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Last year, Cosmos Bank in Pune was attacked by cybercriminals. Hackers broke into the ATM server of the bank and stole the details of Visa and Rupay debit card owners. This attack resulted in a loss of INR 94 crores for the bank as well as a major privacy breach for the users.\u00a0<\/span>Hackers are not always as cool as V from V for Vendetta with his Guy Fawkes mask and cool daggers, singlehandedly destroying fascism. Attacks like the one at Cosmos Bank are a threat not just to businesses but also to folks who use those businesses. How was it possible for hackers to pull off something as huge as the theft of INR 94 crores without even being physically present? Can it be stopped? Let\u2019s learn about this a little more.<\/span><\/p>\n What is hacking?<\/strong> Think of a computer or a network as a room. A hacker would survey the room from the outside, identify all the weaknesses in that room such as breakable windows, weak locks, etc., and\u00a0find out ways to break into that room without raising any alarms.<\/span><\/p>\n Types of hacking 1. Web application hacking:<\/b> This type of hacking targets applications that require the use of the internet on your browser. It includes email programs, Google apps, shopping carts, online forms, etc. Types of hackers 1. Black hat:<\/b> Black hat hackers are also called crackers. They hack into systems or networks illegally with an\u00a0intent to harm people or organisations. They are the burglars of the world of IT. There are a lot of myths that surround hacking<\/span>\u2014an image of a shady-looking guy sitting behind 20 screens hacking away into a bank\u2019s system. As we saw earlier, there is “bad” hacking as well as “good” hacking or ethical hacking.\u00a0<\/span>So\u00a0<\/span>what is ethical hacking<\/strong>\u00a0exactly and how is<\/span> it different from the common notion of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>hacking? Let’s find out.<\/span><\/p>\n What is ethical hacking?<\/b> To understand the basics of ethical hacking, let\u2019s look at the process that ethical hacking typically follows.<\/span><\/p>\n Process of ethical hacking<\/b><\/p>\n 1. Reconnaissance:<\/b> In the first stage, hackers\u00a0gather\u00a0all the necessary information about the target\u2014the domain name and its history, IP address, employee information, phone numbers, etc. This stage is also called footprinting. Now that you know what ethical hacking is, let’s see how to become an ethical hacker<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Skills required to learn ethical hacking: 1. Elementary knowledge of programming:<\/strong> To start your journey as an ethical hacker, you need to have a basic understanding of programming languages like Javascript, PHP, HTML, etc.<\/span> How to learn ethical hacking?
\n<\/b>When we read the word hacking, we may instantly <\/span>think\u00a0<\/span>of a black screen running endless lines of bright green code like\u00a0Matrix,\u00a0but really, <\/span>what is hacking?<\/span>\u00a0To put it simply, hacking is using computer skills to find the weaknesses in a computer or a network and then, exploiting those weaknesses by gaining unauthorised access to the system or network.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>Based on the kind of target, hacking is divided mainly into five types.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/internshala.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/what-is-ethical-hacking-types-672x140.jpg\")
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\n2. System hacking:<\/b> This type of hacking seeks access to individual computers on a network by cracking passwords, installing spyware into the system, etc.
\n3. Web server hacking:<\/b> A web server is a computer that displays web content. Attacks on a web server can affect websites and the users as they are hosted on web servers.
\n4. Wireless network hacking:<\/b> This kind of hacking involves intercepting wireless connection and traffic from non-secure networks. Hackers can steal sensitive user information\u2014credit card numbers, passwords, etc. All devices incorporated with IoT capability, even modern washing machines,\u00a0toasters, etc. are susceptible to attacks if they haven’t been secured properly.
\n5. Social engineering:<\/b>\u00a0Social engineering\u00a0is very different from others as it requires the use of social skills for\u00a0a\u00a0hacker to manipulate and deceive people into revealing their personal information.<\/p>\n
\n<\/b>Based on their reason for hacking, hackers are broadly divided into four types.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/internshala.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/what-is-ethical-hacking-types-of-hackers-672x336.jpg\")
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\n2. White hat:<\/b> They\u2019re also called ethical hackers. They\u2019re the experts on information security and their work is completely legal. They safeguard computer networks and systems from malicious attacks.
\n3. Grey hat:<\/b> As the name suggests, they\u2019re a bit of both white and black hat. What they do is illegal, but they don\u2019t have any malicious intent. Grey hat hackers are mostly recreational hackers and do it for fun.
