What in the World Is Ethical Hacking?

The term “hacker” originated in the 1960s at MIT to describe computer experts who applied their skills to redevelop mainframe systems, boosting their efficiency and enabling them to multi-task.

Nowadays, the word is primarily used to identify skilled programmers who gain unauthorized access into computer systems by exploiting weaknesses or deploying bugs. They’re often thought to be motivated by malice, mischief, or money – and sometimes all three.

With the persistent popularity of the internet and the ever-expanding evolution of e-commerce, malicious hacking has become the most widely recognized form, a perception supported by its portrayal in various kinds of news media and entertainment.

That being said, not all hacking is bad. Which brings us to the second major type of hacking. Ethical hacking, in and of itself, might seem like a contradiction in terms – after all, hacking into somebody’s account or service doesn’t seem particularly ethical. But you may be surprised by the good that it can do.

Before we go further, let’s sort out the major differences between malicious and ethical hackers.

Malicious hacking is carried out in an attempt to breach the systems or networks of an organization (or individual) in order to compromise important data by stealing it, thereby tarnishing the organization’s reputation as well as its assets.

Malicious hackers, often referred to as “Black Hat” hackers, will gladly take advantage of any mistakes made by programmers during the software development process in order to penetrate the security framework of the software.

Ethical hackers, often labeled “White Hat” hackers, essentially employ the same techniques and approach the process with the same mindset as malicious hackers – the difference lies in their intent.

By definition, ethical hacking is the authorized process of intentionally bypassing the security defenses of an organization’s IT infrastructure with the express purpose of identifying any vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and other potential security threats.

Afterwards, the ethical hacker notifies the organization of any issues that they discovered while assessing the systems or network and propose solutions in order to help protect the organization’s assets from future attacks by malicious hackers.

Granting permission to have your crucial infrastructure ethically hacked by professional cybersecurity experts can go a long way toward improving the overall security posture of your organization.

Hiring an outsider to perform this service is generally preferable as it ensures that the ethical hacker uses a systematic and measured approach, thus closely mirroring what an external cyberattack might look like.