<p><strong>Artificial Intelligence- a boon to cybersecurity</strong></p><p>With an increase in digitalization around the globe, the need to quickly ascertain the security of personal data has grown vividly. Many presumptuous tactics have been put into place, and not all of them have provided the same fruit as Artificial intelligence (AI) in its entirety did. AI is a boon to cybersecurity, and there are plenty of reasons to support that claim. Cybersecurity, though, is an extensive system that needs to be appropriately encoded, regulated, and inspected with significant oversight but can easily be breached and accessed by cybercriminals getting assistance from various tools and technologies.</p><p><em>?Cybercrime is the greatest threat to every company in the world.?</em></p><p>                                                                                                                    -Ginni Rometty</p><p><a href="https://eng.umd.edu/news/story/study-hackers-attack-every-39-seconds">A Clark School study</a> suggests computers with internet access suffer an attack, on an average, every 39 seconds by hackers. And according to a new report from <a href="https://www.juniperresearch.com/press/press-releases/business-losses-cybercrime-data-breaches">Juniper Research</a>, the cost of data breaches will rise to $5 trillion by 2024. Data breaches pose numerous threats to small and medium businesses. The US National Cyber Security Alliance estimates around 60% of small companies go out of business within a half-year of a cybersecurity attack.</p><p>Artificial Intelligence (AI) can solve these problems. It can make the data more secure, and prove to be a security check for cybersecurity systems; a strict bridge that can?t be accessed no matter how intense the attack or manipulation is. Detection of system errors, automated detection, secure authentication, and instant response time are among some of the traits of AI that make it a guardian angel for cybersecurity nevertheless.</p><p><br><br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/cef886c57f85eb541e8aab6b6096c682.png" class="kg-image" alt loading="lazy"></figure><p><strong>The difference between Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning</strong></p><p>Machine Learning (ML) is a branch of AI focusing on computer algorithms that allow computer programs to improve through experience and become artificially intelligent automatically. Machine Learning relies on small-to-large data sets, and by examining and comparing the data, it finds common patterns and explores differences. It always needs to work under human supervision, and generally works on threats discovered by humans. Whereas, the newly developed AI tools learn and reason as they confront new tasks and situations. Here engineers create systems that build up graphic patterns for classes of real-world phenomena, and natural communication happens among humans and machines. Systems are authorized through the AI to process interactions with a more direct and contextual understanding. This understanding is essential from the <em>cybersecurity </em>perspective, as cyber attackers have begun using more advanced AI.</p><p>Take music, for example. ML system can recommend music categories to the user only after studying the regular music heard by the user and when fed with its genre, mood, tempo, etc. On the other hand, specific tools like Context-Aware AI are capable of studying patterns of songs heard and composing new user-centric unique melodies just like a human musician.</p><p><strong>How is Artificial Intelligence trained?</strong></p><p>Hackers, when attempting to access internal systems, leave behind a kind of digital footprints called Intrusion Signatures. These signatures and intrusion patterns help to create databases. AI is trained on these databases to recognize further intrusions as they are occurring.</p><p>Hackers in most of the cases, for example, attack in by getting into embedded systems like printers, and other types of devices connected to the network. The companies often categorize theses devices as ?mundane? devices and do not change the administrator passwords. Default login credentials are used by hackers to breach such devices and access the network. The AI cybersecurity can scan the entire network for such weaknesses and can prevent such attacks from happening.</p><p><strong>AI in Password Protection and Authentication</strong></p><p>Artificial intelligence has proven its worth in a variety of IT-based landscapes; some of them include password protection and authentication. Passwords are widely used around the globe and on a variety of internet-based devices, which makes the exploitation of the passwords available for hackers and cybercriminals. These professionals can use a variety of extraction and manipulation systems to break passwords, and reveal what these passkeys are to take control of your accounts, secured online items, personal and or financial data.<br><br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/6e546bf8c03c11a693714ea8bee392ed.png" class="kg-image" alt loading="lazy"></figure><p>eBay reported one of the most equipped cyber hacks due to not confiding in with elevated cyber practices and the use of better authentication systems. The auction giant claims that their entire user list of 145 million users got breached by using corporate employee accounts. Hackers released names, addresses, phone numbers, and whatnot. This attack in 2014 is a clear depiction of not battling the chaotic digital criminals with effective AI driven cyber practices in place.</p><p>AI can equip a better role with password protection by enhancing the overall level of security in terms of additional firewalls and carefully analyzing password patterns through machine learning as used in two-step authentication systems. Artificial intelligence can even make the process of imminent authentication extremely safe by formulating a wise array of procedures aimed at validating the security protocol of a particular individual via physical identification. Smartphones are the first example of such integration. Here fingerprints or face detections are used to analyze the on-site stored data prints and use it for the process of authentication.