The post Hacking a Social Media Account appeared first on TechnoEdge Learning.
]]>Hackers are always on the lookout, trolling social media for photos, locations, and events that could give them a clue of your account’s weak point.
Social media accounts have created a virtual world, and the constant hammering by hackers using extremely advanced bots makes it critical for companies to employ people with a certification of an ethical hacking course.
While many people could say, “it won’t happen to me,” it’s essential to know the vulnerability of your social media profiles.
One of the critical success factors for any company is a good social media handle. Brands are increasingly investing in online promotions and working tirelessly to reach new clients.
According to a report published by The University of Phoenix, more than 80% of adults in the U.S have at least a social media account, and as the rate of social media usage escalates, so does the number of cybercriminals.
More than 66% have been hacked, and they actually agree that the information they post on social media is detrimental to their online safety.
Beyond the apparent approach by hackers to bypass security mechanisms like URL filtering, two-factor authentication, and spam filtering installed by CEH v10 professionals, most social media users don’t understand their vulnerability. So, they get careless and aren’t really bothered about implementing counter-threat measures.
Among the things social media users don’t appreciate is the advancement of such bots. For instance, you could get a mammoth of adverts on your Facebook handle in the form of unauthentic third party links, which would trigger cybercrime.
Users do the best they know to stay safe but still fail to remember that nothing posted on social media can be completely forgotten and that everything posted on their handles is exposed even if they control their preferences. This is where the vulnerability exists.
If you carefully follow the trends on social media and international news, you’ll understand that over the past few years, there has been a continuous attempted data breach against the most prominent social media profiles.
In a recent alleged attempt to hack the WHO, NIH passwords, and Bill Gates Foundation, security researcher Robert Potter claimed that though he believed the allegations were legitimate, they were from an earlier attack.
He said that most health organizations have weak security systems, and a close analysis reveals that such social media giants seldom reveal any compromised personal information, and they wouldn’t reveal any possibility of a security breach in the first place.
Consider this: not a single corporate would disclose a data breach, and it always remains to be speculation since users wouldn’t know it existed in the first place.
If a company, for instance, posts about a successful completion of a project which wasn’t meant to be exposed, hackers could mine colossal funds out of this by selling the company’s strategy to the competitor.
In such a competitive world, Cyber security courses online, vigilance, and confidentiality is increasingly becoming essential to counter possible threats.
Hackers are continually trolling social media profiles with bots and attempting to hammer them with highly sophisticated algorithms that give them clues of where to hit.
Stephanie Snow, a professional CEH v10 and team member of elite hackers within IBM, documented how the bad guys look for security gaps in the system by tricking employees into revealing things over official communication channels.
Quite astonishingly, 75% of the information comes from new hires and younger generations with exciting updates to share online. The fact that most organizations delay security training for recruits without an ethical hacking course certification makes a perfect recipe for chaos.
Identifying these weak links as well as hashtags like “First day” or “Newjob” coupled with team photos, new badge, or a video-blog of the entire day inside the company could be as good as sharing your credentials with the hackers.
Company walls reveal the company’s strategies, and some laptop screens could also show the security tools and software used by the company, which hackers can use to tailor a Trojan disguised as a system update.
Before sharing an update on your timeline, ask yourself whether it contains information that would help hackers peek into your company virtually.
Hackers’ motives include stealing your profile and updating it to send compromised links and phish some information from your clients. So what’s important is getting past these threats and understanding the loopholes.
If you’re using third-party applications that you need to authorize to read and post content, ensure you comprehend the fine print before giving permission.
Currently, the line that separates business from personal accounts is blurred, and companies have a huge obligation of educating employees through Cyber security courses online to help them stay safe online.
Being vigilant by enabling two-factor authentication, using strong passwords, and avoiding shared logins is the foremost defense strategy.
Social media accounts are always under the scrutiny of cybercriminals, and it requires very limited skillset to breach security. The threat is incredibly real – with organizations and individuals exposed to a continuous risk of havoc. Alertness and information are the best pre-requisite to counter any imminent threats.
