#HOW TO BE A PROFESSIONAL HACKER SOFTWARE#
#HOW TO BE A PROFESSIONAL HACKER PROFESSIONAL#

That didnвЂ™t exist, so I set it up,вЂќ says Clark. вЂњI really wanted to have a team of people who could learn together - a hands-on community. The groupвЂ™s monthly sessions, where participants simulate penetration testing on purpose-built servers, attracted up to 50 patrons before COVID struck. ItвЂ™s a win-win.вЂќДЄs for awareness and spotlighting the ethical hacking community in Aotearoa, thereвЂ™s Hack and Learn.ДЇounded by Dylan Clark, a manager of cyber-threat emulation and defence at IAG, the Auckland-based InfoSec group was borne out of ClarkвЂ™s desire to form a community around those who wanted to learn more about ethical hacking. It also makes good business sense to invest in quality reporting: вЂњIf they understand the issue and remediate it, they will come back for a retest. If the client doesnвЂ™t understand the results of the test, thereвЂ™s little chance that any of the discovered issues will be remediated. Miraz says thereвЂ™s a particular emphasis on reporting quality in Aotearoa - in the actual data gleaned from breaching the productвЂ™s defences, as well as how itвЂ™s presented to the client. вЂњItвЂ™s hard for me to say that we are the best in the world,вЂќ Miraz says with a smile, вЂњbut IвЂ™ve seen some really good work coming from boutique companies in New Zealand.вЂќ So, with these standards common throughout the ethical hacking community in Aotearoa, how do we fare on the world stage? Several follow the mantra that penetration testing should always be carried out whenever a new application, ICT system or device is being deployed, or the configuration of an internet-facing service has changed. This is, by and large, the model employed across the many cybersecurity companies that specialise in penetration testing in New Zealand. вЂњWeвЂ™ve found that this cycle builds more confidence in the final product.вЂќ вЂњThe development team builds it, the security team tests it, the integration team deploys it,вЂќ says Miraz. And this is possible because of a strong connection between the security, development and integration teams. Miraz now says it's best toВ regularly perform penetration tests before products are in production. But if penetration testing is integrated into the development phase, he says, security wonвЂ™t become a roadblock further down the track. In cases like these, there could be a clash ofВ ideologies, because the organisation has a deadline and doesnвЂ™t want to wait before the product is deployed. In general, with big organisations, security can often be an afterthought. In his experience as a penetration tester, Miraz has learnedВ that the earlier that ethical hacking is introduced in the development of a system or product, the better the security outcome will be. вЂњIt should absolutely be included as part of a broader security product release.вЂќ

#HOW TO BE A PROFESSIONAL HACKER SOFTWARE#

вЂњIn any situation where software is about to deploy, penetration testing should be early on,вЂќ says Miraz. Should organisations, especially those with substantial cybersecurity requirements, implement ethical hacking as an integral part of their cybersecurity approach? Shofe Miraz, a security consultant from Auckland says yes - with haste and as early in the process as possible.

#HOW TO BE A PROFESSIONAL HACKER PROFESSIONAL#

Before releasing an application for general use, a cautious software developer will give penetration testers free rein to perform a simulated cyber-attack and break the appвЂ™s security barriers - giving developers a better idea of its overall security posture.Д«ut not all software and application developers seek an evaluation from professional penetration testers before launching their software, despite research pointing to penetration testing's role inВ вЂdrastically reducingвЂ™ security incidents while also validating the effectiveness of the current security measures employed by organisations. Their goals, however, are worlds apart - threat actors seek to perform malicious activities, while ethical hackers use their newfound knowledge of security vulnerabilities to strengthen the defence theyвЂ™ve penetrated.ДЄnother key difference is the presence of permission. And both are ramping up in New Zealand in tandem with an escalation of cyber-attacks.Д«oth hacking and its ethical variant, in effect, have an identical method: to bypass cybersecurity defences, identify and exploit vulnerabilities, and forcibly break into applications. One is a common method of breaching cybersecurity defences one is a tool that is a highly recommended means of bolstering them. ThereвЂ™s a big difference between hacking and ethical hacking.

How to be a professional hacker