Ethical hackers and safeguarding tips for business
The rise of ethical hackers and IT security can be attributed to advances in technology as well as the increase in number of threats the computer world faces. Ethical hacking as a concept was put forward by the EC Council in the wake of the terrorist attack on September 11th where it received mixed responses. The term “Ethical Hacking” is essentially an oxymoron that both the media and the people weren’t willing to accept.
EC Council explained ethical hacking as a bodyguard to computer systems. Ethical hackers are people that adhere to ethical principles to protect both systems and information from unethical hackers. Numerous organizations have faced cyber attacks in recent years, which has led to the growing need of having professional ethical hackers capable of safeguarding their networks.
Organizations that face frequent cyber attacks
Banks are key targets, which means that they will always be cyber threats. A significant portion of the $25 billion spent by banks worldwide every year goes towards defending against cyber-attacks. Other organizations, large, medium, or small besides banks also face cyber attacks constantly. Last, year, Adobe Systems faced a data hack affecting 2.9 million customers. Security is now a mainstream requirement in the world of today.
One should think like a hacker to stop one, which is what ethical hacking focuses on. Ethical hackers also undertake security tasks such as hackers, but for the purpose of protecting an organization’s networks and computers. Ethical hackers are allowed to hack organizations’ networks to perform tests to ensure that they are safe from illegal hacking. Ethical hackers play a key role in improving organizations’ security systems.
The demand of ethical hackers has increased due to the transition to cloud
The Cloud is where the information world is headed where IT outsourcing and Virtualization are the key trends. The transition has increased the threat level and thus the demand of ethical hackers. Security has always been a key concern since the advent of cloud computing. Companies hire ethical hackers to keep enjoying the benefits of virtualization and cloud without harming the security.
The key challenge faced by businesses today is the fast-growing cyber world along with the complexities of security requirements. Hacking tactics evolve each day and only expert professionals are able to overcome the challenge. In today’s business world, ethical hackers are therefore in high demand.
Why hire ethical hackers?
- To test networks regularly
- To safeguard customer or user information available in visits and business transactions
- To create security awareness at all levels in a business
- To manage adequate preventive measures to prevent security breaches
- To build computer systems’ that prevent hackers’ access and safeguard information and systems from malicious attacks
Hiring an ethical hacker
Companies such as IBM keep their systems secure by hiring teams of Ethical Hackers.
To find out more about how to contact ethical hackers take a look at this list of ethical hackers forums.
Security testing costs vary depending on the business. A business with a large user database might have to pay hefty costs while another might pay less for information security. Tasks such as checking of servers, firewalls, and IP addresses are high costs, but the investment is justified compared to losses caused by cyber-attacks.
Companies can safeguard their systems by either hiring ethical hackers or ethical hacking agencies or firms. The decision will depend on several factors. Few businesses cannot afford to hire ethical hacking agencies to hack in their systems from outside for security, which is why they use in-house ethical hackers. Other companies might prefer to hire ethical hacking firms to protect their network and systems. In either case, the ethical hackers are required to sign a legal agreement with various terms and conditions with the host client.
For businesses, hiring ethical hackers is today no longer a matter of choice but rather a necessity. EC Council governs the Certified Ethical hacker program that qualified professional hackers. CEH are in high demand in business across businesses all over the world for all obvious reasons.
