Pure Hacking Blog

When you hear of computer forensics, the first thing that pops to mind might be a Crime Scene Investigator, pulling the plastic sheet off of a computer and inspecting for signs of a struggle. Nobody really ever talked about forensics in daily life until they started making those scientifically accurate primetime cop shows, so of course, simple word association generally leads us to forensic sciences being “Something cops do, right?”

Incidentally, the science behind computer forensics really isn’t much different from the science between crime scene forensics. In both instances, the forensics team or expert is looking for a trail of evidence. In either case, the investigator looks at what has happened, determines how it happened, and from that, deducts who might be responsible.

The major difference between the two is that, while an investigator on the scene of a robbery or a violent crime is looking for physical evidence, the computer forensics investigator is looking for digital evidence.

Interestingly, where physical evidence can often be misleading, confusing, ambiguous, and difficult to put together without the help of witness statements, digital evidence tends to present itself in a much more direct manner.

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You many know instinctively you need a computer security expert, but understanding the exact reasons means having a true sense of the complexity found in the computer industry today. Every day new upgrades, tools and applications are introduced and they are designed to interface with existing programs in many cases. New technology introductions also mean new security risks in both the programs and where applications are interfaced.

A company that does business with e-commerce or has a networked system which provides multi-user access from both inside and outside the organisation needs to install bullet proof glass, so to speak, when it comes to the security system. Your business needs to be able to reach out into the internet world to access customers, but you don’t want any hackers being able to shoot through your window and breaking the security glass. The security system should be like a bubble that protects your company assets from theft and damage.

Big Business

Hacking has become big business. The internet has enabled hacking to go global too. The complexity of today’s networked systems and applications cannot be understated and they are constantly in a state of flux too. There is new equipment, new software programs, and new user tools introduced all the time. All of this means the computer security system’s importance is elevated each time cutting edge technology and hacker sophistication grows.

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In the world of computer security, penetration testing is one of the most important concepts. Penetration testing is a method used to test a computer system or network to identify possible points where unauthorised access can be obtained. The purpose of penetration testing is to locate any and all points of vulnerability within the computer system. Basically the person doing the penetration testing is trying to hack into the system.

The term ethical hacking was devised to describe a tester who is hired to try and breach security in a computer system. Whereas the illegal hacker will steal information for the purposes of committing a crime, the ethical hacker will report information about hacking results so security can be improved. During penetration testing, someone has been authorised to breach a security system…if he or she can.

Assessing the Risk

Penetration testing can search for security system weaknesses in several ways.

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