Can Cyberattacks Lead to Offline Warfare?

April 2007 marked the first large-scale cyberattack on a nation when Estonia was hit by a series of hacks—allegedly sponsored by the Kremlin—that shut down government, financial, and other websites and services across the country (Pamment et al., 2019). It took a month for the Estonian government and NATO cybersecurity experts to restore normal operations.

Cyberattacks are malicious attempts to damage computers, steal sensitive data, or exploit a compromised machine to launch further internet-based attacks. These attacks can cause massive damage to any country’s national security infrastructure. As the cyberthreat landscape expands in both nature and scope, attacks on digital devices, networks, and information systems have transformed how we think about war and terrorism.

Today, any digital device is a potential cyberweapon. The term “cyber warfare” refers to the practice of leveraging cyberattacks to harm nations and states by disrupting their cybersecurity. Cyberattacks carried out against a nation by state-backed hackers raise an important question: Can these types of virtual offenses trigger an aggressive military response offline?

How Dangerous Can Cyberattacks Be?

Technology is integral to business activities today, thanks to its ability to facilitate smooth operations, streamline processes, and improve customer experiences. But this increased digitization also has also made online enterprises and transactions larger and more appealing targets for hackers, leaving them more vulnerable to cyberattacks: Financial damages resulting from cybercrime are expected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025 (Morgan, 2022).

Cyberattacks don’t just target individuals and businesses, however—they may also take aim at governments and nations, as in the 2007 Estonia attacks. Hacks against governments and the military rose by 47% between 2020 and 2021, making this sector the second most frequently targeted (Brooks, 2022). State-sponsored cyberattacks may also target other key organizations in a given country, such as NGOs, think tanks, and education institutions (Lambert, 2021).

Although the distinction between cyberterrorism and cybercrime isn’t always clear, cyberterrorists are generally characterized by their political, social, or ideological motivations (Yunos & Sulaman, 2017). Cyberterrorist attacks are intended to cause violence or incite fear in a target population—for example, by damaging critical infrastructures, stealing sensitive data, intercepting military communications, or promoting an extremist political agenda (Sheldon & Hanna, 2022; Yunos & Sulaman, 2017).

Can Cyberattacks Lead to Physical Warfare?

When cyberattacks are carried out using lethal means or weapons that threaten national security, they can develop into full-blown cyber warfare. Phishing, malware, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, ransomware, viruses, and cyber espionage are just a few of the cyberweapons that can disrupt government infrastructures, corrupt critical data, or lead to data theft that compromises national security and destabilizes critical systems.

On July 27, 2021, U.S. president Joe Biden cautioned staff and leadership at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) that cyberattacks could indeed escalate to physical warfare (Bose, 2021). President Biden warned that a major cyberattack on the United States could result in “a real shooting war,” pointing to the growing threat that Washington perceives to be posed by Russia and China (Bose, 2021, para. 3).

The Biden administration is reportedly treating cybersecurity as its top priority in the wake of the high-profile Kaseya, JBS, Colonial Pipeline, and SolarWinds hacks, among other recent headline-grabbing cyberattacks. Some of these attacks had far-reaching consequences that extended beyond the entities that the cyberattackers originally targeted, creating a ripple effect that affected fuel and food supplies in various parts of the United States.

In early July 2021, the United States, United Kingdom, and their allies blamed China for sponsoring malicious hackers in a global campaign that included a large-scale cyberattack on Microsoft (Follain et al., 2021). In his speech to the ODNI, Biden stated that a serious state-sponsored cyberattack against the United States could instigate an actual war: “If we end up in a war—a real shooting war with a major power—it’s going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence” (Bose, 2021, para. 3).

Minimizing the Aftermath of Cyberattacks

There is no turning back the clock on the technological progress the world is making each minute, especially when it comes to digital transformations. Today, the world depends on the internet and digital technology for the functioning of complex operations, making cyberattacks an unavoidable evil.

However, a skilled cybersecurity workforce can, to a great extent, minimize the severity of such attacks. At EC-Council University, preparing a robust workforce to meet the demanding challenges in the industry today is our core mission. Our online cybersecurity programs are mapped to in-demand skills and industry requirements, paving the way for students to pursue diverse cybersecurity career pathways.

Source: eccu.edu

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How to Become a Cyber Security Engineer?

