Describe the importance of ethical hacking?

There are several security testing tools available in the market. Present the industry leading tools used for penetration testing?

You have to review a minimum of 3 security testing tools. Justify why you choose to explore the 2 security testing tools you will be implementing in Assignment 1B after reviewing a minimum of 3 security testing tools?

 

Ethical hacking also named as penetration testing is an authorized attempt to gain unauthorized access to a computer system, networks, data and applications. It entails adopting strategies and actions that a malicious attacker may employ to discover vulnerabilities and exploit leading to loss of data, financial loss or other significant damages.

Step-by-step explanation

In order to defend against malicious attackers, qualified pen testers are needed to protect systems and networks since cyberattacks are becoming more and more fatal to many organizations. Ethical hackers ensure that unethical hackers are not able to hack us. The importance of ethical hacking is explained below:

·        Ethical hacking prevents data from being stolen and misused by malicious attackers. This is achieved by detecting vulnerabilities and threats from an attacker's point of view and fixing the weak areas.

·        Ethical hacking ensures a secure network that prevents security breaches is implemented in the systems. As such, any attempted attack is thwarted before it breaches the network and systems.

·        Through ethical hacking, practical strategies and actions can be designed that acts as a preventive measure to prohibit malicious hackers from breaching the systems.

·        Ethical hacking enhances security awareness at every level of the organization, ensuring everybody adopts best practices that prevent security breaches in the company.

·        Ethical hacking is employed to secure confidential and sensitive data from malicious attackers. It ensures that sensitive information is safeguarded by sealing any loopholes that can be exploited by attackers.

·        Through ethical hacking, possible entry points that can be used by attackers are identified and fixed before any attacks can be made.

·        Ethical hacking assists organizations to learn new skills and tactics that can be used to defend against new methods used by attackers to carry out malicious attacks.

Penetration testing tools are used to provide the means, test and identify security weaknesses in a system or network.

Three of the top security testing tools in the market include the following explained below:

1.). Wireshark - This is an open-source software that is available for many operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Solaris that can quickly capture and interpret network packets. It is employed for troubleshooting network, analysis, education and software and communications protocol development. It offers multiple benefits which include the following:

·        It provides both real-time and offline analysis of data packet and security vulnerabilities.

·        It allows you to explore various traits, including source and destination protocol by capturing data packets.

·        It carries deep inspection of hundreds of protocols with more added at all times.

·        Coloring rules can be applied to the packet list for quick, intuitive analysis.

·        It can read/write many different capture file formats.

·        It offers the capability to investigate the smallest details for activities throughout a network.

2.). Network Mapper (Nmap) - This is a free and open-source software for network discovery and security auditing. It is helpful for network inventory, managing service upgrade schedules, and monitoring host or service uptime. It utilizes raw IP packets in unconventional ways to establish what hosts are available on the network, what service they are offering, what operating systems they are running, and what type of packet filters and firewalls in use. It is designed to scan large networks quickly. Nmap is available on all major operating systems such as Linux, Windows, and Mac OS. Nmap contains several tools that assist in viewing results, flexible data transfer, redirection, debugging, comparing scan results, and a packet generation and response analysis.

Nmap offers the following benefits in penetration testing:

·        It offers flexibility since it supports numerous advanced techniques for mapping out networks filled with firewalls, IP filters, routers, and other obstacles. It offers port scanning mechanisms and ping sweeps.

·        It is portable as it supports many operating systems.

·        It is easy to use and offers a rich set of advanced features for users, including the ability to select your preferences.

·        It is a powerful tool that can be utilized to scan massive networks of thousands of machines.

·        It is well supported by a vibrant group of developers and users. It is also very popular with many users making it to be well supported.

3.). Metasploit - This is a very powerful open-source tool which can be employed by ethical hackers to probe systematic vulnerabilities on networks and servers. It is a popular penetration testing tool since it makes hacking easier than it would otherwise have been. It contains a suite of extensively used tools that offer a broad platform for pen-testing and exploit development.

Metasploit offers the following benefits as a testing tool:

·        It can gather and reuse credentials when testing.

·        It is flexible since users can customize it and apply it with any operating system.

·        It documents the information obtained during testing, which can be applied to resolve systematic flaws and prioritize solutions.

·        It offers a friendly GUI environment and third party interfaces to ease the penetration testing process.

The two security tools selected to be explored in implementing assignment 1B are the Wireshark and Nmap security testing tools.

The reasons why these two tools have been chosen is because of the following:

·        They are free and open-source and hence available to users who can modify a per their references.

·        They support most major operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Solaris and many others.

·        They are popular with many users which important since it encourages vibrant development and user support communities.

·        They are simple to use, and users can easily download, install and perform testing with them effortlessly.

·        They are powerful and effective in penetration testing leading to exceptional results.