Hacking

Hacking

Introduction
Performing ethical hacking is arguably an unusual approach to system
security. However, performing an ethical hacking exercise, or in other
words, carrying out a security assessment on one’s own systems, has
some great benefits:
Hacker’s View of Security
Instead of merely saying that something is a problem, one actually
looks through the eyes of a potential intruder, and shows why it is a
problem. Such exercises can illustrate that even seemingly harmless
network services can become valuable tools in the search for weak
points of a system, even when these services are operating exactly as
they are intended to. By using techniques real intruders may use, one is
able to get a real-life view on possible access to one’s systems, and the
impact such access may have. Moreover, it can be carried out in a
’friendly’ environment, and using a structured, reproducible approach.
Enhancing IT Staff Security Awareness
System administrators are often unaware of the dangers presented by
anything beyond the most trivial attacks. While it is widely known that
the proper level of protection depends on what has to be protected,
many sites appear to lack the resources to assess what level of host and
network security is adequate. By showing what intruders can do to
gain access to a remote site, one can assist system administrators in
making informed decisions on how to secure their site - or not.
Better Response to Intrusions
Intrusion techniques often leave traces in system auditing logs:
examining them after trying some of these attacks out, is useful to see
what a real attack might look like. It is also useful to examine the results
of two of the most effective methods of breaking into hosts: social
engineering and password cracking.