Can you imagine a situation that one fine morning you just wake up and find all your Social Media Accounts hacked?? (Quite Awful, Right…??).

Imagine all those IT giants such as Facebook, Amazon, etc. that are majorly relying upon user data identifies unauthorized access to their data server or may lose all their data (Yes, nothing can be more frightened for them than this situation).

Most probably, that would be enough to make you understand the importance of Cyber Security in today’s Digital World. Indeed, from an individual level to the MNC’s perspectives, Cyber Security has become an essential aspect for everyone to protect themselves from any kind of cyber-attack such as security breach, data loss, etc. And with the same concern, almost every company (whether it be a startup or a big tech giant) is offering numerous career opportunities for Cyber Security Professionals. Thus, if you’re looking forward to making a career as a Cyber Security Engineer, it will be a great career move for you!!  

As per the reports, the demand for Cyber Security Engineers seems to be rising exponentially in the upcoming times and there will be around 3 million new job opportunities for Cyber Security Professionals by the year 2021. Now, let’s take a look at the question – Who is a Cyber Security Engineer? In general, a Cyber Security Engineer is an IT professional who is responsible for maintaining the security aspects of computer & network systems and perform various tasks such as designing and implementation of secured network solutions, monitoring, troubleshooting, and many more to avoid any kind of cyber-attacks or threats. Furthermore, several major roles and responsibilities of a Cyber Security Engineer in an organization are mentioned below that can help you to get a more clear picture of the particular job profile:

◉ Planning, designing & implementation of data & network security measures

◉ Responsible for upgrading the security measures accordingly

◉ Conducts penetration testing regularly to find any vulnerabilities

◉ Troubleshoots security and network issues in the organization

◉ Responsible for various daily administrative tasks, etc.

So, as of now, you must have known about the Cyber Security Engineer job profile in detail, now let’s move further and discuss the complete career path that you need to follow to become a worthwhile Cyber Security Engineer:

1. Have a Relevant Academic Background

Indeed, having a relevant academic background should be the first and foremost step taken by you to start your journey of becoming a Cyber Security Engineer. You can opt for completing your graduation in the concerned field such as Computer Science / Information Technology, etc with emphasizing more on the Cyber Security domain. It will help you to get familiar with the fundamentals of Cyber Security such as Computer Networks, Cryptography, and many more. Moreover, having a relevant academic background with a decent knowledge of fundamental cybersecurity skills can directly land you up several ravishing entry-level career opportunities in the Cyber Security field such as Security Analyst, Systems Admin, etc that’ll pave the way for you to become a Cyber Security Engineer. Furthermore, you’re recommended to go for some Master’s Degree program as well in the Cyber Security stream for some advanced exposure.  

2. Be Proficient with Prerequisites Technical Skills

Now, you’re required to take a step forward and become proficient with several crucial technical skills essential for becoming a Cyber Security Engineer. You can enhance these technical skills from various online or offline resources such as tutorials, online courses, YouTube videos, etc. Let’s take a look at these prerequisites technical skills:

Sound knowledge of Required Languages & Tools: Firstly, you need to become proficient with several renowned programming or scripting languages such as C/C++, JAVA, Python, Node, Ruby, etc. Moreover, you’re also recommended to become familiar with several tools such as Power Shell, OpenSSH, and various others. A thorough understanding of these languages and tools will help you further for various crucial tasks such as designing security solutions, task automation, etc. in the Cyber Security domain.

Familiarity with Various Operating Systems: Furthermore, you need to have a fundamental knowledge of Operating Systems such as Linux, UNIX, Windows, etc. You need to have an understanding of the architecture and underlying mechanism of these Operating Systems along with the respective commands & tools.  

Extensive Understanding of CyberSecurity Concepts: This is the core part of becoming a Cyber Security Engineer and you need to allot a dedicated time as well as hard work for this particular aspect. However, you’ll get your basics of Cyber Security clear in the particular degree program, etc. but here you’ll be required to dive deeper into the ocean of Cyber Security and cover various in-depth and crucial topics. Some of these topics are provided below:

◉ Firewalls | Network Architecture

◉ TCP/IP | OSI Model

◉ Penetration Testing

◉ Vulnerability Assessment

◉ Intrusion Detection, and many more.

Moreover, you’re recommended to cover several additional topics also such as Computer Forensics, SIEM Management, etc for some in-depth knowledge. Meanwhile, you can join several advanced training sessions, etc. to make your learning journey more convenient and effective.  

