The Basics Of Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing

Do you want your business to have a secure system? Protect it from dubious characters who want to steal sensitive documents by hiring a reputable information security specialist. They can provide ethical hacking, penetration testing, and Payment Card Industry (PCI) training and consulting. Here is more information about what this is and what it can do for your company.

What is an information security specialist?

Another term for an information security specialist is a computer security specialist. This expert is responsible for protecting the computer system from threats. These threats can be internal or external in nature. Other than, private businesses, the specialist provides services for government agencies and educational institutions.

The need for these skilled professionals continues to grow. This is because threats to computer systems and networks develop rapidly along with technological developments. Due to this, the specialist must continue to upgrade his or her level of knowledge. He or she must also increase arsenal of useful tools, applications, and systems.

A basic security measure involves the control of passwords. A computer security specialist may require the members of the company to change their password frequently. This reduces the chances of unauthorized access to confidential programs, networks, or databases.

Who would I protect my business from?

Usually, the most dangerous risk to any computer network comes from outside sources. The specialist puts up firewalls for hackers. He or she regularly installs programs that have automatic alerts when there is any attempt to infiltrate the system. You can even find high-tech programs that can point out where the hacker is by identifying the internet protocol address of the intruder web application penetration testing. 

Two popular services offered by computer specialists are ethical hacking and penetration testing.

Ethical hacking and Penetration testing 101

Skilled computer experts usually perform ethical hacking. They use their programming skills to know the weaknesses in computer systems. While you can find non-ethical hackers abusing the vulnerabilities for personal gain, the ethical hacker evaluates and points them out, then suggests changes to strengthen the system. Computer experts keep systems and information safe with their ethical hacking services.

Most IT specialists consider ethical hacking as plain hacking because it still makes use of knowledge of computer systems in an attempt to crash or penetrate them. Most business owners consider it ethical because of its purpose, which is to increase the security in systems.

Penetration testing, on the other hand, is a kind of security evaluation done on a computer system. This involves a person trying to hack into the system. The goal of this service is to find out if someone with malicious intent can enter the system. Penetration testing can reveal what programs or applications hackers can access once they penetrate the system. There are many firms and online businesses offering penetration testing. This is highly-recommended, as damage to a computer system caused by a hostile attack can be costly to repair.

Most companies are required to have penetration testing. Compliance with the standard can seem difficult at first, but you can find many companies that have enough experience to help businesses meet the requirements at all levels.