\n4. Hacktivist:<\/b> Hacktivists use hacking to promote their social or political cause.\u00a0Hacktivism is usually anti-establishment – related to freedom of speech\/information, human rights, etc.\u00a0Yes, a lot like Mr. Robot!<\/p>\n
\n<\/b>Let\u2019s go back to the above-mentioned example of a room. A coder or programmer would simply build the room to function<\/span>\u2014<\/span>four walls, a floor, a ceiling, windows, a door, etc. <\/span>A black hat hacker would find the slightest vulnerabilities in that room to exploit and break in. That\u2019s where an ethical hacker would\u00a0come into the picture. It\u2019s her job to find those weaknesses, patch them up, and make the room impenetrable so that\u00a0a burglar is unable\u00a0to get in. In other words, an ethical hacker needs to think like a black hat hacker\u00a0but her work is completely legal and, you guessed it, ethical. While\u00a0black hat hacking\u00a0involves breaking into a system or network with malicious intent,\u00a0ethical hacking is carried out with the permission of the owner of the\u00a0target system or network to find\u00a0vulnerabilities and figure out how they can be made secure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/internshala.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ethical_hacking_process-595x372.jpg\")
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\n2. Scanning:<\/b> This stage involves scanning each component of the target’s entire system for any vulnerabilities that can be exploited. The hackers try to figure out how they would break into the system.
\n3. Gaining access:<\/b> This is the stage when\u00a0hackers directly break\u00a0into the target system or network without raising any alarms, using various tools at their disposal\u2014like Metasploit, Sn1per, THC Hydra, etc. Once they\u2019ve entered the system, they raise their access level to admin so that\u00a0they are free to move around within the system.
\n4. Maintaining access:<\/b> In this stage, hackers create\u00a0a backdoor in the system\u00a0by creating their own vulnerability and uploading it into the system so that\u00a0they don\u2019t lose access to it.
\n5. Clearing tracks:<\/b> This is a standard hacker protocol, white and black hat alike. In this stage,\u00a0hackers remove\u00a0all evidence of their unauthorised activity in the target system by deleting their history, log files, changing registry settings, etc.
\n6. Reporting:<\/b> This is the final stage in the process of ethical hacking\u2014one which differentiates it from illegal hacking.\u00a0Here,\u00a0hackers create\u00a0a report of the process they followed as well as how vulnerabilities were found and utilised to gain access. The report also includes remedial strategies and techniques that would need to be employed in order to prevent these attacks in the future.<\/p>\n
\n<\/b>Good news is that you don\u2019t have to be a programming expert or from a computer science background to learn ethical hacking<\/strong>. Following are some skills required to don that white hat.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n2.\u00a0Basic IT skills:<\/strong> Basic knowledge of your computer system and which cable goes where is knowledge enough. If you learn how to run a Windows Command Prompt or edit Windows registry, you’re already off to a good start!
\n3. Knowledge of key concepts:<\/strong> You will need to have a fundamental understanding of key concepts in hacking such as Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing, SQL injections, etc.
\n4. Networking:<\/strong> Hacking is incomplete without networking, so\u00a0another important skill you need to have in your bag is knowing the ABCs of computer networking and its elements which include proxy, VPN, processes like NAT and IP addressing, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>1. Online resources: <\/b>At first, it\u00a0can seem daunting to learn ethical hacking if you don’t know a lot about it, but all of the internet is at your disposal. You can find numerous resources and tutorials online to get a basic understanding of the key concepts and terms that constitute hacking.
\n2. Internshala <\/b>T<\/b>rainings:<\/b> \u00a0An online training\u00a0that teaches ethical hacking from scratch could be a great first step in your journey to learn ethical hacking. In just 6 weeks,\u00a0you can\u00a0learn the basics of hacking as well as programming that’s required to hack into systems through\u00a0Internshala’s online ethical hacking course<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>. Apart from teaching web application hacking and penetration testing, this online course on ethical hacking<\/strong>\u00a0lets you\u00a0hack a live web application and generate an industry standard report.
\n3. Internships:<\/b> There\u2019s no better way to hone your skills than to apply them in the field. You can check out these<\/span> cybersecurity<\/a><\/span> internships to boost your skills.
\n4. Hacking competitions:<\/b> Prove your hacking prowess in battle by participating in hacking competitions. Check out competitions like Smart India Hackathon<\/a><\/span>,<\/span> AngelHack\u2019s Global Hackathon<\/a><\/span>,<\/span> HackerOne\u2019s Penetration Testing Challenge<\/a><\/span>,<\/span> Hack2Innovate<\/a><\/span>, and<\/span> HackerRank\u2019s contests<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0HackerRank\u00a0also has pages that consist of\u00a0coding problems that you can utilise in order to get a hang of the practical applications of hacking.
\n<\/span>5. Bug Bounty Programs:<\/strong>\u00a0Show off your hacking skills through bug bounty programs. Many organisations like Google, Facebook, etc. offer deals for ethical hackers to find and report vulnerabilities and exploits on their websites, wherein individuals receive recognition and compensation in return for their reports. Internshala has an open source\u00a0bug bounty program<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>available that you can check out.\u00a0
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