3. Gain Some Hands-On Experience

Once you’ll get done with all these required skills, now it’s time to do the practical implementation and gain some hands-on experience in this particular field. You can opt for several internships or training programs to get the opportunities of working on live projects real-time environment. Furthermore, you can apply for some entry-level jobs as well in the Cyber Security domain such as Cyber Security Analyst, Network Analyst, etc. to gain the utmost exposure. Meanwhile, this professional experience will not only allow you to understand the core functioning of the Cyber Security field such as the design & implementation of secure network systems, monitoring, and troubleshooting, risk management, etc. but is also crucial for building a successful career as a Cyber Security Engineer as almost every company requires a professional experience of around 2-3 years while hiring for the Cyber Security Engineers.

4. Possess the Relevant Certifications

Here comes one of the most prominent parts of this journey – Certifications!! Now, there is a question that often arises in the minds of individuals that if a person is having an appropriate skill set along with the required experience then why would he need to go for such certifications? However, there may be multiple reasons for this – firstly, these certifications help you to analyze & validate your skills and knowledge in a particular field. Secondly, there are several prominent certifications (especially in the Cyber Security domain) that are preferred by the organizations as a prerequisite or eligibility criteria while hiring for the Cyber Security Professionals. Hence, you’re required to pass the exams and earn the certifications respectively to showcase your expertise. Meanwhile, several most-recommended certifications are mentioned below that you can take into consideration:  

◉ Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

◉ Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

◉ Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Security

◉ Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) Certification, etc.

5. Apply For the Cyber Security Engineer Jobs

Okay, so after having sound knowledge of the Cyber Security domain, possessing all the required skills, having some hands-on experience with relevant certifications – now what you’re supposed to do? Right, now you need to go for your end-goal and apply for the Cyber Security Engineer job roles in various tech giants. You can start it by shortlisting the companies based on your preferences and then visit their career portals to get aware of the job openings and other useful insights such as eligibility criteria, experience, etc. You can also use various online platforms such as LinkedIn, CutShort, etc. to connect with the industry professionals and get referrals. There are numerous renowned companies that offer various ravishing career opportunities to Cyber Security Engineers such as, IBM, Cisco, Sophos, Palo Alto Networks, Intel, and many more.  

So, this is a complete career path that you need to follow to become a successful Cyber Security Engineer. Meanwhile, we’ve compiled a set of few soft skills as well that you’re strongly recommended to take into consideration in your journey of becoming a Cyber Security Engineer – Presentation and Communications skills, Problem-Solving, Project Management, Collaboration, and Time Management. Furthermore, below we’ve mentioned several most-recommended books also that can help you to get your concepts more clear during the preparation for certifications exams:  

◉ Cybersecurity for Beginners by Raef Meeuwisse

◉ The Ethics of Cyber Security by Michele Loi

◉ Penetration Testing: A Hands-on Introduction to Hacking

◉ All-In-One CEH Certified Ethical Hacker

Now what else you need?? Moreover, if we talk about the average salary of a Cyber Security Engineer in India, it is around 7-9 LPA, and considering the growth rate of the Cyber Security domain, the demands for Cyber Security Professionals seems to be rising exponentially. Now, what are you waiting for? Follow the above-mentioned approaches and make a rewarding career for yourself as a Cyber Security Engineer!!

Source: geeksforgeeks.org

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How to Become a Cyber Security Consultant?

The growing demand for the CyberSecurity domain in the tech world has increased the need for cybersecurity professionals in the industry, giving rise to various career opportunities to people interested in making their career in the cybersecurity sphere. However, as people are still not much aware of the career options in the cybersecurity field, there is too much confusion amongst the people while planning to start a career in it.  Though, out of many professions in this particular sector, Cybersecurity Consultant is one of the most exciting and challenging jobs for the aspirants.  

A Cybersecurity Consultant has a variety of roles to perform in the industry. They are skilled in both areas – as attacker and defender of networks, computers systems, applications, and software programs. Their responsibility is to first identify the vulnerable areas, and then reach a solution that can strengthen the system to protect it from attackers. As hackers are coming up with new ideas to commit online frauds globally, there is a significant demand for cybersecurity experts in the market. However, to become a professional Cybersecurity Consultant, you will have to attain a specialization in it.