</p><p><strong>AI in Phishing Detection and Prevention Control</strong></p><p>Cybercriminals might consider Phishing attacks as one of the most tempting and standard methods to program and deploy their payload. Phishing can originate from various sources such as emails, messages, links, or in extreme practices even via physical interpretation, where active people trained in social engineering are used to get the job done. Irrespective of human intervention used to this effect; phishing can always outgrow these practices and grow even smarter to beat the system put in place to tackle it. That is why we need to have artificial intelligence fused with machine learning.</p><p>Given the fact that using phishing techniques can be extremely cunning, Microsoft in 2019 came around the most cunning phishing attacks ever recorded in history. Microsoft Office 365 users were targeted by a group of cybercriminals to lure them in providing their personal and financial information to the hackers. These cyber masterminds used Google Chrome 404 error pages and Microsoft original Logos to attract the traffic on their crafted pages. Hackers controlled these login pages, and thus users were manipulated in providing their sensitive information.<br><br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/9c63167cd616aaeca51fad132829a8fb.png" class="kg-image" alt loading="lazy"></figure><p>Artificial intelligence aided with machine learning can scan and separate phishing campaigns from other segments of data. These classified phishing attacks can then be taken care of appropriately by the system administrators or antivirus/antimalware systems put in place.</p><p><strong>Network Security &amp; Artificial Intelligence</strong></p><p>A network is an important place where the complete activity of an organization takes place. Here people share, interpret, and interact with data in bundles. The security of such integration should never be compromised and be kept in sound hands through and through. Artificial intelligence can be equipped to get the job done effectively and immediately, but two main details of the network security should be determined here. These include the development of a security policy and determining the topography of the organization?s network.</p><p>Both of these systems are extremely difficult to analyze and put straight. That is where the idea of infusing artificial intelligence comes into play. AI can better accelerate these processes. It would be able to do so just by analyzing the incoming network traffic and closely observing the interaction patterns subjected to such integration. Also, in its wake of doing so, various internet security-related processes would be explained in vivid detail while also targeting the current internet policies and modifying them according to the results at hand.</p><p><strong>Success Rate of AI in cybersecurity</strong></p><p>In the field of business and money, only those things have a place to stay, which can ensure prosperity, consistency, and return on investment. Taking into account AI, the stats of success seems to be quite promising. AI seems to be doing a great job in automating various processes such as threat detection, developing internet security policies, and regulating system authentication in grave details. All of these are the strong points of using AI in cybersecurity, which make it a successful endeavor to consider for every IT firm and organization moving along into the future.</p><p>But as it happens, there are always two sides of the coin, with only one flip side introduced here, what about the other?</p><p>The other side of this picture is a bit cautious and daunting in terms of regulating cyberattacks and taking away the essence of cybersecurity, whatsoever. Cybercriminals and hackers can use AI to integrate an attack that can counterfeit the onboard security of the systems.  It can provide immediate access to the cybercriminals who designed the attack in the first place.</p><p>Not only this, but there are various other examples to this approach where AI is being used against cybersecurity in multiple forms such as the intrusion of systems, manipulation of security prefixes, phishing attacks, and other similar initiatives. According to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336826190_BENEFIT_FROM_AI_IN_CYBERSECURITY">a research journal</a>, Amazon Web Services (AWS), for example, helped the Siemens Cyber Defense Center(CDC) by building an AI-enabled, fully automated high-speed and highly scalable platform to evaluate 60,000 potentially critical threats per second. They were able to manage this with a small team of fewer than 12 people and without any impact on system performance only with the help of AI.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/f8134c84acfc81447fc9dd3c6130c0da.png" class="kg-image" alt loading="lazy"><figcaption>cyber crime&nbsp;</figcaption></figure><p>It is essential to have machine learning behind your back covering for you at all times because whatever measures cybercriminals have taken to counterfeit the cybersecurity of organizations, machine learning can analyze them and detect such intrusions without any problem. This way AI for cybersecurity can be strengthened even more and turned into a successful endeavor. According to the research by <a href="https://www.normshield.com/cyber-security-with-artificial-intelligence-in-10-question/">NormShield</a>, the success rate of AI in cybersecurity is about 85-99%, in which higher rates can be achieved by consistent practice and working closely with the latest upgrades and policies for AI and machine learning in cybersecurity systems.</p>

Shahzaib Ali Khan

Premium reporting on technology, startups, VC funding, and software from Techfastly tagged with AI. Read about themes, trends and strategies for AI.

