An ethical hacker is typically certified the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) as a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and performs legal, comprehensive scans of a company’s information infrastructure. Penetration testing, incident response, computer forensics, and security analysis are just a few of the ethical hacking jobs available to those with the title. Ethical hackers typically start as penetration testers and work their way up to positions such as information security analyst or engineer. While penetration testers and incident response professionals have specific responsibilities, those in more advanced positions in ethical hacking have a broader range of responsibilities.
One of the most common entry-level jobs in ethical hacking is penetration testing, which entails running various scans on network devices, databases, software, computers, and servers. The process begins with obtaining permission to test a company’s systems, with the goal of identifying any vulnerabilities that could be exploited a hacker. Penetration testing involves mapping a company’s network and attempting to gain access to network devices such as switches, routers, and firewalls, as well as individual workstations and servers. He may also attempt to break into web applications or databases. In a comprehensive report, the tester summarizes all findings and suggests solutions to the discovered flaws.
Another option for an ethical hacker is to work in incident response, which involves responding to security breaches. Those working in this field try to come up with an incident response plan that outlines how to prepare for, identify, contain, eliminate, and recover from attacks and other security breaches. Professionals in incident response must keep up with the latest threats, assess how much of an impact these threats would have on an organization, and devise a strategy to mitigate as much damage as possible if a breach occurs. They use the data gathered from previous incidents to help prevent future incidents and devise new approaches to dealing with similar incidents. To gather information from attacks that resulted in a crime, incident response professionals may conduct a forensic analysis.
Information security analyst and engineer are two other roles in ethical hacking that have a wide range of responsibilities. These experts are in charge of safeguarding a company’s data, configuring security devices, creating security plans, conducting risk audits, identifying security threats, monitoring the network, and analyzing application code. An information security analyst is a senior member of the team who has extensive experience in penetration testing, incident response, and general security.