Ethical Hacking: Practicing Legally And Sharpening Your Skills

Ethical hacking is a legal way to practice hacking. It involves using technical skills to break into computer systems and access sensitive data to identify vulnerabilities within code. The difference between ethical and unethical hacking is consent and intent. Malicious hackers use their skills without permission to steal information or assets for financial gain or to cause harm.

To practice ethical hacking, it is essential to first understand the technical skills used, such as vulnerability analysis, exploitation, and packet sniffing. There are courses available that cover these topics, as well as the differences between ethical and unethical hacking.

Virtual machines are another way to practice hacking legally. These self-contained environments allow users to experiment without worrying about causing damage. Platforms like VulnHub, Hack the Box, and PortSwigger offer labs and challenges to practice hacking skills.

Bug bounty programs are another legal way to practice ethical hacking. These programs allow organizations to give permission to hackers to test their systems for vulnerabilities in exchange for monetary rewards.

Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions are also a legal way to practice hacking skills. CTFs can be in the form of challenges or competitions, where participants work to uncover vulnerabilities within a program.

By using these legal methods, individuals can practice hacking without breaking the law and avoid potential legal consequences.

Learn the techniques and differences between ethical and unethical hacking

To learn ethical hacking techniques, it is paramount to understand the differences between ethical and unethical hacking. The main difference between the two is consent and intent. Ethical hacking involves a programmer using their technical skills to intentionally break into computer systems and access sensitive data to find common vulnerabilities within code, but only with permission. Unethical or malicious hacking, on the other hand, involves using the same skills without permission to steal information or assets for financial gain or to cause harm.

Ethical hacking is a legal activity that obeys the law, whereas accessing data in a system without authorization is illegal. Ethical hacking courses, such as Codecademy's Introduction to Ethical Hacking, cover the common tools and techniques used by hackers, including vulnerability analysis, exploitation, and packet sniffing. These courses also outline the differences between ethical and unethical hacking to ensure legal compliance.

To become a certified ethical hacker, one can pursue the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credentialing provided by the EC-Council. This certification is well-respected in the industry and is ANSI 17024 compliant, adding credibility to its members. The CEH exam covers core domains of cybersecurity, AI-driven cybersecurity skills, hands-on learning labs, and cyber competitions.

There are also other certifications available, such as the GIAC Pen Tester Certification (GPEN) and the Mile2 series of Penetration Testing Hacking accreditations, which include the Certified Vulnerability Assessor Certification (CVA) and the Certified Professional Ethical Hacker (CPEN).

Practicing ethical hacking legally is crucial, and there are several sites and applications that provide a safe environment for honing these skills. These include vulnerable by design sites like VulnHub, Hack the Box, and PortSwigger, which offer labs and games to practice hacking techniques. Additionally, participating in bug bounty programs, capture the flag competitions, and exploring virtual machines can provide hands-on experience in ethical hacking without breaking the law.

Explore virtual machines

Virtual machines are ideal for practising ethical hacking. They are self-contained, so you can do whatever you want to a program without worrying about overstepping any boundaries. If you make a mistake, you can simply delete it and start over.

Virtual machines allow you to create a simulated environment with intentionally vulnerable machines to attack within your home network. These vulnerable hosts are run through virtualisation software, allowing them to run inside your current host machine as if they were their own physical computer.

There are a few steps to setting up a virtual hacking lab. Firstly, you need to ensure your CPU can handle virtualisation. Most modern CPUs will have this capability. You'll also need sufficient RAM—for a basic setup, you can get away with 6GB, but for more complex operations, you'll need at least 16GB.

Next, you'll need to choose a hypervisor (virtualisation software) such as VirtualBox, HyperV, or VMWare. You'll then need to choose an operating system for your attack box. Popular options include ParrotOS, BlackArch Linux, and Kali Linux.

Once you have your software and operating system, you can start practising on vulnerable machines. VulnHub is a great resource for this, offering a collection of sites that are vulnerable by design. OWASP Broken Web Application, Damn Vulnerable Web App, and Metasploitable are also famous vulnerable virtual machines.

With virtual machines, you can create a safe and controlled setting to practice ethical hacking without breaking the law.

Get involved with bug bounty programs

Bug bounty programs are a great way to practice ethical hacking without breaking the law. These programs allow hackers to find vulnerabilities in an organization's systems with their permission, and in return, they receive monetary compensation. This way, hackers can sharpen their skills and earn money while helping companies secure their systems.

Bug bounty programs are typically managed through dedicated platforms such as HackerOne and Bugcrowd, which facilitate interactions between hackers and sponsoring companies. These platforms provide a central location to browse and search for available programs based on various criteria, such as company, industry, or technology used. They also oversee the rules of engagement and scope, ensuring that researchers understand what is considered inbounds and out of bounds for testing.