Artificial Intelligence

AI-Driven Cybersecurity - Attack Detection & Prevention

<p><span style="font-size: 0.9rem; background-color: rgb(249 249 252/var(--tw-bg-opacity));">Cybersecurity has emerged as a dedicated discipline in the digital world; many professionals are working their way to acquire particular certifications to enhance their chances of success and transform their careers. Networking specialists, pentesting experts, ethical hackers, and forensic experts are some of the professionals that are connected with various different aspects of cybersecurity. These professionals help organizations tackle any vulnerabilities or loopholes within their network and security systems.</span><br></p><p>Not only this but certain incident response systems are also inaugurated in contrast with the threats faced by the organization at bay. But in order to do that, to prove their professional validity, they have to engage in retrieving certain cybersecurity certifications. There are four key categories of cybersecurity certifications which we are going to discuss in depth here:</p><p><ol><li>Penetration Testing</li><li>Exploit Development</li><li>Digital Forensics</li><li>Threat Intelligence</li></ol></p><h2><strong>1. Penetration Testing</strong></h2><p><ul><li><strong>Licensed Penetration testing (LPT)</strong></li></ul></p><p><b>Summary<br></b><span style="font-size: 0.9rem; background-color: rgb(249 249 252/var(--tw-bg-opacity));">Penetration testing experts are engaged in ruling out the possibility of any vulnerability or loopholes existing within the security infrastructure of an organization. They do that by taking the security of the organization in their hands and trying to exploit it with consistent attacks; it is done to ensure that the security interface of the organization can indeed hold on to any type of hacking attempt.</span></p><p>LPT (Master) is an advanced level of certification that is offered by EC-Council, no ordinary professional with limited knowledge of the networking, UI/UX of the application or tools the dedicated security system is using. Host penetration testing tools and web applications. The exam for LPT is about 18 hours long, but before you can take on the exam, you would have to first engage in vigorous training in three levels.</p><p>All these levels are designed to bring about the best in you; all the knowledge and information that you have learned and have been practicing over time will be used to infiltrate a multi-layered network architecture. Scanning of the systems that are to be infiltrated and the use of advanced pentesting tools must be done by you in order to show that you are ready to step out in the cybersecurity space as a professional pentester.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/ed3047998b16035d83972d3b248329f8.png" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy"></figure><div><br><h2><strong>2. Exploit Development</strong></h2><p><ul><li><strong>Certified eXploit Developer (eCXD)</strong></li></ul></p><p><b>Summary<br></b><span style="font-size: 0.9rem; background-color: rgb(249 249 252/var(--tw-bg-opacity));">eCXD refers to the eLearn security certified eXploit Developer and is considered the most advanced level certification present on the market. It is designed specifically for Windows and Linux exploit development and identifying the potential node of vulnerability that exists during the testing of various software systems. Software security can use such professionals who can validate their skills in exploiting various software and related mediums.</span></p><p>The exam is designed in such a way that you would be tested by given a software system and asked to exploit it the best you can. You can use Linux and Windows exploitation tools to infiltrate these software systems. You would have to try different methodologies and learn for yourself which one worked the best for you. Only individuals who can think outside the box will be rewarded by this examination.</p><p>The professional will be tested with various terms and exultation techniques such as Software debugging, Shellcoding, Windows and Linux exploit development and bypassing the modern anti-exploit mechanisms.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/9ba50698e5992adf75b12875e243407b.png" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy"></figure></div><div><br><h2><strong>3. Digital Forensics</strong></h2><p><ul><li><strong>GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA)</strong></li></ul></p><p><b>Summary<br></b><span style="font-size: 0.9rem; background-color: rgb(249 249 252/var(--tw-bg-opacity));">GCFA professionals are the professional digital forensics analysts that are accredited by the GIAC. The authority verifies that the professionals indeed have substantial knowledge and skills to better apprehend a cybersecurity incident investigation. Using specific tools to measure the scope of the cybersecurity attack conducted by hackers or cybercriminals and determine what sort of tools were used for the initiation of a cyber breach. These professionals should also have a competitive knowledge of what anti-forensic techniques were used.