1. Educational Requirements  

Though anybody with a knack in the information technology world would be an ideal candidate for the position. However, you can start it by opting for a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program in the relevant field such as Computer Science, Information Technology, etc. The degrees and the education that you receive will make you well-informed about the field and at the same time will also make you eligible for various worthwhile career opportunities. Besides this, you can opt for several additional training programs as well to gain more knowledge and exposure.  

2. Essential Work Experience  

To become a cybersecurity consultant, one has to pass through various levels as it is a highly specialized field in the Information technology industry. The position is not an entry-level position hence you will have to first start as a junior professional, and from there you can move forward by acquiring the required skill-set and experience to become a proficient cybersecurity consultant. However, from three to five years of experience in the industry, is considered good enough if you have obtained all the skills required, but with experience there comes confidence – so more the experience, the more you will be able to showcase your skills and convince the employers respectively. It is natural for companies to believe that only experienced professionals can put value to their team.  

You also must ensure to gather the knowledge of the latest hacking and security strategies available in the market currently and keep yourself abreast of updated information about the new developments in the industry through various sources. All of these together will add to your work experience and required skill-sets.  

3. Skills Required

There is a set of various technical and soft skills that are required by employers from Cybersecurity Consultants. Let’s take a look at these skills:  

Technical Skills:

One who aspires to become a Cybersecurity Consultant must have a sound knowledge of the following tech skills:  

◉ Knowledge of Penetration testing and also must be able to measure the vulnerability rating of cyber programs and software that are used by the company they are working for.

◉ Knowledge of Firewall safety and management that also includes backups and fail-safe features. It must also include breach detecting and preventing protocols.

◉ Knowledge of advanced persistent threat management that also covers phishing, social engineering, and network access control.

◉ Knowledge of encryption techniques and capabilities are a must. It should include the ability to send and receive data over the internet without surrendering to hacker’s attacks.

◉ Knowledge of programming languages that are used to store and process raw data. The more the candidate knows about the different programming languages, it would be better.

◉ Understanding of various operating systems. Windows, Linus, UNIX, and other systems that are in development or those used by the public.

◉ Knowledge of the principles of ethical hacking and coding practices. Must have a working knowledge of threat modeling and configuration.

Soft Skills:  

Here are some soft skills that are essential to succeed as a Cyber Security Consultant:

◉ Communication Skills – Communications skills are one of the topmost qualities that cybersecurity consultants must possess. Consultants are mostly senior professionals in a company, and they are expected to interact with their team and also transfer the information between companies, and teams for effective execution of operations. They are also responsible for negotiating and discussing projects and their requirements with clients, hence communication is an essential quality that is required to accomplish these tasks.

◉ Leadership Skills – When you are in the highest levels of a job, then you are expected to run the entire team of operations and security. As a consultant, leadership skill is one of the major criteria that a candidate should possess. Usually, multiple people report to the consultant and also seek guidance from them when the need arises, and here is when the leadership skills come into play.

◉ Problem Solving – Furthermore, a Cybersecurity consultant should possess good critical thinking and problem-solving skills as he is required to deal with various problems such as cyber-attacks, network failure, data loss, etc. regularly. Hence, he is required to already prepare for such situations and come up with optimal and relevant solutions. Apart from this, several other skills such as Time Management, Research Skills, Risk Management, etc. can also be taken into consideration to become a successful Cybersecurity consultant.

4. Professional Certifications

Certifications give credibility and confidence to professionals to work in the areas they are certified for. These days professional certifications have become an essential requisite to get a good job in the Information Technology or any other sector. Certifications validate your skills and knowledge on the particular subject and also prove that you are keeping pace with the current trends and techniques in the industry. Cybersecurity that is one of the fastest evolving subjects, requires professionals who keep up with the industry trends. And stay updated with the latest in the industry is one of the top qualities that every valued cybersecurity consultant should have.  

Planning to be a Cyber Security Consultant?  

Undoubtedly, there is a high demand for cybersecurity professionals today and considering the rising risks and threats in cyberspace, the demand will rise exponentially in the upcoming times as well. Hence, if you’re looking forward to making a career as a Cybersecurity Consultant, you can consider yourself on the right track. Meanwhile, you just need to prepare yourself with all the right combinations of skills and other necessary requisites to fulfill your dreams!!

