Different Types of Ethical Hacking with Examples

Ethical hacking has evolved as an effective way for companies to test their network security and determine if they're vulnerable to attacks by malicious hackers. This is accomplished by having a team of hackers attempt to penetrate the company's network and then assessing those attempts and identifying weaknesses in the system.

There are many ethical hacking types, ranging from black box penetration testing and gray box penetration testing to white box penetration testing. Each type of hacking in cyber security has its advantages and disadvantages. It is, therefore, essential to understanding the differences before deciding which one is right for your needs. In this article, we will go over each type of hacking in cyber security in detail so you can decide which is right for your needs. For a more detailed understanding, look at the CEH certification training course now!

What is Ethical Hacking, and Why Do We Need It? 

Ethical hacking, also known as the white hat hacking type, tests a computer system or network to assess its security and attack vulnerability. But why do we need ethical hacking? Ethical hacking is essential to uncover your systems' weaknesses, so you can fix them before malicious hackers do.

You might think this sounds common sense, but many companies overlook this crucial step in their security protocols until they've been hacked. It's much easier (and cheaper) to fix bugs in your system before they're exploited than after. 

Ethical hacking often involves penetration testing or vulnerability scanning, and it helps organizations to discover security vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. These tests are usually performed by skilled computer professionals who are not maliciously trying to break into a system but want to help improve its defenses against real-world threats. 

What are the Importance and the Key Concepts of Ethical Hacking? 

Ethical hacking is crucial because it helps protect the network from cyber-attacks. Ethical hacking is a special kind of penetration testing conducted for security purposes.

There is three central importance of Ethical Hacking: 

• It helps find all the vulnerabilities in your network, so you can fix them immediately before they get exploited by criminals or hackers. 
• It helps identify the weak points in your network and improves its security by implementing strong security measures. 
• It also helps train employees about cybersecurity issues, so they don't fall for phishing scams or other attacks. 

However, to become an ethical hacker, you must first understand the three key concepts of Ethical Hacking. The three main concepts of Ethical Hacking are:

1. Scanning 

Scanning identifies the target network, its devices, and their current configurations. This information can be used to identify vulnerabilities and determine what type of ethical hacking attack will work best on those devices. 

2. Enumeration

Enumeration is gathering information about the target network, such as usernames and passwords, which can be used in later stages of an attack. 

3. Exploitation

Exploitation involves taking advantage of a device's vulnerability to gain access to sensitive data or control over that device. 

What are the Different Types of Ethical Hacking? 

Ethical hacking is a complex process that involves a combination of skills, techniques, and methods to test the security of an organization's computer systems. There are several types of hacking in cyber security practices: 

1. Black-box Testing

In black-box testing, the hacker doesn't have any prior knowledge of the system, and is testing the software from outside the system before entering it via a brute force approach . For example, if you were testing a website, you might not know what kind of server it's running on or what programming languages were used to create it.

This hacking type is often considered one of the most dangerous types of hacking in cyber security and is used to identify security holes in a network or system that an attacker could exploit. They illegally gain access to private information like credit card numbers or bank accounts, which they then sell or use for illegal purposes like identity theft or fraud. 

For example, a black box testing can be used to check a user's login, view their account information, change their password and log out. The tester would not need to know how this is achieved within the application's code to design such a test. 

2. White-box Testing

In white box testing, the hacker knows everything about the system, how it works, and its weaknesses before he tries to break in the system. White-box testing is often done by developers who want to see how well their systems hold up under pressure before they release them into production environments where attackers may try to crack them open.

They work closely with IT departments and follow company policy, so they can find out what is happening on the inside without breaking any laws. They also ensure that no one hacks into their employer's system. 

Some of the common examples of white-box testing are designing reviews, code inspections, data-flow analysis, and statement coverage.

3. Gray-box Testing

This is a mix between white-box and black-box testing; the tester has some knowledge about the system but not all of it, so they need to use deductive reasoning skills and their technical knowledge to find vulnerabilities within the system or network being tested.