</span></p><p>The exam is either conducted online or in a physical center and the overall time required to finish the exam is only 3 hours. But there is a catch here the test takers can choose for themselves such as would they prefer online examination or physical testing.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/a8092eced6f6229be59155d2083831fd.png" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy"></figure></div><div><br><h2><strong>4. Threat Intelligence</strong></h2><p><ul><li><strong>Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst (C|TIA)</strong></li></ul></p><p><b>Summary<br></b><span style="font-size: 0.9rem; background-color: rgb(249 249 252/var(--tw-bg-opacity));">CTIA certification basically deals with organizations that are on high alert for certain cyber security risks that they deem unknown; the job of the CITA expert is to convert these unknown factors into the known variables around which a specific action plan can be established. This certification is a must-have for organizations who face consistent cyber-related threats on a day-to-day basis. The basic focus of this certification is to prepare individuals for the development of a real-life threat intelligence program that is systematic, reputable and professional.</span></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/fa98023cd63c399b043b4e37857f5c05.png" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy"></figure></div><div><br><h2><strong>Final Words</strong></h2><p>All cyber security certifications are important and gather a relative significance in improving the understanding and knowledge of cyber professionals. But it is not required to entertain every single one of these certifications; you should only opt for what you feel like doing and what your career requires of you. Only this way would you be able to choose a dedicated path for you and a line of work that would serve you best in the long run.</p></div>

Premium reporting on technology, startups, VC funding, and software from Techfastly tagged with Cybersecurity. Trends and strategies for Cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity

Review of Cybersecurity Certifications

<p></p><h2 id="why-is-it-more-important-than-ever">Why is it more important than ever?</h2><p>Cybersecurity is the practice of securing data assets and other practical pieces of information from various attacks conducted by cybercriminals. The applications of the cybersecurity extend to computer systems, networking as well as cloud computing systems. The ultimate goal here is to protect the electronic data from being stolen, manipulated, or provided unauthorized access to stop its disruption at all costs. Cybersecurity is an evolving discipline, and it is more important than ever now. Why? Because the intensity at which cyberattacks unfold has doubled in magnitude.</p><p><strong>Saturation of cyber-attacks and their consistency</strong></p><p>Various researches conducted around the world settled on the issue that there is a cyber-attack every 39 seconds. Every 39 seconds, a hacker or a group of cybercriminals engage in this malicious activity of stealing corporate information and manipulating their systems for their personal or political gains.</p><p><strong>The business has gone fully mobile.</strong></p><p>The only way to properly battle cybercrime is to protect internet devices such as mobiles, laptops, or even cloud systems from being manipulated by these potential hackers. In today's world, the private cloud has provided the digital industry with the best possible arsenal to customize its business operations. It has left a big enough void in the security of such systems, where everything is mobile and connected to the internet, requiring more caution.</p><p><strong>The internet of things</strong></p><p>IoT is the most trending technology there is. Smart devices can sync with the internet in real-time and interact with each other at the same time. It makes these devices more and more vulnerable to cybercrimes, and it is their precious data at stake.