Terry Cutler, an ethical hacker, explains the role of ethical hackers in finding security vulnerabilities before malicious hackers exploit them. Ethical hackers have written permission and authorization to legally hack systems and help companies avoid cyber threats.
Highlights
- Ethical hackers have written permission from companies to legally hack their systems.
- When companies face a data breach or ransomware attack, incident responders, breach coaches, cyber insurance companies, and lawyers work together to handle the situation, which can be expensive and time-consuming.
- Ransomware attacks encrypt company data and demand a ransom, which can range from $100,000 to $1 million.
- Businesses often try to recover their data instead of paying the ransom, but sometimes they have no choice but to pay, especially if they don’t have a reliable backup.
- After paying the ransom, there is a risk of future attacks, as hackers may demand more money.
- Scams like phishing and fraudulent donation requests have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, targeting individuals and businesses.
- Businesses can protect themselves by providing cybersecurity training to employees, implementing robust detection and response systems, and using hardened computers instead of personal devices for work.
Ethical hackers help companies proactively identify security flaws and prevent cyber threats.
English