Before participating in a bug bounty program, it is crucial to review the program's scopes and rules of engagement thoroughly. Researchers must understand exactly what is in scope and how vulnerabilities should be tested and demonstrated. Asking questions beforehand is essential if any aspects of the testing are unclear.

During the testing process, it is important to document all steps taken and bugs uncovered. These detailed reports are vital for validation and rewards. Researchers must also responsibly disclose any bugs found, following the program's guidelines for reproduction steps, proof-of-concepts, severity assessments, and more.

It is important to note that bug bounty programs welcome beginners. Most platforms design their public bug bounties to be approachable for researchers at any skill level. Therefore, you can start small and gradually work your way up, gaining experience and building a track record valued by the community and industry.

In addition to monetary rewards, some platforms offer "gamified" reputation points and rankings to top researchers. This fosters a sense of competition and prestige among participants.

By participating in bug bounty programs, you can legally practice your hacking skills, contribute to enhancing security, and even kickstart or enhance your career in the dynamic field of cybersecurity.

Join capture the flag competitions

Joining capture the flag (CTF) competitions is an excellent way to practice ethical hacking without breaking the law. CTF competitions are inspired by the traditional outdoor game of the same name and are designed to test and develop computer security skills.

In the cybersecurity context, CTF competitions are events where hackers team up to uncover "flags" or vulnerabilities within a program. There are two main variations: attack/defense-style CTFs and jeopardy-style challenges. In the former, participants steal flags from other participants, while in the latter, they steal flags from the organizers. A mixed competition combines these two styles.

CTF competitions can be used for educational purposes or competitive purposes. They can be online or in-person, advanced or entry-level, and they can include hiding flags in hardware devices. These competitions are popular in both professional and academic settings as they offer a fun and engaging way to develop and refine cybersecurity skills.

There are several well-known CTF competitions that are held annually, including:

• Insomni'hack: An ethical hacking contest final played at a conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
• 0CTF/TCTF: A jeopardy-style contest organized by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University team 0ops and Tencent eee, open to teams worldwide.
• GoogleCTF: A competition organized by Google, consisting of a qualifier round and a final round held at a Google office.
• PlaidCTF: Organized by Carnegie Mellon University's competitive hacking team, Plaid Parliament of Pwning, with cash prizes for the top three teams.
• DEF CON: One of the biggest and oldest hacker summits, held annually in Las Vegas, USA, including cybersecurity competitions such as the flagship attack-defense CTF.
• FAUST CTF: A classic online attack-defense CTF run by the CTF team of Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.

These competitions cover a wide range of cybersecurity areas, including cryptography, web exploitation, binary analysis, reverse engineering, forensics, and more. They offer an excellent opportunity to showcase your knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills in simulated cyber attack and defense scenarios.

You can find a list of upcoming CTF competitions and information about past competitions on the website CTFtime. CTF competitions are a great way to get hands-on hacking experience while also networking with other people in the cybersecurity field.

Earn hacking certifications

Earning a hacking certification is a great way to boost your career in offensive security. Certifications can help you build new offensive security skills, validate your skills to potential employers, qualify for new job opportunities, and boost your confidence on the job.

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification: This certification from the EC-Council is designed to help you think like a hacker and build skills in penetration testing and attack vectors, detection, and prevention. It is recognised worldwide and is the most in-demand cybersecurity certification globally. The exam consists of a 4-hour knowledge-based examination with 125 multiple-choice questions, and a 6-hour practical exam with 20 real-world challenges. The cost of the certification ranges from $950 to $1,199 depending on the testing location.
• GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN): The GPEN certification demonstrates your ability to perform penetration tests with the latest techniques and methodologies. There are no prerequisites for taking the GPEN exam. The topics covered include test planning, scanning and exploitation, password attacks, and web application pen testing. The average salary for a penetration tester is $98,064.
• Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP): The OSCP is a highly sought-after certification for pen testers, ethical hackers, and other offensive-minded security professionals. The exam tests your ability to breach a series of target machines and produce detailed reports for each attack. To take the OSCP exam, you must first enrol in the Penetration Testing with Kali Linux (PWK/PEN-200) course. The cost of the course and certification bundle is $1,649. The average salary for OSCP certification holders is $101,000.
• Certified Professional Penetration Tester (eCPPT): This certification is offered by INE Security, one of the top certifying companies. The eCPPT is awarded after successfully providing proof of weaknesses in a corporate network and submitting a thorough penetration testing report. The exam targets web applications and Windows and Linux systems. The cost of the eCPPT certification is $400.
• GIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester (GXPN): This certification is offered by GIAC Certifications, the certification body founded by the SANS Institute. The GXPN focuses on writing and customising attack tools to leverage vulnerabilities in Windows and Linux systems. The exam covers diverse and complex material, requiring excellent organisation and time management skills. The cost of the GXPN certification is $1,299.

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