</p><h3 id="increasing-impact-of-cybercrime">Increasing impact of cybercrime</h3><p>Businesses worldwide face almost 4000 different hacks every day, and most of these are ransomware attacks demanding money or ransom in exchange for the data being held. It is a complete cycle that is cybersecurity. Professionals try to develop such systems and technologies that can strengthen their defense against consistent cyberattacks while cybercriminals simultaneously up their game and bring an even stronger and vicious strategy to hurt the organizations and defeating them at their own game. It is the cause and effect of cybersecurity and cybercrime embedded into the same fabric.</p><p>With certain advancements within the cybersecurity domain such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, new and improved systems are being designed to combat cybercriminals upfront. But at the same time, hackers and cybercriminals are also using these technologies to beat cyber-defenses using AI and ML against them. The impact of cybercrime is vicious and unnerving. Not only are jobs at stake, but economic growth and business industry are at risk. IoT is the common element. The world needs to understand that if they do not try to tackle the problem at its core and cybercrimes continue to occur without a check and balance, we will soon be returning to the dark ages.</p><p>With phishing, social engineering, and ransomware attacks dominating about 62% of the business community worldwide and the costs to counterfeit the circumstances reaching $3.9 million for small businesses, cyber-crimes are a real issue that needs to be taken seriously.</p><h3 id="protect-your-organization-against-cybercrime">Protect your organization against cybercrime</h3><p>According to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the cost of cybercrime was estimated at around $600 billion worldwide. And cybercrime has been on the rise ever since. According to a few CSIS professionals, "Cybercrime has become the new trend of the illegal business conducted across the worldwide web by hackers, and it is still on the rise. Why? Because it is just too rewarding, and the chances of being caught or punished are perceived too low."</p><p>This means that organizations and businesses conducting their operations over the online forums are at a greater risk than ever. Swift action should be taken before it is too late. The following are a few precautions that you can take to protect your organization from cybercrime.</p><p><strong>Expect attacks and prepare</strong></p><p>You can't assume that it won't happen to you because it is happening for other people and businesses. Cybercrimes and breaches are real, these hurt businesses, jobs are lost, and significant losses are incurred. In the wake of this, you need to expect cyber-attacks for yourself and prepare against them.</p><p><strong>Train and educate your staff about cybercrime</strong></p><p>The most driving force behind cybercrimes are the organizations; if your staff can't differentiate between phishing emails or normal ones, you are at risk. To eradicate this fear, you must train and educate your staff. Make them go through intensive training and workshops so your internal defenses can't be weakened with social engineering traps and phishing emails.</p><p><strong>Regularly update your infrastructure.</strong></p><p>Many organizations take severe hits by cyber-attacks as they don't make updating their security systems and configurations a priority. This is why they are always at stake. Not updating your Antimalware and Antivirus systems means that you are willingly leaving your defenses unguarded and welcoming hackers. Set your priorities straight and make updating your infrastructure a priority.</p><h3 id="future-of-cybersecurity">Future of cybersecurity</h3><p>It can be said without a doubt that the future of cybersecurity is bright. Over the past few years, cybersecurity has been evolving at a consistent pace. With advancements in technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning have become the new favorite trend among the digital markets.</p><p>Artificial intelligence provides a more direct approach to solving computing-based problems, providing agility, and the processing power businesses of the future require. It is not that far when it would become the core component of all cybersecurity systems and machine learning, as its subset will start to dominate areas where data processing and extracting insight from raw data are the most enticing factors.</p><p>Other than that, organizations making better use of cybersecurity-related resources would have to unite to face the ever-growing cyber-warfare threats. There would be a sudden shift of attention towards preventing data systems from digital intrusions. Finally, there would be more and more hackers required to develop systems and practices to keep the cybercriminals at bay.</p>

Why is Cybersecurity so Important?

