help your workforce with ethical hacking skills and expertise. These programs are curated according to the best industrial practices and technologies and cover detailed aspects of effective cybersecurity practices.
For more details, reach out to us today!
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