Practice "social engineering" by trying to convince a company's employees to reveal their passwords.
Help a bank find vulnerabilities in its website and help protect customer account information.
Try to break through a company's firewall to gain access to its private network.
Test if a website will let a user upload files containing malicious code.
Overview
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In movies and in the media, computer hackers are often portrayed as the bad guys—criminals who steal money or important information. What if you could be a good hacker? Somebody whose job is to find security flaws in computer systems; but rather than exploiting them for personal gain, you help fix the problems before criminals can find them? That is what ethical hackers—also called "white hat" hackers—do. Companies pay them to intentionally try to break into their systems to expose vulnerabilities. It is a bit like paying somebody to try and break into your house so you can fix a broken lock or loose window if they find their way inside. If you have always dreamed of being a hacker, but do not want to break the law, this could be the career for you!
Video for Careers in Cyber Security
Watch this video to see interviews with multiple experts in the field of information security.
Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of an Ethical Hacker?
Critical Thinking:?Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Original Thinking:?Seeking new and creative ways to solve problems or invent solutions.
Complex Problem Solving:?Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making:?Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Systems Evaluation:?Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
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