Source: geeksforgeeks.org

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Ethical hacking – Practical Phishing

Phishing :

It is a way to gather personal information using deceptive e-mails and websites. It is a very regular practice done in every field, it can be done by professional hackers or a normal person also. It can be done through a simple trap link or a fully prepared fake account on Facebook or on some other platform. So it is very important to know how to resist them.

The most common technique that people are using for hacking your personal accounts like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and almost all accounts through Facebook is Trap links. These are the links that are made to trap users and redirect them to any random website where they lost their account credentials.

Important points :

◉ Trap links are sent most often through some of the fake accounts on Facebook. make sure to check the profile before talking to any stranger. If the profile is newly created then it is possible that it can be a fake account.

◉ It is not always compulsory that it is a real account if that account has some mutual friends because most of the time they pick a single account and send friend requests to all their listed friends.

◉ A professional hacker can also create a dummy account that acts as bait in the process of phishing. When someone tries to view that profile or send a friend request to that dummy account then it redirects you to the page where they will say “login to continue” and users accidentally enter their email/phone and password and get hacked.

◉ The third way of trapping users is by sending links in the public domain like groups and comment sections. As Facebook is strictly working in this that no one can send inappropriate links in the form of comments and while posting any photos and videos, but identifying all the links is not possible and hackers may use link shortens and modifiers which makes it much harder for the Facebook community to identify them.

◉ After hacking user’s accounts they often blackmail them to leak their chats and other media and ask for a huge amount of money in place of that.

Identify phishing attacks :

◉ The website where you will be redirected will be something like a clone of some trusted websites like Facebook, Gmail, etc.

◉ It can be some known online game and will ask you “login with Facebook” or “login with Google” or “login to continue”.

◉ Most of the time it will be related to your interest as they try to track your activity and then send you something related to your interest so that you click that link.

◉ Always verify the domain name of that website as it will be something like big companies like Facebook, Netflix, etc. with some spelling mistakes.

Note –

To avoid these kind of activities or if you want to avoid then follow the given below link for your reference to avoid phishing attacks.

Source: geeksforgeeks.org

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Difference between Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking

1. Penetration Testing :

Penetration testing is done for finding vulnerabilities, malicious content, flaws and risks. It is done to build up the organizations’ security system to defend the IT infrastructure. It is an office procedure that can be deemed helpful and not a harmful attempt. It belongs to a part of an ethical hacking process where it specifically focuses only on penetrating the information system. 

2. Ethical Hacking :

An ethical hacker role is quite similar to that of penetration tester, but it encompasses diversified responsibilities. It is comprehensive term that includes all techniques along with other related cyber attack methods. Ethical hacking covers all hacking techniques, and other associated computer attack techniques.

Difference between Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking :

Penetration Testing	Penetration Testing
The main motive is to find vulnerabilities within the target environment.	The main motive is to encompass various attacks through different hacking techniques to find security flaws.
It focuses on the security of the specifics area defined for testing.	It is a comprehensive terms and penetration testing is one of the function of ethical hacker.
This requires a prior experience in the ethical hacker to be a good penetration tester.	This is a step towards penetration testing. One should know the methodologies, then they conduct a penates.
The penetration tester can work on a specific domain and networks. The knowledge requires is more specific at an expert level.	An ethical hacker should be aware of technicalities of the software and hardware of digital devices connected to the network.
It requires less paper work as compared to Ethical hacking.	It requires detailed paper works are required, including legal agreement etc.
It requires less time.	It involves lot of time and effort compared to Penetration testing.
It access is required only to those systems on which the pen testing will be conducted.	It access is required to a wide range of computer systems throughout an IT infrastructure.

Source: geeksforgeeks.org

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How to Make a Career in Ethical Hacking?

Indeed, Cyber Security is one of the fastest evolving industries across the world. Moreover, due to the rapidly increasing number of cyber-attacks, almost every organization is demanding for the professionals who can deal with such situations and can take preventive measures to avoid the security breach or loss of data. And here comes the role of Ethical Hackers – a cybersecurity professional who legitimately assess or penetrates the organization’s network structure to find security vulnerabilities and fix them accordingly. There are various IT giants like Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, etc. that offer ravishing career opportunities in the Ethical Hacking domain.

