Ethical hacking is the process of using computer security
techniques to test networks and systems for vulnerabilities, with the aim of
ensuring data and network security. It’s a key component of digital security,
and it’s becoming increasingly important as more businesses move to digital
networks and systems. But how do ethical hackers go about testing these
networks and systems? What software do they use?
In this blog, we’ll explain the detail process of software's used for ethical
hacking. We’ll break it down into the different stages of the process and
discuss the different tools that ethical hackers can use to test and protect
networks and systems.
The first stage of ethical hacking is reconnaissance. This involves gathering
information about a target network or system. This can be done using tools such
as Google Hacking, Metasploit, and Nmap. Google Hacking is a method of using
advanced search operators to find vulnerable or confidential information.
Metasploit is an open-source security toolkit which can be used to find
vulnerable services and applications. Finally, Nmap is a network scanning tool
which can be used to discover hosts and services on a network.
The next stage is vulnerability scanning. This involves scanning the target
network or system in order to identify any vulnerable points. There are several
tools that can be used for this purpose, including Nessus, OpenVAS, and Qualys.
Nessus is a vulnerability scanner which can detect known vulnerabilities in
various operating systems and applications. OpenVAS is an open-source
vulnerability scanner which can detect vulnerabilities across multiple
platforms. Finally, Qualys is a cloud-based vulnerability scanner which can be
used to scan systems in real time.
Once any vulnerable points have been identified, the next stage is
exploitation. This involves exploiting any identified weaknesses in order to
gain access to the target system or network. Ethical hackers use tools such as
Metasploit, BackTrack, and Core Impact for this purpose. Metasploit is an open
source security toolkit which can be used to exploit known vulnerabilities in
various operating systems and applications. BackTrack is a Linux distribution
which includes several tools for penetration testing and exploitation. Finally,
Core Impact is a commercial security tool which can be used for penetration
testing and exploitation.
The final stage of ethical hacking is reporting. This involves documenting any
findings from the reconnaissance, vulnerability scanning, and exploitation
stages. Ethical hackers use tools such as Nessus, OpenVAS, and Metasploit to
generate reports detailing their findings. These reports are then sent to the
relevant stakeholders so that any identified vulnerabilities can be addressed
before they are exploited by malicious actors.
In conclusion, ethical hacking is an important part of digital security which
involves the use of specific software tools to test networks and systems.
