Ethical Hacking Essay

2065 Words9 Pages
Abstract Ethical (white-hat) hacking has emerged as a critical service in today’s computer-run world. Their skills help create more secure systems and give insight into the mindset of the criminal hacker. Ethical hackers are drawn from a pool that includes ethical hacking students as well as previous grey and black-hat hackers. The ethical dilemma of whether to entrust sensitive information to a small group of people magnifies when those people may have a shady background. A closer look at the risks involved, along with the benefits they produce, helps clarify how ethical white-hat hacking is. The methods used to train ethical hackers also raises ethical questions about the methods used. The lack of emphasis on ethical decision-making seems counterproductive, and it raises the risks of producing future grey and black-hat hackers. Alterations to these methods, guided by a universal standard, could help resolve these issues and ensure a reliable stream of ethical hackers for the future. Ethical Hacking? In a world rife with computer hackers, and the world becoming more and more dependent on computer systems, a solid solution to criminal computer hacking is essential. The fact that many ethical hackers started as grey or black-hat hackers has led many to question their integrity. Also, current methods used to train ethical hackers do not emphasize ethical decisions. Although ethical hacking and the methods used in training could lead to unethical behavior, when thoroughly examined, its purpose and ethics are validated. A hacker is a person who covertly gains access to a computer system to get information or cause damage. Hackers are people who gain access purely for the thrill of doing it (Baase, 2013). These definitions imply that a hacker is inherently unethical, but there are actually three categories that hackers fall into based on their
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