Ethical hacking

A term used to describe hacking that is done to help a company or individual identify potential threats on the computer or network. In order for hacking to be deemed ethical the hacker must obey the below rules.

  1. You have permission to probe the network and attempt to identify potential security risks. It's recommended that if you are the person performing the tests that you get written consent.
  2. You respect the individual's or company's privacy and only go looking for security issues.
  3. You report all security vulnerabilities you detect to the company, not leaving anything open for you or someone else to come in at a later time.
  4. You let the software developer or hardware manufacturer know of any security vulnerabilities you locate in their software or hardware if not already known by the company.

Users who are interested in becoming a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) can visit http://www.eccouncil.org/.

Also see: Hacker, Security definitions, White hat