Everything You May Have Wanted to Know About Ethical/Whitehat Hackers

<h3 id="what-is-an-ethical-hacker">What is an ethical hacker?</h3><p>As the term suggests, an ethical hacker is an information security expert, also known as a white-hat hacker who shares explicit knowledge about penetration testing, hacking computer systems, and cracking the security of the digital modes. These professionals perform vicious penetration testing and exploitation techniques on any computer-based resources. It is done to discover potential vulnerabilities in these IT resources that can be exploited by hackers or likely cybercriminals. An <a href="https://www.eccouncil.org/ethical-hacking/">ethical hackers'</a> primary job is to pinpoint such instances so these can be taken care of before a major cybersecurity event occurs.</p><h2 id="types-of-white-hat-hackers">Types of white hat hackers</h2><p>There are following types of white hat hackers;</p><ol><li>Bug bounty program</li></ol><p>Many third-party organizations are working with <a href="https://hackerone.com/bug-bounty-programs">HackerOne</a> to award the white hat hackers for each vulnerability they discover. Many organizations leave their bounty open or access them when a white hat hacker gets in touch. Bug bounty hackers only make their living by testing various security programs and detecting flaws in its code or overall working.</p><ol><li>Penetration testers</li></ol><p>This is a somewhat more common type of ethical hackers. These professionals work by stress-testing the security interface of an organization by launching a <a href="https://www.eccouncil.org/what-is-penetration-testing/">controlled cyber-attack</a>. After the attack has been launched, they will then test the response of the company's cybersecurity practices, such as what processes kick in and stimulate a shielding response under the attack that has been commenced.</p><ol><li>Back-Hacks</li></ol><p>These professionals come handy after a cybersecurity breach has happened. They work by retracting the attack path and then determining what specific path hackers took to commence the attack. Thus, tracing the attack back to its source while proving a big help to the cybersecurity professionals and incident response personnel on board.</p><ol><li>Red team and blue team exercise</li></ol><p>This is similar to a military exercise where one team, such as red, would try to infiltrate <a href="https://www.csa.gov.sg/news/press-releases/crest">a security infrastructure</a> defense while the blue team is acting as the defense to nullify the attackers' illicit tries. This exercise works graciously well in building the professional expertise required by a cybersecurity professional or ethical hacker when a true cyber anomaly persists.</p><h2 id="how-does-one-become-an-ethical-hacker">How does one become an ethical hacker?</h2><p>The journey to becoming an ethical hacker is determined by your current position in the IT field. If you are nowhere near an IT career or have any such skill, then it is recommended that you first start with enrolling yourself in studying IT and acquiring related skills. After this, when you think that you have the entry-level skills needed to become <a href="https://www.imda.gov.sg/imtalent/training-and-courses/kaplanhea-ceh">an ethical hacker</a>, you must enroll yourself in a dedicated certification to become a white hat hacker. The following are the details that you must keep an eye on to become an ethical hacker.</p><h3 id="educational-requirements">Educational requirements</h3><p>Employers look for various competitive certifications such as <a href="https://www.eccouncil.org/programs/certified-ethical-hacker-ceh/">Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)</a>, <a href="https://www.giac.org/certification/penetration-tester-gpen">Global Information Assurance Certification Penetration Tester (GIAC)</a>, and <a href="https://www.offensive-security.com/pwk-oscp/">Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP).</a> Other than that, a viable experience in the field is also appreciated. All these certifications cover different areas of expertise, such as manipulating secured networking systems, performing penetration testing to understand vulnerabilities, and testing potential security systems in an offensive way.</p><p>Although it is not necessary to have a master's degree, it can increase the prospects of you landing a pretty decent job.</p><h3 id="must-have-training-and-certifications">Must-have training and certifications</h3><p>To improve your chances of getting hired, you must have some general training or some decent certification to verify your skillset. Many professionals, when starting with this career, obtain certified information systems security professional or <a href="https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CISSP">CISSP</a>. It can be acquired after completing your bachelor's. Although if you want to become a severe professional, then obtaining a certified ethical hacker (CEH) certificate is a must-have. It comes with a five-day intensive cybersecurity training period in which you will get around all the latest cybersecurity threats in an updated fashion.</p><h3 id="required-skills-for-an-ethical-hacker">Required skills for an ethical hacker</h3><p>On a general note, a professional, ethical hacker must pay keen attention to the details to seek out any potential problem with the computer or data storage systems. Problem-solving skills and excellent analytical skills are also necessary to solve problems associated with the network's security and for reviewing data from the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.sg/singapore-paid-hackers-across-the-world-over-us11000-for-finding-26-bugs-in-government-systems">hacking attempts</a> on an IT-intensive system. Communication skills are also required, as you would often have to collaborate with multiple personnel on-board when trying to solve a technical problem.