Gray hats sometimes use their skills for good and malicious purposes, such as stealing money from banks or other companies through computer viruses they create (which means they could be considered black hats). 

The examples of gray-box testing include areas like: 

• Usability Tests 
• Performance Tests 
• Security Tests 

This approach helps you in understanding how well your application will perform in real-world environments, which can be critical for ensuring successful development. 

4. Web Application Hacking

Web application hacking type is the process of exploiting security vulnerabilities or weaknesses in web-based applications. Web applications are typically written in languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but they can also be written in other languages like PHP and Ruby on Rails. Because of the nature of these languages and how web browsers interpret them, it is possible to perform specific actions on a website without actually being authorized. 

One example of this would be cross-site scripting (XSS), which involves injecting malicious code into a website's HTML. If you can craft an XSS attack properly, you can hijack the browser's session with the server without ever having access to their username or password. 

5. Hacking Wireless Networks

Hacking wireless networks is a hacking type that involves accessing a computer network without authorization, typically by exploiting weak points in the system's security. 

An excellent example of this is the practice of wardriving, where an attacker drives around with a laptop or other device capable of picking up wireless signals, looking for unprotected or poorly protected networks. 

6. Social engineering 

Social engineering aims to persuade people to reveal their confidential information. The attacker deceives people because they trust them and lack knowledge. There are three types of social engineering: human-based, mobile-based, and computer-based. As security policies loosen and there are no hardware or software tools to prevent social engineering attacks, it is difficult to detect them.

7. System hacking 

System hacking is the sacrifice of computer software to access the targeted computer to steal their sensitive data. The hacker takes advantage of the weaknesses in a computer system to get the information and data and takes unfair advantage. System hacking aims to gain access, escalate privileges, and hide files.

8. Web server hacking 

Web content is generated as a software application on the server side in real-time. This allows the hackers to attack the webserver to steal private information, data, passwords, and business information by using DoS attacks, port scans, SYN floods, and Sniffing. Hackers hack web servers to gain financial gain from theft, sabotage, blackmail, extortion, etc.

How to Choose an Ethical Hacking Course and Certification? 

Ethical Hacking Courses and Certification are the best way to learn to hack. However, choosing the right course can be a daunting task. To help you make it easier, here are some factors to remember while choosing a course: 

1. Duration

One of the most important things to look for in different types of ethical hacking courses is the duration of the course. Most courses last about nine months, but some can go as long as two years.

2. Cost

The longer the course, the more detailed explanation of concepts, and the more expensive it will be. Choose a course that fits your schedule and budget. 

3. Availability

Another thing to look for in the ethical hacking course is whether it is available online or offline. Some courses are only available online, while others are available only in person at a physical location. Decide on what kind of learning style you prefer before choosing a course. 

4. Certification

The third thing you should consider when choosing an ethical hacking course is whether it includes a Cyber Security course certificate or not. If you want to be certified as an ethical hacker, ensure your chosen course provides certification as part of its curriculum. 

How to Become an Ethical Hacker?

To become an ethical hacker, you must have a lot of patience and discipline. You will also need some general knowledge about programming languages and computer science. The good news is that many free resources are available online that will teach you how to become an ethical hacker. 

The first step in becoming an ethical hacker is getting certified by one of the many organizations that offer certification programs in different hacking types. Several organizations provide these certifications, including KnowledgeHut's CEH certification training. 

Once you've been certified, it's time to begin developing your skills as an ethical hacker by working on projects with other hackers or even companies that hire ethical hackers exclusively! 

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Summing Up

Ethical hacking is a significant part of cybersecurity. It helps to identify and eliminate vulnerabilities in the system, which hackers could use for malicious purposes. The main goal of different types of ethical hacking is to ensure that the security of a system is not compromised.

There are many hacking types, but one of the best ways to learn about them is to understand different types of ethical hacking with examples. To better understand the concepts of different kinds of hacking, explore Knowledgehut now!!