Ethical Hacking Essay

Hacking the System Over the years, technology has become a necessity in everyday life. Devices, such as computers, cell phones, printers, and so on, were invented to make it easier for humans to gather information, to communicate, and to keep one entertained. As technology advanced, people became fascinated with the new technology and wanted to learn more about it. Those who were experts in programing and altering software were classified as hackers. The term hacker was first used as a positive label in the 1960’s. During that time, the term was used to describe someone who is highly skilled, creative, and efficient in creating programs (Bachmann 643). In the current time, hackers are seen in a more negative light. Some hackers use their skills

With the different kinds of hackers are there are a variety of hacking attacks, such as ethical hacking, syntactic hacking, and semantic hacking. (Carpenter)Figure 1 : 'It appears to be a hacker's virus.'

One kind of way a hacker can attack one’s network is through ethical hacking. Ethical hacking is used to ensure that the network of a company is secure. “White hat hackers” are often hired by organizations and companies to enact ethical hacking. According to the article, “Hacker Lexicon: What are White Hat, Grey Hat, and Black Hat Hackers”, White hat hackers are described as the “good guys” because they use their skills to help others ensure that their software does not have any vulnerability (Zetter). According to the scholarly article, “Hackers for Hire? You Bet'cha”, the “white hat hacker” enacts the methods that the “black hat hacker” would use attack the firms network (ABA Banking Journal). There are a variety of cases where hackers are hired for their skills in ethical

Syntactic hacking attack is when a hacker has a malicious intent to hack into one’s system by using viruses and worms (Bhardwaj and Singh). Viruses are programs that replicate themselves and attach to other programs (Gangradeen). However, worms are running programs that duplicate over networks using procedure (Gangradeen). Many people and firms are at risk of being hacked. There have been instances where people have used their hacking skills to commit crimes such stealing classified information (Thomas). Hackers who use their skills in malicious ways are called “Black Hat Hackers.” “Black Hat Hackers” use their abilities to create holes in one’s software with the intent to steal personal data, such as passwords, banking information, and other information (Zetter). One famous example of syntactic attacks is the Stuxnet virus. When describing the virus in the article, “The 8 Most Famous Computer Viruses of All Time”, it states, “Stuxnet spread by a USB thumb drive and targeted software controlling a facility in Iran that held uranium. The virus was so effective it caused their centrifuges to self-destruct, setting Iran’s nuclear development back and costing a lot of money (Team).” This virus is a form of syntactic attack because it was created to destroy someone’s computer software in order to delete one’s files. Another famous example of syntactic attacks is MyDoom. The MyDoom virus is considered to be the fastest