(Newswire.net — November 4, 2021) — Hiring a hacker online can be a simple and painless task if you know what you’re doing. For example, anyone thinking about paying a hacker to hack into Instagram, Facebook, or any other social media platform, or let’s say you made an application and wanted to test it. So simply hiring a hacker to test the penetration testing of your application is the most important step to make sure it’s ready for production.
Ethical and unethical hacking
Before we get started with the tips, the first thing to understand is the difference between ethical and unethical hacking.
Ethical hackers:
An ethical hacker’s goal is to prevent a black hat hacker from stealing data, money, or gaining access to restricted networks. In addition, ethical hackers learn how to spot potential network security risks and vulnerabilities. These types of hackers are the ones that you’ll be hiring to do your hacking.
Unethical hackers:
The goal of black hat hackers or unethical hackers, to mention a few things, is to steal important information, money, free software, and get access to restricted networks. Phreaker, cracker, carder, and script kiddies are all terms used to describe different types of unethical hackers. Each with the criminal intent and goal of stealing information or money. These types of hackers you’ll always avoid.
8 brilliant tips to hire genuine hackers
Following are the tips for hiring an ethical or white-hat hacker:
Clean Your Rolodex:Â
Instead of choosing expensive, well-known consulting firms, rely on word of mouth and recommendations from trustworthy colleagues. Veteran penetration testers often suggest this as the most reliable way to find skilled and ethical penetration testers (hackers). If you don’t have any leads, try Upwork. Upwork is a safe and reliable way to hire genuine hackers who have been vetted, and reviewed by others who have hired them.
Budget Wisely:
External pen testing costs vary based on environment size and engagement duration. Many companies offer “commoditized” engagements. These engagements last one to ten days and cost $10,000 to $12,000. They include attack lists, screenshots, and sample code. On the higher end, continuous scanning for large corporations can cost millions. A one-to-two-week effort is usually recommended.
Regularly Scan Your Environment:
Regularly use automatic tools to scan your environment. This helps identify critical systems needing thorough testing.
Try It Yourself:
Use free or low-cost open-source tools for basic vulnerability screenings. This can identify obvious flaws, even on a budget. For example, Kali Linux offers penetration testing tools, including network traffic analysis and vulnerability screening. These tools may not match a professional tester’s expertise but provide a good understanding of your threat environment.
Scrutinize Penetration Testing:
More thorough and aggressive pen testing uncovers more vulnerabilities. However, it also increases costs and risks. Automated scanning tools are “throttled back” if they generate too much network traffic. This reduces system risks. You can further reduce risks by limiting testing to off-hours. Alternatively, create test environments specifically for attacks. Testing different sections of your infrastructure separately prevents you from being overwhelmed by results.
Choose the Right Penetration Test:
Ethical hackers use three types of tests: black-box, white-box, and gray-box. Black-box tests provide no information. White-box tests offer extensive inside information. Gray-box tests offer a middle ground, with some inside information. Since hackers easily find basic information, most clients choose white- or gray-box tests. Developers also benefit.
Tap into Different Skill Sets:
Use different testers for each round of testing. Rotating suppliers uncovers more vulnerabilities with varied methods.
Focus on Results:
Vendors provide detailed attack lists, explain each vulnerability, and offer a complete remediation plan. If you can’t address the issues, skip testing. Testing for compliance without fixing issues is a waste of money.
ENDNOTES
External penetration testing, when done correctly, is a low-cost way to observe your systems through the eyes of your worst enemies—real hackers. So, whether it’s an app you developed and need a hacker to test it or a social media site you might want to get into, choose hackers carefully, stay safe digitally!