Read our previous blog: Latest Trends in Cybersecurity.
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]]>The post Understanding Penetration Testing appeared first on TechnoEdge Learning.
]]>If this sounds like fun to you, you might be the right candidate to take a certified ethical hacker course and become an ethical hacker who specializes in penetration testing. There’s no doubt that companies need ethical hackers (also known as white hat hackers) on their IT team due to the volume of non-ethical hackers in the world today who are looking to steal data and cause costly breaches. Individuals who earn their certified ethical hacker certification are likely to have a secure and well-paid job for the foreseeable future.
In fact, there is a shortage of ethical hackers in Canada according to a 2018 study conducted by Toronto Finance International and Deloitte. The study reported the globe needs about 1.8 million more, cybersecurity experts. That’s a lot of job demand! One of the areas identified is ethical hackers with a focus on penetration testing.
Penetration testing is a subset of ethical hacking. It is an exploration of how a specific information system can be accessed, but without the damage or theft that would be caused by a black hat hacker. This identification of compromise risks should be done regularly in order to stay abreast of flaws that can be exposed by the new methods attackers constantly find.
In contrast, an ethical hacker looks more inclusively at all systems and potential security flaws. Penetration testing is one method used by an ethical hacker.
The term “hacker” often conjures up an image of someone sitting in a darkened basement, consuming lots of caffeine, playing on their computer and accidentally finding ways into databases and company assets. It’s been a long time since 1983 when the movie War Games came out and introduced this type of computer hacking scenario.
The truth of our times is that hacking and stealing data for resale, identity theft and other purposes is big business. Instead of sitting in a darkened room alone, there are black hat hackers sitting together in what seems like a legitimate office space using computers to access organizational and individual information. This is exactly why there is a need for certified ethical hacker certification and courses that teach penetration testing. To succeed at being one of the “good” hackers, individuals must be able to think like “bad” hackers and approach the situation using the same tools and techniques. Like anything in an electronic world, there are always going to be new tools and techniques available to black hat hackers and in order to be successful as penetration testers, white hat hackers must constantly upgrade their education in order to have the same knowledge.
Certified ethical hacker course focus on training white hat hackers how to approach electronic assets methodically and systematically using all of the latest tools that room full of black hat hackers has access to. They will learn penetration testing so that they can identify flaws in individual systems before the black hat hackers ever know they exits.
This is why penetration testing on a website, app, mobile platform or other system is so important. Getting a white hat hacker to work as a penetration tester and find the problems and report them will allow an organization to correct them before they can be exploited. Certified ethical hacker certification programs also include training in how penetration testers can create a report of issues and help identify how they can be fixed after they have done the testing on the system.
A penetration tester needs to have a wide range of skills to be great at their job. First and foremost, they must be willing to constantly learn and upgrade their education as the electronic world undergoes constant change. One of the areas where education and skills are needed is in social engineering. Hackers are clever. They know how to use various scams in order to access an individual’s data from their own devices and systems. They will also make use of data acquired through other breaches that include individual data. A penetration tester must be able to anticipate how a black hat hacker uses social engineering methods while also identifying and suggesting ways to prevent the exploitation that can come from them.
That example noted above about War Games? That’s a case of manual penetration. Someone is manually applying their skills and tools in order to access a system. There are automated tools as well. Therefore a penetration tester must be familiar with both manual and automated methods and know how to use them expertly. This leads to the methodical and systematic approach noted above. When doing penetration testing, the methodology must be identified and followed. Penetration testers have to identify their scope of the attack and build an appropriate work structure to achieve it.
When organizations have a number of systems, it means that a penetration tester may be exposed to each of them as they move from project to project. They must have an awareness and familiarity with a number of electronic platforms from mobile devices to computers; cloud-based systems to databases.
Finally, all of the information obtained in a penetration test must culminate in a report. Therefore all good certified ethical hacker courses will explain how to create a report that will give the organization the information it needs in order to understand weaknesses and prevent future attack through them.
