Understanding the Need to Hack Your Own Systems

To catch a thief, think like a thief.

That’s the basis for ethical hacking.

The law of averages works against security. With the increased numbers and

expanding knowledge of hackers combined with the growing number of system

vulnerabilities and other unknowns, the time will come when all computer

systems are hacked or compromised in some way. Protecting your systems

from the bad guys — and not just the generic vulnerabilities that everyone

knows about — is absolutely critical. When you know hacker tricks, you can

see how vulnerable your systems are.

Your overall goals as an ethical hacker should be as follows:

• Hack your systems in a nondestructive fashion.

• Enumerate vulnerabilities and, if necessary, prove to upper management that vulnerabilities exist.

• Apply results to remove vulnerabilities and better secure your systems.