As if it were a science fiction movie in which the good fight against evil in a war of codes and algorithms , in real life there are hackers who seek to counter the actions of cyber criminals.
The style of the child superheroes , ethical hackers are trying to protect the world, in this case virtual, from the evil of the digital age.
"(My main goal as an ethical hacker) is to help organizations improve their security technology to reduce the risk that a malicious hacker could compromise their systems. That would have serious consequences and could affect many people, "said Adam Hiscocks told the BBC.
Hiscocks finished his studies Ethical Hacking (Ethical Hacking) at the University of Abertay Dundee, Scotland, and works as a computer security expert for the company Context Information Security.
Rorie Hood is a young man who is studying to become an ethical hacker. We asked him why.
"As a hacker want to understand how things work , everything, even the hardware. know how to exploit a system is really a result of what you can learn everything, understand everything, and realize that the software is doing something he should not . By providing a solution to a vulnerability , it helps not only to software but to the community that developed it, keeping it and using it daily. "
Differences
When we talk of a hacker, usually comes to mind a computer genius that caused harm to someone or some institution to benefit financially or for a cause.
The list of cyber crime is becoming increasingly longer: identity theft, website hijacking, attacks on a company's servers, theft of confidential information from a company or government, theft of passwords and details bank customers, a virus infection of the computer system of an organism ...
"The general public often misunderstands the term. The difference between a malicious hacker and an ethical hacker is that the latter has all the authorization of the owner of a system to carry out tests. In essence , an ethical hacker is operating under of law, "he told BBC Natalie Coull, a professor at the University of Abertay Dundee in the UK.
And what they do exactly?
"The ethical hacking is a recognized industry term that simply means to test the security of a system (network, website, software and all the infrastructure of an organization) to have the mind set on a malicious hacker," explained teacher.
Stereotypes
The image of the hacker who is locked in a dark room, sitting at the computer and not talk to anyone is just a stereotype that was anchored to the past, experts say.
"Today the ethical hacking is as much a social element and computers safely. In a social environment, hackers share ideas, discuss current research and enjoy a friendly beer," said Hood.
When aspiring hacker would ask, ' what has been the main difficulty faced in the course?
"The stereotype that hacking is wrong. Powered by LulzSec and groups like Anonymous, hackers face serious prejudice in modern society. While not denying that some people hack for profit, for political idealism (hacktivists) or malicious reasons, there is a much larger community that just loves technology and wants to improve it for everyone. "
"That means making it safer. That can not be achieved without first understanding why things are vulnerable . Science has given us a nuclear power reactor. However, we also gave an atomic bomb. Good things can be used for purposes wrong, "said the student.
Opportunities
Thousands of companies, banks, governments, secret services are recruiting ethical hackers to avoid being victims of a cyber attack.
According to Coull, many banks are required that their services are tested for ethical hackers to ensure that their payment processing mechanisms with credit cards comply with safety standards.
"Small companies may use them for short periods while larger firms could hire them full time," said the teacher.
Hiscocks said the high-profile cyber attacks have been reported in the last two years have increased the demand for ethical hackers.
"(In my work) I mainly order to prove how safe are web applications , which means I have to spend much of their time trying to hack several websites that are operated by our customers, "said the expert.
"I do not think anything can beat a computer hacking law, especially when I do it with a team of very talented, experienced and passionate."
Temptations
With all the tools, knowledge and skills that people like Hiscocks have developed in their career, one question is inevitable: how do you handle the temptation of becoming a malicious hacker?
"I've never really felt tempted to become a hacker bad and attack systems of people with the intention of causing damage or economic benefit. There are moments when I realize things while browsing web sites and I can be tempted to take a look. However, it would be illegal and would jeopardize my career. So tell me not to do anything, "he said.
And from the educational perspective what are the guarantees that a sheep will not go down the wrong path?
"You do not need a college degree to be an attacker. Our students chose this course because they want to learn the skills necessary to gain employment in the area of computer security . Before entering the course, students also undergo an interview and a criminal background check, "said Coull.
Students in Ethical Hacking taught law related to computer security so they know how to operate without infringing the law.
Lse Hiscocks the first college graduate who started the career of "hacking" ethical (Photo: BBC)
As a hacker I understand how things work, everything down to the hardware. Know how to exploit a system is really a result of what you can learn everything, understand everything, and realize that the software is doing something he should not. By providing a solution to a vulnerability, not only to software support, but the community that developed it, which keeps and uses it daily "
"The difference between a malicious hacker and an ethical hacker is that the latter has all the authorization of the owner of a system to carry out tests. In essence, an ethical hacker is operating under the law"
"I do not think anything can beat a computer hacking law, especially when I do it with a team of talented, experienced and passionate"
0 comments:
Post a Comment