Penetration testers are at the heart of the ethical hacking profession. They are a much-needed asset in an organization’s IT department in order to identify and prevent the security breaches that can happen that cost millions (and billions) of dollars, corporate reputations, lost business and public confidence.
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]]>The post How to Become a White Hat Hacker appeared first on TechnoEdge Learning.
]]>The proliferation of online data, apps, tools and storage on the cloud has created an ideal world for nefarious types who enjoy attacking systems, breaking down barriers and thieving or otherwise causing chaos. All organizations which collect and/or store any kind of data can be a target. Hacking and stealing data isn’t just about NASA, the government or credit card companies. Medical providers, retailers, even hospitality providers have found themselves on the receiving end of a hacker’s attack.
All kinds of organizations are recognizing the need for certified ethical hackers to help keep their defences strong and prevent data breaches. Think of all the people who have mobile devices and access the Internet. Everywhere they go, every app they use and every purchase they make is stored somewhere and may be a target of a black hat hacker. Those who have taken an ethical hacking course will have the skills to be able to fight off the attacks of those black hat hackers for the organization they work for.
In its simplest terms, a white hack hacker uses the skills acquired through an ethical hacking course or another method of education in order to break into an organization’s systems. By doing so, they identify the weaknesses and report them to the IT team in order to resolve the issue. In some cases, the white hat hacker may even be part of the team that resolves cybersecurity issues.
This is the key difference between a white hat hacker and a black hat hacker. The individuals may have the same skill sets and may approach a cybersecurity system in the same way, but the white hat hacker is doing so in order to have future attacks prevented. This takes a lot of planning and persistence in order to create the attacks and even more work in order to create solutions that prevent future access the same way.
Think again about all of the people connected to the Internet. Each app, website, download and cloud system needs to be tested, attacked and reinforced. That alone indicates the great need for organizations to have white hat hackers on their IT teams. A company that uses online tools blindly is putting itself in harm’s way and is opening up a world of hurt in the court of public opinion.
As you can guess, this is a role that puts a lot of emphasis on planning, problem-solving, time management and technical skills. While there are no specific standards required to be a white hat hacker, as the job isn’t regulated, the standards often include a bachelor’s degree (possibly a master’s) in math, computer science or other computer-related programs.
There are also a number of certifications one can obtain that may be required by an organization or may enhance a resume to prove someone can do the job. Perhaps the most commonly identified one for the role of a white hat hacker is Certified Ethical Hacker. This is a certification from the EC-Council and is provided upon successful completion of the Certified Ethical Hacker exam. Many individuals find a benefit in taking an exam prep course prior to signing up for the exam as it covers areas like penetration testing, firewalls, identification of Tojans, worms, viruses, system hacking, social engineering and many other topics.
Other certifications you might consider for a career as a white hat hacker include SANS GIAC’s Cyber Defence certificate, Penetration Tester, Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester – all of which, by name alone, are great options for someone wanting to become an ethical hacker. Another organization that offers ethical hacking courses is mile2. Through its Cyber Security Certification Roadmap program, there are a number of certifications offered such as Certified Professional Hacker.
Those in IT who don’t want to pursue a role as a white hat hacker will still benefit from many of the education and training options in order to assist others in the department when it comes to penetration testing, asking questions about things to test and helping to secure systems and resources. Not to mention the fact that adding additional cybersecurity education allows for more even knowledge across the department and better opportunities for future advancement and management positions.
Organizations will have different requirements in their white hat hackers, but the basis to get started is a post-secondary education in computer science or related field and some experience in IT. Hopefully, you don’t know exactly where to start in terms of hacking, or at least only have a minimal idea because any more awareness might indicate you’ve been operating as a black hat hacker (of course it’s never too late to convert to the legal use of your skills). While self-training is one option, you’ll need to add some white hat hacker training and certification to be on your way to helping an organization secure its systems.
