Are Hackers for Hire Genuine Service or Ethical?
When you hear the word hacking, what kind of thoughts does your brain conjure up? Aren't they all negative? Hacking, in general, is considered to be an unethical task that is done in complete secrecy and darkness.
While this is true for some sections for the “hacking world” and the dark web, it doesn’t cover the whole picture. Ethical hacking is not only legal but also extremely useful. Hackers for hire are available all over the internet and can help you protect your assets, personal data, and company information.
Their services are of immense importance both in the corporate world as well as for personal protection. From hacking into phones to hacking to find and cover all the loopholes, they have a wide range.
If you're wondering what all ethical hackers can do, you're at the right place. Here, we have covered everything in the world of ethical hacking. Read on if you wish to become well-equipped at utilizing the various ethical hacking services to protect yourself.
History Of Hacking
Curiosity inspires research, which in turn facilitates inventions and discoveries. Such was also the invention of the first computer virus.It was the result of curiosity at the hands of a Cornell University graduate.
Ever since its discovery, it has widely been used by various companies, governments, and institutions, both for ethical and unethical purposes. Some of the biggest hacking attacks include the spear-phishing attack on Epsilon and the hacking attack on PlayStation Network.
Many such massive hacking attacks have gained popularity and witnessed public condemnation. Now, hacking is so popular that even common folks can find hackers online and pay them to get their job done.
Who Are Hackers?
To understand ethical hacking, you must first understand what hacking actually is and what kind of hackers are out there. Hacking is to find loopholes in the security of a computer system and using it to obtain information pertaining to personal or business data.
Hackers are paid handsomely when they work for some big company. The riskier and trickier the work, the higher the pay and skills needed. There are mainly three types of hackers for hire.
- White Hat Hackers
These are ethical hackers, and they work within legal boundaries. They work to strengthen security systems for their employers. They use only ethical techniques, tools, and methods.They truthfully unveil all the vulnerabilities of a security system and help strengthen it against unethical hackers and methods. Many large multinational companies employ white hat hackers, and rightfully so.
- Black Hat Hackers
A hacker who tries to gain access to a system for malicious purposes is considered a Black Hat Hacker. It could be for various reasons, such as personal or financial gain at the expense of someone else's safety. They try using malware to gain access to systems.They are commonly responsible for data breaches of big companies and are hired by rival companies. Usually, people think that Hackers are synonymous with Black hat hackers. This is obviously not true as these hackers are motivated by monetary gains and power.
- Grey Hat Hackers
They can be viewed as a mixture of black hat and white hat hackers. They enter into systems and networks like black hat hackers do but without any malicious intentions. They work for intelligence or law enforcement agencies.Their work is considered illegal because the owner is not aware of the hacker's actions. However, they are required by higher-level security and cannot be eliminated.
Ethical Hacking
As mentioned before, hacking is not as aversive as people have made it out to be. It depends on the hacker and the employer's intentions and the use of tools and methods. In this section, we will cover all there is to know about ethical hacking.
What Is It?
You already know what White and Grey hat hacker does. They are the backbone of ethical hacking. They use similar methods and tools as Black hat hackers and are required to stay within limits defined by the organization.
Ethical hacking, by definition, means the intentional penetration of the security of a system to find out the underlying vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are then worked upon by the owners to strengthen the system’s security and safeguard it against malicious hackers.
Organizations usually prefer employing outsiders for this job because they have no prior knowledge. They would have to start from scratch, and this leads to better overall results since the process is completely natural.
You may look for ethical hacking groups or hire lone hackers, depending on the nature of the work. Ethical hackers are often required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. They are meant to handle sensitive information that could bring potential harm to the organization.
The Good And The Bad
The previous sections have already highlighted various advantages of ethical hacking for organizations. Ethical hacking also rewards the hacker with a sense of accomplishment. When intelligence agencies hire hackers, it helps a great deal in reducing terrorism and national security breaches.
The cons of ethical hacking include the risk of information disclosure. The hired hacker may compromise your sensitive data or may even breach your system’s security for malicious purposes. It is always advised that you hire hackers from trusted and well-known sources.
Other Tasks Performed By Ethical Hackers
You can hire a hacker for various purposes, and some of them are as follows.
Ethical Hackers can also perform the tasks of a tutor. They often demonstrate the techniques used by various black hat hackers and cybercriminals to breach security. This helps the executives of the organization to better prepare and arm their systems against it.
There are many cases of cyberattacks that surface every day, and you must have heard that they have the power to destroy a company. Ethical Hackers are well aware of the changing trends and patterns of cybercriminals.
They are well acquainted with the process of a cyberattack. When they work with security professionals, they can help prepare your organization for cyberattacks and prevent them in the best way possible.
How To Hire Ethical Hackers?
While there are various sources available to hire a hacker, choosing one can be tricky. Your information is sensitive and needs to be handled with caution. Various parameters like trustworthiness, credibility, qualification, and others have to be evaluated. Here is how you can hire ethical hackers.
- Evaluate Your Needs
Whether you’re an individual or a business, ethical hacking is used for different purposes by everyone. If you evaluate your needs and then proceed, you’ll be equipped to select the most fitting hacker for your needs.Even your budget should be ascertained based on your needs. Some services warrant hefty pay, and others don't. This factor totally depends on your needs. The tenure of employment of a hacker should also be based on the need and duration of hacking services.
- Make Use Of The Resources
To actually hire a hacker is not a difficult task. You’ll find plenty of highly skilled hackers on web portals. These are a mix of freelancers as well as organized societies. Find the one who suits your needs and provides the best security. Hackwizards is a recommended source. - Evaluate The Hacker
This is probably the part where most of you may go wrong. We advise you to conduct a thorough background check and look for a Certified Ethical Hacking Certificate (CEH). You must also interview them professionally before putting them to the task. Especially if your task demands confidentiality and security.
Words Of Advice
When you hire a hacker and go through with the process of ethical hacking, some professional issues may arise. You might want to impose certain restrictions on the hacker because you are concerned for your organization's safety.
However, these limitations might give the little hackerspace to work. This would affect the results as the task will not be performed effectively. The hacker might not be able to identify all the loopholes in your security system.
Some ethical hackers may also need full and unrestricted access to complete the given task. All of this should be negotiated and discussed beforehand.
Final Thoughts
It's safe to say that hacking is a much-needed service and helps eliminate various pain points. By conducting thorough research and evaluating the service provider, you can make your data safer. You can prevent any loopholes in your systems and fortify your world against any breaches if you hire a hacker.
It's like the ethical hackers are the good folks protecting you from the bad elements in their universe. On-demand and request, though! We hope you're now well-versed with ethical hacking.