Who Are Ethical Hackers?
An ethical hacker is most similar to a penetration tester. The ethical hacker is an individual who is employed or contracted to undertake an attempted penetration test. These individuals use the same methods employed by hackers. In case you were unsure; hacking is a felony in the United States. Ethical hackers have written authorization to probe a network. Only then is this attempted hack legal, as there is a contract between the ethical hacker and the organization. In 1995, long before today’s more stringent guidelines, one individual received 3 felony counts, 5 years probation, 480 hours of community service, and a $68,000 legal bill for failing to insure proper authorization. Don’t let this happen to you!