Penetration Testing mailing list archives
RE: Ethical Hacking Training
From: "Teicher, Mark (Mark)" <teicher () avaya com>
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:51:52 -0700
If you a good security practitioner originating from a system administrator background (at least 10 years hands-on experience with programming experience),SAGE, USENIX, etc, and also take stock in O'Reilly books. It appears that one would not need to attend an "Ethical" hacking course or label yourself as a "Ethical Hacker". Since tome, the term can be misconstrued as one could have been, possibly been, and still a "hacker" by trade. Look at several companies who produce security software products, they have research teams that scour the Internet looking for exploits, and also reading various mailing lists looking for postings by "hackers" who supposedly wrote a potential exploits, but yet the exploit code is a joke or has more holes in it than "Swiss Cheese" The term itself is a poorly chosen one. I have met several convicted hackers over my career, and some very good developers who can probably outwit, outsmart, and outcode a majority of the "hacker" wannabes. But I still wouldn't give the time of a day to a "Ethical Hacker" who knocks on my door trying to peddle their goods. /mark -----Original Message----- From: DeGennaro, Gregory [mailto:Gregory_DeGennaro () csaa com] Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2004 12:53 PM To: Teicher, Mark (Mark); Rob Shein; Andy Cuff [Talisker]; pen-test () securityfocus com Subject: RE: Ethical Hacking Training Very good statement and you do need to know your enemy. Just because you're a police officer, soldier, or in our case, information security engineers, does not mean you or I really know our enemy and their full or potential capabilities. Ethical hacking gives us an overview or lets us peer into the cracker's world. Of course, the classes do not have the latest cracks unless they have a honey pot running and receiving such traffic. Nor, does it make us crackers. It is only a look see and not cracker training. Ethical Hacking is really a coin term for the public and those who do not know the difference between hacker, wacker, and cracker. The public only knows or thinks they know what a hacker is. In reality, they have no clue that a hacker is good and the other two are not. Also, how do you propose a professional runs pen and vuln tests against their network to secure holes in their fortifications? There are good products on in the market; however not everyone can afford them, use them properly, or the software or device is not totally up to date or catches everything. Regards, Greg DeGennaro Jr., CCNP Security Analyst -----Original Message----- From: Teicher, Mark (Mark) [mailto:teicher () avaya com] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 7:10 PM To: Rob Shein; Andy Cuff [Talisker]; pen-test () securityfocus com Subject: RE: Ethical Hacking Training Talisker, I still have an issue with the term "Ethical hacking" It was a term born out of the Big Six when they were trying build their security practices and leverage their existing client base. I still feel the term is somewhat of slant on those who practice "holistic security" and actually attempt to help customers improve their network security posture instead of pointing out the "glaring" hole that those who practice "Ethical Hacking" like to do. I have worked in the past with those who preach and teach "Ethical Hacking" Many of those people have published books exploiting that exact theme. Why not spend the time in researching how to correct security exploits in enforcing secure coding standards and forcing vendors to clean up their act and making their products work more efficiently and securely. /mark --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current thread:
- SUMMARY: Re: Ethical Hacking Training, (continued)
- SUMMARY: Re: Ethical Hacking Training Andy Cuff [Talisker] (Jan 19)
- RE: Ethical Hacking Training charl van der walt (Jan 16)
- RE: Ethical Hacking Training Teicher, Mark (Mark) (Jan 18)
- Re: Ethical Hacking Training Jimi Thompson (Jan 19)
- Re: Ethical Hacking Training Steve Kemp (Jan 19)
- Re: Ethical Hacking Training Tim Gurney (Jan 20)
- RE: Ethical Hacking Training Rob Shein (Jan 20)
- Re: Ethical Hacking Training Jimi Thompson (Jan 19)
- RE: Ethical Hacking Training Pete Herzog (Jan 19)
- Re: Ethical Hacking Training Mike Hoskins (Jan 20)
- Re: Ethical Hacking Training Meritt James (Jan 19)
- Re: Ethical Hacking Training Stormwalker (Jan 20)
- RE: Ethical Hacking Training Kurt (Jan 20)
- Re: Ethical Hacking Training Kevin Johnson (Jan 20)
- RE: Ethical Hacking Training S. Thomas (Jan 20)