Page 1 of 8

European Journal of Business &

Social Sciences

Available at https://ejbss.org/

ISSN: 2235-767X

Volume 07 Issue 03

March 2019

Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 374

Ethical Hacking: The Need for Cyber Security

Dr. Preeti Malik*

*Assistant Professor, Department of Business Administration, Maharaja Surajmal Institute

Email Id- preetimaliksahrawat@gmail.com

Abstract

The Information technology is becoming more and more of a hacking industry. Hacking is not only

done by criminals it’s also done by government agencies. Now what we have here is a hacker that

is hacking into email addresses and taking all kind of information. People are learning how to stop

hackers from getting into server, emails, and government data basis. Companies are worried about

the possibility of being hacked and potential customers are worried about maintaining control of

personal information. This paper describes the ethical hacking, the reasons for becoming ethical

hackers, different phases of hacking and the services provided by the ethical hackers along with the

advantages and disadvantages of ethical hacking with respect to the information gathering and

information security.

Keywords: Ethical hacking, vulnerability analysis, information gathering, information security

INTRODUCTION

Hacking is the process of identifying and exploiting weakness in a system or a network to gain

unauthorized access to data and system resources. It can also be defined as an unauthorized

intrusion into the information systems/networks by an attacker by compromising the security.

Example of Hacking: Exploiting the weakness of default password to gain access to the data

stored inside the system.

Ethical hacking is a way of objectively analyzing an organization’s data security structure. A new

league of IT professionals called white hat hackers or ethical hackers are emerging and gaining

prominence. The job of an ethical hacker is to purposefully penetrate security systems to fix these

weak points.

These professionals employ methods similar to that used by malicious hackers, but they are

required to be a step or two ahead of their vicious counterparts. Ethical or white hat hackers may

be employed by the government, banks, or private firms to prevent cyber crime. They hack the

system with the permission from the client and present a maturity scorecard for the network that

highlights their overall risk.

Penetration testing or pen testing is a way of evaluating Internet applications, networks and

computer systems for the level of vulnerability. This test helps in gauging the network and giving

it a real-world assessment.

Ethical hackers are expected to report all the vulnerabilities and weakness found during the

process to the management.

An Ethical Hacker is a skilled professional who has excellent technical knowledge and skills and

knows how to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in target systems. He works with the permission

of the owners of systems. An ethical Hacker must comply with the rules of the target organization

or owner and the law of the land and their aim is to assess the security posture of a target

organization/system.

Page 2 of 8

European Journal of Business &

Social Sciences

Available at https://ejbss.org/

ISSN: 2235-767X

Volume 07 Issue 03

March 2019

Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 375

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

 To study the concept of ethical hacking

 To analyze the reasons for becoming the ethical hacker

 To analyze the phases of hacking

 To analyze the ethical hacking services

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The study is explorative cum descriptive in nature. It is an empirical research based upon secondary

data. The theory is basically developed from secondary sources of information and a thorough study

of various academic works in the relevant field has been attempted.

IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION

Information is meaningful data which has to be protected in order to protect the privacy, security,

identity of an organization or a person or a nation. Information is called valuable because of few

characteristics. The main characteristics which make information valuable are:

 Confidentiality

Confidentiality ensures that information is accessible to only an authorized user. The main

purpose of confidentiality is to protect the sensitive information from reaching the wrong

hands. It is used to maintain the privacy of the people. Encryption is a good example of

confidentiality.

 Availability

Information should be available to an authorized person when it is requested for. It is the

guarantee of access to the authorized individual to information. Keeping all the hardware and

software up to date and keeping back up, taking proper recovery measures will ensure

availability of data.

 Integrity

Integrity maintains the correctness or accuracy of the information while the data is in transit,

storage or processing. It is the guarantee that information is trust worthy and not tampered. This

attribute ensures that an unauthorized person will not be able to modify the data. RSA digital

signature, SHA1 hash codes are good examples.

 Authentication

It is verifying whether the user, data, transactions involved is genuine. This attribute ensures

that only genuine or right people are given access to the information. Login mechanisms can be

used to verify the authenticity of users

 Non-Repuditiation

This is a property of information which is used to holds a person responsible for the information

he sent or received. In future, he cannot deny his role in sending or receiving the information.

WHY BECOME AN ETHICAL HACKER?

Ethical hackers are data-focused, detail-oriented problem-solvers and critical thinkers. They aim to

find and fix problems and loopholes in systems, networks and/or applications. Ethical hackers are

responsible for outsmarting malicious hackers and protecting highly valuable information from

potential attacks. They work well in teams, love solving puzzles, and have a keen curiosity about

how things operate.

Page 3 of 8

European Journal of Business &

Social Sciences

Available at https://ejbss.org/

ISSN: 2235-767X

Volume 07 Issue 03

March 2019

Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 376

Ethical hackers are basically the ‘white hats’ (or ‘good guys’) of the hacking world. They are

trained professionals hired by companies to use their skills for good, working professionally and

ethically on the right side of cyber security.

As an ethical hacker, you’ll be working for big companies, government agencies, security firms or

other organizations who will hire you to keep their information safe and secure. These clients will

require you to legally hack into company networks to look at network security, find and fix

potential dangers, and create solutions to patch serious security risks or fight off harmful attackers.

You’ll become a trusted advisor, developing IT policies and provide valuable strategies to

individuals or companies about how they can fight back against cyber threats.

As businesses around the world become more aware of their responsibility to keep their clients’

information safe, the need for cyber security professionals is growing fast. In order to stop

cybercriminals and hackers, you need to think like one.

Ethical hackers are cyber security experts whose job it is to try and break into the company

network and access their personal data to ensure it is locked carefully away behind as many levels

of security as necessary. But why become an ethical hacker? If you’re already interested in

hacking, why not keep your black hat on and exploit the weaknesses in security systems yourself?

Ethical hacking, although a fairly new career possibility is widely recognized as a vital element of

cyber security and, in an increasingly digital world, can give great career progression for the right

person. Here are the top 10 reasons those with an interest in hacking should don a white hat and

become an ethical hacker.

1. Ever-growing opportunities

As mentioned, the world is becoming increasingly digital. As consumers expect businesses to look

after their data, business owners are becoming increasingly aware of their cyber responsibilities.

With the introduction of the GDPR across Europe, more and more businesses of every size and

industry will need to ensure their defences can keep malicious criminals out. This means that job

opportunities are only going to increase, giving you a better shot at landing the perfect job.

2. High salaries

Additionally, since ethical hacking with no doubt soon be in high demand, recruiters will need to

think of ways to make their positions the most attractive. With starting salaries averaging £25,000

already, higher demand for a smaller workforce could push these up in the next few years. Since

the skill set is so extensive and a great deal of training goes into being great at hacking, senior

roles in penetration testing and white hat hacking can be upwards of £60,000, making for great

career progression for dedicated candidates.

3. Constantly changing industry

Our cyber landscape is diversifying at break-neck speed and with new technology comes new

threats. With more and more businesses adopting cutting-edge tech like cloud computing and the

Internet of Things, these specialist technologies will have their own unique security issues in

which to specialize. With more sophisticated defence technology, cyber criminals will need to

constantly think of new strategies to try and break through a business’s protections, meaning

you’ll always be kept on your toes in the face of a new kind of attack.

4. Threats are never going to go away

Similarly, cyber criminals are never going to stop. Whether it’s updating old strategies to keep

classic threats at bay or developing new methods of blocking criminals, businesses will always

need protection to stay ahead of the game and keep the trust of their customers.