Ethical Hacking of the Network Systems of Companies - Research Paper Example

? Ethical Hacking Ethical issues have been raised concerning the use of hackers to secure the network systems of companies, from other hackers with malicious intent. Some have argued that the ethical issues concerned are not related to the hacking itself but vary according to what the different members of the society may think. It is a situation where ethics are judged, not by the universal definitions concerning hacking, but according to the society within which the use of ethical hackers has become commonplace. Introduction Ethical hacking describes the procedure where individuals are employed by companies to attack the companies’ computer systems so that their vulnerabilities can be detected and fixed. An ethical hacker will attempt to hack his way through a company’s internet security system so that any weaknesses within it can be found. Companies, which use ethical hackers, do so in order to boost their security against individuals whose aim might be to bypass its security system for malicious purposes. There are, however, rules, which should be strictly followed in order for this hacking procedure to be considered ethical. The first of these is that the hacker must only conduct the hacking if he has been given permission to do so by the company’s management and this requires that he be given a written consent, in case of any issues that may arise later. Secondly, the ethical hacker must be able to ensure that he does not violate the privacy of the individuals or the company for who he is working, and should instead only deal with the security issues that are encountered. The hacker must ensure that all the security vulnerabilities that the company has are reported to its administration so that the necessary steps can be taken to secure the company’s network from malicious hackers. It is the responsibility of an ethical hacker to ensure that he informs either the software developer or the manufacturer of the hardware being used if there is any vulnerability that he detects so that they can work on finding a solution to the problems encountered. Literature Review Ethical hacking has been found to be a necessary procedure in ensuring that the security of the network systems of various companies is safe from malicious attacks. It is a situation where the ethical values concerning hacking are judged not by the normal definitions of the actions but through its positive aspects. Using this definition, it can be stated that the morals are no longer absolute when dealing with matters concerning hacking, because it is no longer necessarily a matter of its being malicious, but also of its being used for the enhancement of network security (Langley, 2005). A good number of the proponents of this theory believe that morality can now be used to describe hacking, since there are those who might do it for good as well as malicious purposes. The fact that ethical hacking has now become a part of the normal corporate life should not be underestimated since ethical hackers have now become an integral part of the fight against illegal and malicious hacking. The realization of this fact is one of the reasons why many companies are increasingly employing ethical hackers in order to protect their systems (Palmer, 2001). One of the advantages of ethical hacking is the fact that a broad range of threats are realized early and steps are taken to repair them. Since there are a wide variety of network threats from hackers, it is easier for a company, through ethical hacking, to deal with these threats before they become unmanageable, or before any damage to the network is done. Moreover, ethical hacking promotes the fact that not all hackers are malicious and that in fact, there are those hackers out there who can be used as a force of good through their helping to protect vulnerable network systems from malicious hackers (O'Boyle, 2002). Since it is the society which judges what is right or wrong, the it is therefore easier to categorize hackers in such a way that there are those who work for the good of the society while there are others who do not. Ethical hacking allows people to adapt to the fact that malicious hacking is a reality and that the only way to deal with it effectively is to use other hackers to curb any security threats (Young, Zhang and Prybutok, 2007). It can therefore be said that while hackers are viewed with suspicion, there are those who work for the good of the society, and who are guided by strict ethical values while doing so. Hypothesis Ethical hacking has become a necessity in today’s society, especially among companies, since they work towards the safeguarding of network systems from malicious hackers. While ethical hackers may be viewed with suspicion by most people in society, because of the possibility that they may use their talents to access company information for their own gain, it is a fact that they are needed to safeguard the network systems of the companies they work for. It is possible to have ethics even in hacking and the existence of ethical hackers is clear evidence of this fact. How is it possible for a hacker to be able to protect a network system without compromising it? What is ethical hacking and how does it work? What are the main concerns about ethical hacking and how can they be dealt with? How effective is ethical hacking in protecting the network systems of companies? What are the issues involved in ethical hacking and how can these issues be resolved so that the hackers involved are not compromised in their work? What are the general effects of ethical hacking in ensuring that the networks of companies remain secure? What are some of the major reasons why ethical hacking has become a necessity in today’s world? What has hacking got to do with ethics and why is it that hackers have become a part of the network security system? How do companies respond to the fact that ethical hackers have direct to all information about them? Research Methodology Design This research will adopt a design that will explore the various aspects of ethical hacking and it will be based on a qualitative analysis of the available material, both primary and secondary. The main reason for the adoption of this approach when carrying out the research was made mainly because it is the best option through which to explore ethical hacking and how it comes to influence how the security systems of companies are developed. This way, the research will be able to obtain the most relevant information that could be used to develop qualitative studies on ethical hacking and how it has become relevant in society today. The findings of the case study will be complimented by a survey of a range of related literature on the effect of ethical hacking on the security systems of companies within which it is applied as well as show how it is received by the people who are directly affected by it. The most recent literature will be favored in order to align the substance of the study to the prevailing challenges that many companies are facing while attempting to secure their networks from hackers. Summary and Conclusion Ethical issues have been raised concerning the use of hackers to secure the network systems of companies, from other hackers with malicious intent. Some have argued that the ethical issues concerned are not related to the hacking itself but vary according to what the different members of the society may think. It is a situation where ethics are judged, not by the universal definitions concerning hacking, but according to the society within which the use of ethical hackers has become commonplace. When one considers the statement above, one will come to the conclusion that the morals concerning hacking are not absolute in different societies because of the fact that the societies involved have come to develop different ideas concerning the practice and have developed different definitions of it. It is therefore a necessity to have ethical hackers because they are the only possible solution to the safeguarding of the crucial security systems needed in the running of the economy. Ethical hacking has to be accepted and a chance be given to those individuals who participate in this activity because without them, then malicious attacks from hackers may become rampant. This study faced a few limitations taking cognizant that most of the activities involved in ethical hacking are often kept secret by the companies that employ ethical hackers and this is the reason why so little information about this activity can be found. It is extremely difficult to find individuals within companies who would readily admit that they employ hackers to help safeguard their networks from other hackers. As a result, one would suggest that in future research, more effort be put in the determination of why ethical hacking has become the norm in the corporate world, and the means through which companies get to employ hackers who they can trust not to compromise their systems. References Langley, N. (2005). Ethical hacking is challenging and lucrative but training is expensive. Computer Weekly, 44-44.  O'Boyle, E., J. (2002). An ethical decision-making process for computing professionals. Ethics and Information Technology,4(4), 267-267. Palmer, C. C. (2001). Ethical hacking. IBM Systems Journal, 40(3), 769-780.  Young, R., Zhang, L., & Prybutok, V. R. (2007). Hacking into the minds of hackers. Information Systems Management, 24(4), 281-287. Read More