While this post has focused solely on cybersecurity, there is a need to mention physical security needs as part of an organization’s overall security program. While this may or may not fall into the job description of a white hat hacker in an organization, it’s important to have an appreciation of elements like alarm systems, cameras, document security and hardware issues. By adding this knowledge to your awareness, you’ll be better able to look at an organization’s security from a more holistic point of view and provide a robust picture of what’s working and what isn’t. A number of cybersecurity courses include sections on physical security as well in order to give white hat hackers a broader education and greater opportunity to benefit their employer.
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]]>The post The Benefits of Certified Ethical Hacking Course appeared first on TechnoEdge Learning.
]]>The majority of people have either been “hacked” or know someone else who has been. It is unnerving and even devastating for the victims of such evil acts. Not all hackers are cybercriminals though and not all hacking is illegal. Much of the hacking done today is not only legal but also necessary for the betterment of humankind.
In Canada, the Criminal Code considers hacking, or the aiding and abetting of others to hack, to be an act of “mischief” and punishable of up to 10 years in jail. In learning how to ethically hack you will be part of a world-wide innovative team practically deterring cybercrime.
In a fast-growing field, one which requires an increase of talent in the field of cybersecurity, you will learn innovative practices for preventing the destruction of data, interruption of computer system securities, websites and digital networks while practicing reverse psychology techniques to counter the mindset of malicious attackers.
Computer crimes are not limited to your own homeland and cybercrime conversation is not limited to computer programmers. Cybersecurity has great importance to all people and businesses so much so that in October 2017, Public Safety Canada deemed October to be Cyber Security Awareness Month. While theories of information warfare may be circulated in Washington, D.C. conferences, in most places you travel you will hear conversations about how to limit your personal and business exposure.
As part of a new generation of ethical hackers, your desire to learn offensive security, and stake a claim as an expert in your field of study, will not only set you apart in Canada but will also open opportunities for you globally. Whether you desire to work in the banking industry to prevent customers from having their financial records compromised, opt to work for government creating policy, academia teaching others about cybersecurity risks or begin your own agency offering services to others, you too may find yourself taking the place of and becoming the next John Austen – Head of Crime Unit, New Scotland Yard. You have the opportunity to create and make a safer cyber environment for all.
Today, with increased technology, there are limitless possibilities for hardships. It’s in human nature that there will always be someone who wishes to push the limits of either good or evil; however, as a well-educated and expertly trained individual, you will be part of an initiative that will curb their appetite and help block their trouble making.
“Hacking has evolved from teenage mischief into a billion-dollar growth business.” Knowing how to prevent Botnets, Browser hijacks, Ransomware, Trojans, Viruses, and Worms, to name a few, will place you in the enviable position of having the cutting edge knowledge to assert yourself in organizations, businesses, the military and other fields of loss prevention.
Being a Certified Ethical Hacker will afford you the luxury of working remotely or working in-house for a big bank. Whether you are in a home office, travel to exotic workplaces or have a designated office on a job site, you will have the opportunity to experience remuneration commensurate with the ever-increasing demands for scrutinizing the evil deeds of the Black Hat community.
Depending on your education level, work experience, geographic location and desired field of work, opportunities and salaries are limitless. Presently, the average salary for ethical hackers is $76K with higher salary ranges for IT security architects.
At the end of the day, most folks want to be compensated for a job well done. In the case of ethical hacking, there are a couple more built-in bi-products: loving what you do and curtailing the deeds of evildoers.
If you are an ethical and creative problem solver in search of great learning, desire to be part of an exclusive knowledge experts club and wish to pledge the infamous Hacker Manifesto than you are someone who will be called upon for years to come to advise and consult, solve mysteries and prevent potential crimes. There is no time like the present to get on the bandwagon and posse up to ride into the sunset with a team of cutting edge cybercrime preventers. Get out the tape measure and gauge your head for your Smithbilt. You will be fitted for a lifetime of adventure in the new cyber Wild West.
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