White hat hacker

Similar to black hat hackers, white hat hackers (or Ethical hackers) use their knowledge and skills to test and try to circumvent corporate security barriers to find vulnerabilities. can be exploited by black hat hackers.

One of the main differences between a white hat hacker and a black hat hacker is that a white hat hacker is allowed access to the system to hack, whereas a black hat hacker performs unauthorized system exploitation.

In addition, white hat hackers break into the system to find weaknesses, then report back to the company instead of using that information to attack or steal data from the company.As mentioned, white hat hackers are ethical hackers, they have access to systems to look for vulnerabilities and use them to help people, black hat hackers are malicious hackers, they gain unauthorized access. into systems to steal and compromise data; Finally, gray hat hackers, these hackers do not have access but they use the information with good intentions.

What is Ethical hacking?

The term "hacker" raises a lot of fear, but hacking is not simply about hacking into a computer to steal passwords or sensitive information.

Besides the controversy surrounding this issue, the use of technical knowledge to test and penetrate vulnerabilities in different computer systems and networks is highly appreciated in the "computer" community. "Hacker", where the word "hacker" is used to compliment someone.

Nowadays, companies often depend heavily on computers and computer networks to run jobs smoothly. Security assessment and penetration testing are done on a regular basis to prevent their systems from being exploited and hacked.

Companies were besieged by the huge amount of news daily about cyber security breaches, so they started to hunt for white hat hackers, also known as ethical hackers, to test their systems and prevent intrusions. allowed.

The history of ethical hacking

The term "ethical hacking" was first introduced by former IBM vice president John Patrick in 1995. He uses this term to describe someone trying to break in and check a system for vulnerabilities. .

This is certainly not the first time the term hacking has been introduced.

Ethical hacking was first used when the US Air Force performed a security assessment of the Multics Os operating system to test the system for top secret missions. The tests are performed by simulating how attackers can get into the system.

In 1998, Dan Farmer developed one of the first vulnerability scanners. The COPS (Oracle Computer and Password System) is designed to scan for security vulnerabilities in a part of the Unix operating system.

Later, Farmer and Wietse Venema developed the SATAN security scanner (Security Management Tool for Network Analysis) that implements the idea of ​​ethical hacking and the tactics of ethical hacking in evaluating system security.

They put together all the tools they used to gather information along the way, packaged them in a simple, easy-to-use app, and donated it to anyone who wanted to download it. This application has led many people, especially legal experts, to believe that hackers will use it to break into computers with malicious intentions.

Hackers have been labeled with bad reputations from the outset, yet many companies and even governments have realized the benefits of investing in experts who have the ability to infiltrate the system. system, find weaknesses and provide them with valuable information.

Currently ethical hackers are graveFor this reason, more and more companies are investing in ethical hacker training to detect intrusions that cause data, financial and other major losses. Without ethical hackers, untested vulnerabilities can be easily exploited by black hat hackers.

Businesses and organizations show an interest in intrusion testing and white hat hacker by introducing bug bounty programs: rewarding hackers for finding vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

The bug bounty program is a good way to reward researchers and information security experts with extensive knowledge and skills, so hackers know that they are using their skills for ethical reasons. still appreciated - they don't have to enter the black-hat world.

The first bug bounty program started by Netscape in 1995 called "The Netscape Bug Bounty". Since then, the bug bounty program has been introduced by many companies, with others offering up to $ 100,000 in bonuses the way Microsoft did. In 2016, Google alone paid hackers about $ 3 billion.

Since there are companies that don't make bounty programs public to everyone, it's important to differentiate between a private program and a public one.

In Vietnam, WhiteHub is the leading bug bounty platform trusted by businesses and startups. WhiteHub provides a bug bounty program that is self-operated or operated by experts, helping businesses confidently fight the black hat hacker forces on the internet.

In brief

Agenda of the organization or company should focus on investing and ensuring cybersecurity. This led to the evolution of the ethical hacking field. Auditing of organizations' security measures, data risk metrics, and security exploits will be conducted increasingly regularly around the world. By understanding the sophisticated attacks of cybercriminals, businesses can equip themselves with new solutions to keep themselves and their customers safe.

That's why those involved in today's digital world should praise white-hat hackers who are keeping us safe every day.