Before moving further, let’s take a brief introduction to Ethical Hacking. Ethical Hacking is a lawful practice of getting into the system or network which is done by professionals to identify potential security threats and data breaches in the organization’s network. The main aim of practicing Ethical Hacking is to strengthen the network security system of an organization. Moreover, Ethical Hackers are also known as ‘White Hat Hackers’ and follow the same techniques & methodologies as Black Hat Hackers but in a lawful and authorized manner. An Ethical Hacker can be responsible for various roles & responsibilities in an organization such as:

◉ Determine the security breaches and vulnerabilities in the organization’s system or network.

◉ Regularly monitor the data flow, network activity, etc. to analyze the security level.

◉ Comes up with various suggestions & plans for network security improvements.

◉ Conduct penetration tests on the latest embedded security measurements, etc.

Now the question arises – How to make a successful & worthwhile career in Ethical Hacking? And with the same concern, let’s go through the complete career path that needs to be followed to get into Ethical Hacking:

1. Start with the Academics

This is the first & foremost thing you need to do to make a career in Ethical Hacking – ensure your study field is concerned or related to the Ethical Hacking (in general, CyberSecurity or IT world!!). Although, it is not mandatory to have a specific educational background for getting into the Ethical Hacking field still having a degree or academic background in the related domain such as Computer Science, Information Technology, etc. will lay your foundation and help you to make it big in the Ethical Hacking. You can opt for Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in CS/IT or can also go with specific programs or courses related to Ethical Hacking. Moreover, various organizations also demand these educational qualifications as prerequisites while recruiting for Ethical Hackers.

2. Learn Programming Languages & Operating Systems

For being a worthwhile Ethical Hacker, you’re required to get proficient with Programming Languages and the frameworks. It helps Ethical Hackers to identify programming errors or vulnerabilities, implementation of security solutions, automation of the tasks, and many more aspects. You can opt for programming languages like C/C++, Java, Python, Ruby, etc. to get into Ethical hacking. Meanwhile, you’re also required to learn about several Operating Systems such as LINUX, UNIX, Windows, iOS, etc. You must have a thorough understanding of the functionalities of these operating systems along with the respective commands to emerge as an affluent Ethical Hacker.

3. Sound Knowledge of Network & Security

Needless to say, understanding of Computer Networks & CyberSecurity concepts is the core aspect of Ethical Hacking. You’re required to have a knowledge of computer networking & security from basic to the advanced level such as Virtual Private Networks (VPN), firewalls, cryptography, Denial of Service attacks (DoS attacks), etc. Although several hacking concepts such as Penetration Testing, Cloud Computing malware, SQL Injection, Vulnerability Assessment, and various others are also required to be taken into consideration. You can opt for books, tutorials, journals, and various other resources command over the computer networks and cybersecurity concepts.

4. Join Training Programs to Enhance Ethical Hacking Skills

Ethical Hacking is a vast and in-depth domain and you’re required to acquire the knowledge of ethical hacking from beginner to advanced level to get expertise in the field. Meanwhile, you can start to learn Ethical Hacking skills through reading books, watching videos, etc. but after reaching a certain level you’ll be required to interact with the professionals, gain some practice knowledge, etc. to gain more exposure and understanding of the domain. And with the same concern, you’re recommended to go for relevant and worthwhile training programs or boot camps to learn and practice the ethical hacking skills in a real-world environment.

5. Get Relevant Certifications

Once you’ll get done with the above-mentioned learning processes, now you’re required to get certified and validate your ethical hacking skills. These certifications will not help you to prove your knowledge & skills but can directly land up you various career opportunities in IT giants even without having enough experience in the industry. There are various prestigious certifications in the Ethical Hacking domain such as Certified Ethical Hacker, Global Information Assurance Certification, Offensive Security Certified Professional, Certified Vulnerability Assessor, and various others.

Among all these certifications, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is one of the most demanding and renowned ethical hacking certifications. The CEH exam consists of 125 multiple-choice questions related to the ethical hacking field such as SQL Injection, Backdoors, Session Hijacking, etc. that need to be solved within 240 minutes.

6. Dive into Ethical Hacking Profession

Now, it’s time to start your professional career in the field of Ethical Hacking. In the initial stages, you can start with several entry-level jobs in the domain such as Security Analyst, Penetration Tester, etc. and then switch over to senior-level Ethical Hacker jobs. There are various job profiles associated with ethical hacking such as Network Security Administrator, System Manager, Web Security Manager, Information Security Manager, and many more. Meanwhile, Apart from the private IT giants, you can join several government organizations such as the investigation department, law & military enforcement, etc. as Ethical Hackers.

