Ethical hacker training is a course or training program that helps an individual learn how to operate advanced computer systems in ways that benefit rather than harm online targets. Hacking is a term for the use of technology to infiltrate the security apparatus of a website or other electronic infrastructure. While many hackers seek to disrupt businesses, steal information, or otherwise harm an enterprise or government, ethical hackers work for businesses and other established parties and against disruptive activities. Ethical hackers learn how unethical or illegal hackers gain access to cyber-locations and do damage, in an effort to defend cyber environments.
Part of the basis for ethical hacker training is the competition between two different types of hackers. These are sometimes called white hat and black hat hackers. The black hat hackers are those who are trying to negatively affect a target, or illegally gain from hacking activities. White hat hackers are those working to protect online targets. Some experts also mention an additional set of “grey hat” hackers who may be convinced to join on either side of a hacking effort, depending on payments or other factors.
In ethical hacker training, individuals will learn about many of the same tools and resources that black hat hackers commonly use. They will also learn about many of the methods and processes utilized by black hat hackers. For example, an ethical hacker training course could include information on access point or denial of service attacks. These courses might also cover the uses of specific technologies like Bluetooth, and how hackers use them to get access to web targets.
Many ethical hacker training courses and programs involve elements of certified ethical hacker certification. The modern version of this certification is called CEHv7. This is an extremely popular certification for technology professionals. The standard for CEH is maintained by an International Council of E-commerce Consultants, abbreviated as EC Council. This New Mexico-based organization provides standards for certification in ethical hacking.
In general, ethical hacker training adds to the resources of individual businesses and governments by creating a community of professionals who can understand how illegal or black hat hackers work. These professionals then go to work for employers, helping them to withstand efforts by hackers to penetrate their online systems. Ethical hackers might also learn to use other tools like firewalls to block other rogue hackers; these methods might even represent significant parts of an ethical hacker training program.