</p><p>Although, according to a statistic, in the year 2021 there will be approximately 3.5 million unfilled vacancies regarding cybersecurity. Previously this number was only halted at 1 million at the end of the year 2014. A significant number of vacancies can be seen in management-level jobs such as chief information security officers, security managers, and others. Various CISO believe that a skilled cybersecurity team's availability would be limited due to insufficient skill set among new cybersecurity talent.</p><h2 id="how-common-is-it-to-hire-ethical-hackers">How common is it to hire ethical hackers?</h2><p>Ethical hackers are seriously in demand, especially by organizations with extensive IT infrastructure for their operations. There is a need to manage these overstretched IT assets and find out any vulnerabilities that exist. Many organizations hire ethical hackers permanently and instate them as an active part of their cybersecurity team; this way, they can have 24/7 availability of such professionals to make sure that everything is running smoothly.</p><p>Many organizations, such as <a href="https://www.fedscoop.com/air-force-synack-bug-bounty-remis/">US Air Force</a> and even <a href="https://www.cybersecuritymastersdegree.org/irs/">IRS</a> (International Revenue Service), hire professional ethical hackers from time to time to test their security systems. IRS has even outsourced a $2 million contract to the Synack government to provide pentesting by their potential ethical hackers while giving no such activity to the IRS.</p><p><a href="https://www.synack.com/red-team/">Synack</a> is also working with the Air Force on the same engagement to test their security systems and point out vulnerabilities where they exist. This will induce a higher ROI (return on investment) by disabling the need to change the Air Force's security interface consistently.</p><p>Other than that, many ethical hackers work as freelancers, other than those who are employed as corporate employees. The main reason is that many organizations are a start-up and can't afford to have a permanent ethical hacker on board, and there are budget cuts. That is why they hire ethical hackers temporarily.</p><h2 id="common-techniques-used-by-ethical-hackers">Common techniques used by ethical hackers</h2><h3 id="penetration-testing">Penetration testing</h3><p>It is the most common technique used by an ethical hacker to penetrate a potential security system. They can use any tools they have at their disposal to crack the security interface, bypass every firewall there is, and gain control of the system by acquiring authorized access. Penetration testing is a technique that every cyber-security professional must know, and extensive training is required to master the art.</p><h3 id="social-engineering">Social engineering</h3><p>Social engineering is a trait of black hat hackers, but ethical hackers should also have enough exposure to this technique. At its heart, social engineering involves manipulating people in such a way that they become willing to share confidential information or credentials to the manipulator. Hackers usually approach their target with a sense of great urgency with a critical trigger involved, so they can't say "No" to them at all.</p><h3 id="sniffing">Sniffing</h3><p>Sniffing is the act of spying on the data packets leaving and entering a secured networking facility. This is how many illicit hackers keep an eye on the companies' current operational and security-wise stats. Ethical hackers must also know how to do that to stay ahead in the game and unwinding the black hat hackers' plots and treacherous schemes.</p><h3 id="bug-bounty">Bug Bounty</h3><p>Other than that, many ethical hackers can engage in bug bounty practices. This specifically means that they can get <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-2-white-hat-hackers-became-millionaires-before-the-age-of-25-2019-9">compensation</a> and recognition from various organizations and software developers by reporting bugs in their interface or programs. These bugs could lead to a potential cyber-security exploit and other vulnerabilities. By reporting such unprotected events, the ethical hackers will get validation in return, lending them greater projects in the upcoming years regarding cyber-security.</p><p>Bug bounty opportunities continue to persist where the companies and organizations continually hire ethical hackers to nullify their security interface of any known bugs and security errors.</p><h2 id="have-ethical-hackers-gone-rogue">Have ethical hackers gone rogue?</h2><p>Many people use the term "cyber-security bad actors" when initially their reference points towards the ethical hackers who, for some reason, chose the dark side. Being termed as a "Hacker" is a generic term that might include both black and white hat hackers, but the intentions of both can't be predicted puling the analysis strings from behind the shadows. According to stats from recent years, there are many examples of people turning to the bad side, and such notorious cyber-security bad actors are termed as follows;</p><h3 id="hacktivists">Hacktivists</h3><p>These have been more prominent in the past couple of years. A hacktivist is originally a hacker acting alone or in numbers such as Anonymous group or Wiki Leaks to spread terror and exploit serious information to accomplish their own political gains.</p><h3 id="insider-threats">Insider threats</h3><p>This has become a more common cyber-attack narrative among various organizations in which rogue employees work with illicit attention in mind. They work by dismantling the organization's security interface and allowing their fellow hackers to attack by exploiting the vulnerability created by the rogue insiders.</p>

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