Apart from these technical aspects, you’re required to work on several soft-skills and other required areas as well. Firstly, you must be a creative thinker and come up with various innovative ideas as you’re required to mess with numerous deceitful minds (yes, Black Hat Hackers!!) over the network. Meanwhile, you need to be a Problem-Solver, Investigative, and Adaptable for being a proficient Ethical Hacker. Meanwhile, there are several recommended books mentioned below that you can take into consideration in your journey of learning Ethical Hacking:

◉ Hacking: A Beginners’ Guide to Computer Hacking

◉ The Hacker’s Underground Handbook

◉ Hacking: The Art of Exploitation

◉ All-In-One CEH Certified Ethical Hacker

So, these are several major approaches that you need to follow to become a successful Ethical Hacker. Also, considering the current scenario of the IT world, the demand for Ethical Hackers is going to rapidly increase. Mow, what are you waiting for? Go out there, follow the above-mentioned approaches, and become a proficient Ethical Hacker to make the digital world safer for everyone!!

Source: geeksforgeeks.org

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Phishing in Ethical Hacking

Go through the “Spam” section of your Email. What do you see?? You might have won a brand new Audi or a mind-boggling amount in a lottery that you didn’t even purchase, asking for credit card details. Or your bank might be asking to verify your account details via email in urgency. Do you see things similar to the above cases in your spam section? This is where Phishing comes into picture.

Phishing is a type of Social Engineering attack that aims to obtain sensitive information including the bank account number, usernames, passwords, and credit card details. It is mostly done by sending fake emails that appear to have come from a legitimate source, or it can be in the form of Vishing. The recipient is mostly manipulated to click a malicious link that can install malware or access sensitive information. Or it can simply be a case of Typosquatting that redirects the recipient to a malicious website in order to obtain login credentials.

Common Features of Phishing Emails:

◉ It will have an eye-catching subject such as “Congratulations! You’ve won an iphone”.

◉ It will reflect a sense of urgency so that the recipient doesn’t get enough time to re-think and make a mistake in the hurry that can later benefit the attackers.

◉ It will have attachments that make no sense with respect to that email.

Threats of Phishing:

Almost all kinds of Internet theft is possible through Phishing. It can be very dangerous if the received malicious link is being clicked. It can:

◉ Redirect to a website used for malicious purposes.

◉ Install malware or Ransomware to the PC.

◉ Steal confidential data of the Internet users such as credit card information.

◉ Steal the identity of the users for the purpose of Identity theft.

Preventive Measures:

The first and foremost thing that I recommend is to go through the email thoroughly. The attackers make tiny mistakes which often gets skipped while reading. Re-check the spellings, the source, the subject before taking any further step.

◉ Computer security tools should be in updated form.

◉ Never open suspicious email attachments.

◉ Never click on suspicious email links.

◉ Don’t provide confidential information via email, over phone or text messages.

◉ Don’t post your personal data, like your vacation plans, or your address or phone number, publicly on social media.

We are surrounded by threats. To mark us safe, all we can do is to spread awareness regarding the threats alongside the preventive measures. Spread awareness among your known ones. Stay safe.

Source: geeksforgeeks.org

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Top 5 Applications of Machine Learning in Cyber Security

Cybersecurity is a critical part of any company. Not only companies but even governments need top-class cybersecurity to make sure that their data remains private and is not hacked or leaked for all the world to see! And with the increasing popularity of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, these technologies are even becoming key players in the field of cybersecurity. Machine Learning has many applications in Cyber Security including identifying cyber threats, improving available antivirus software, fighting cyber-crime that also uses AI capabilities, and so on.

The last point is extremely relevant as many cybercriminals also use Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to improve and enhance their cyberattacks. According to a study conducted by Capgemini Research Institute, AI is necessary for cybersecurity because hackers are already using it for cyberattacks. 75% of the surveyed executives also believe that AI allows for a faster response to security breaches. Therefore, Machine Learning based cybersecurity software is fast becoming a necessity and not only a luxury.

So let’s see the top 5 Applications of Machine Learning in Cyber Security which companies can use so that they are safe and secure. Companies can easily do this by first implementing AI in their existing CyberSecurity protocols and then move on to specialty AI and ML Cybersecurity vendors. This can be done by using predictive analytics to detect threats and malicious activity, using natural language processing for security, enhancing biometric-based login techniques, etc.

1. Cyber Threat Identification

Cybersecurity is a very important component of all companies. After all, if a hacker manages to enter their systems, they are toast! The most difficult component of cybersecurity is finding out if the connection requests into the system are legitimate and any suspicious looking activities such as receiving and sending large amounts of data are the work of professionals in the company or some cyber threats. This is very difficult to identify for cybersecurity professionals, especially in large companies where requests range in the thousands all the time and human s are not always accurate. That’s where machine learning can provide a lot of help to professionals. A cyber threat identification system that is powered by AI and ML can be used to monitor all outgoing and incoming calls as well as all requests to the system to monitor suspicious activity. For example, Versive is an artificial intelligence vendor that provides cybersecurity software in conjugation with AI.

2. AI-based Antivirus Software

It is commonly recommended to install Antivirus before using any system. This is because antivirus protects your system by scanning any new files on the network to identify if they might match with a known virus or malware signature. However, this traditional antivirus requires constant upgrades to keep up with all the upgrades in the new viruses and malware being created. That’s where machine learning can be extremely helpful. Antivirus software that is integrated with machine learning tries to identify any virus or malware by its abnormal behavior rather than its signature. In this way, it can manage threats that are common and previously encountered and also new threats from viruses or malware that were recently created. For example, Cylance a software company has created a smart antivirus that learns how to detect viruses or malware from scratch and thus does not depend on identifying their signatures to detect them.

3. User Behavior Modeling

Some cyberthreats can attack a particular company by stealing the login credentials of any of their users and then illegally logging into the network. This is very difficult to detect by normal antivirus as the user credentials are authentic and the cyberattack may even happen without anyone knowing. Here, machine learning algorithms can provide help by using user behavior modeling. The machine learning algorithm can be trained to identify the behavior of each user such as their login and logout patterns. Then any time a user behaves out of their normal behavioral method, the machine learning algorithm can identify it and alert the cybersecurity team that something is out of the ordinary. Of course, some changes in user behavior patterns and entirely natural but this will still help in catching more cyberthreats than conventional methods. For example, there is a cybersecurity software provided by Darktrace that uses machine learning to identify the normal behavioral patterns of all the users in a system by analyzing the network traffic information.

4. Fighting AI Threats

Many hackers are now taking advantage of technology and using machine learning to find the holes in security and hack systems. Therefore, it is very important that companies fight fire with fire and use machine learning for cybersecurity as well. This might even become the standard protocol for defending against cyberattacks as they become more and more tech-savvy. Take into account the devastating NotPetya attack that utilized EternalBlue, a software hole in Microsoft’s Windows OS. These types of attacks can get even more devastating in the future with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning unless cybersecurity software also uses the same technology. An example of this is Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity technology company that uses Falcon Platform which is a security software imbued with artificial intelligence to handle various cyberattacks.

5. Email Monitoring

It is very important to monitor the official Email accounts of employees in a company to prevent cybersecurity attacks such as phishing. Phishing attacks can be done by sending fraudulent Emails to employees and asking them for private information such as sensitive information related to their job, their banking and credit card details, company passwords, etc. Cybersecurity software along with machine learning can be used to avoid these phishing traps by monitoring the employees’ professional emails to check if any features indicate a cybersecurity threat. Natural language processing can also be used to scan the Emails and see if there is anything suspicious such as some patterns and phrases that may indicate that the Email is a phishing attempt. For example, Tessian is a famous software company that provides Email monitoring software that can be used to check if an email is a phishing attempt or a data breach. This is done using natural language processing and anomaly detection technologies to identify threats.

Future of Machine Learning and Cybersecurity

Machine learning is still a comparatively new addition to the field of cybersecurity. However, the above given 5 applications of Machine Learning in Cybersecurity are a good start in this field. The only thing to keep in mind is that machine learning algorithms should minimize their false positives i.e. actions that they identify as malicious or part of a cyberattack but that are not. Companies need to ensure that they consult with their cybersecurity specialists who can provide the best solutions in identifying and handling new and different types of cyberattacks with even more precision using machine learning.

Source: geeksforgeeks.org

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