If you want to advance your profession by using the most recent technological advancements, you should have the abilities required for ethical hacking. In today's world, when data has become a valuable asset and hacking has become a serious concern, ethical hackers must step forward to defend the internet from cybercriminals.
Python has recently seen an increase in its use for ethical hacking tasks. In this blog, we will learn about ethical hacking with Python, as well as their relationship and growing importance in today's world.
What is Ethical Hacking?
As the name suggests, hacking done with ethical purposes is known as ethical hacking. It is opposite to the practice of non-ethical hackers, which the black hat hackers do for their unethical gains and vested interests.
In the process of ethical hacking, white hat hackers try to penetrate the security system of the devices and network of an organization. Consequently, they find and intimate the organizations about the flaws in the security system, which the hackers can misuse to breach the security system.
Ethical hacking is done to find a system's vulnerabilities and then guide the organization to get away with those loopholes to create a more robust security system.
Key Protocols of Ethical Hacking
The four main protocols that differentiate ethical hacking from non-ethical hacking are mentioned below:
- Get Legal Consent
Every ethical hacker must obtain legal consent before penetrating the system of an organization.
- Understand the scope
An ethical hacker should understand the scope of assessment he/she is making, no matter who the client is.
- Create vulnerability reports
The ethical hacker needs to make vulnerability reports and submit them to the organization on which the assessment was conducted, helping them find solutions for the problems.
- Consider data sensitivity
The ethical hackers need to comply with the organization's non-disclosure agreement, keeping data sensitivity in mind.
What is Python?
Python is a programming language for pretty extensive levels. It is a simple yet quite powerful scripting language. Due to its potent libraries, it has gained a lot of significance lately. It is very versatile and can be used for any programming type.
Basically, Python is used as a programming language for the creation of software, apps, websites, etc. The other tasks done by using Python include data analysis and automated tasks. It comes with a straightforward coding language.
It is updated every 12 months to ensure that there are no bugs and the security parameters are intact. To get the best results, you should use the latest version.
Python is used for creating and processing text, displaying numbers and images, and solving huge scientific equations that a human mind cannot do easily. It is also used to save data and process numerous elements for your devices.
Why Use Python for Ethical Hacking?
As of today, Python has acquired a lot of significance, especially in the field of ethical hacking. One of the reasons for this, as discussed above, is the vast libraries it has, which are powerful yet easy to use. They make the job of any hacker or developer simple. The readability of Python is also amazing, making Python for ethical hacking a great choice.
Python is more accessible than Java or any other such program. This way, ethical hackers can cross-examine functions and variables with a lot of ease. Therefore, hackers can search for a language with a simple code style and syntax.
Some of the libraries of nifty pythons, such as Pulsar, NetworkX, etc., make it much easier for the developers. It is easy to learn, implement, and highly effective, which are the reasons for its popularity.
Benefits of Python in Ethical Hacking
What are the benefits you get when you conduct ethical hacking with Python? Let us take a look.
- Small Scripts
Ethical hackers complete their work by generating small scripts. Python is a scripted language; thus, it is a great option for small programs.
- Career Opportunities
Ethical hackers who are well-versed with Python get to receive a plethora of career options.
- Python Libraries
The libraries in Python are easily accessible and make work easier for the developers. Some libraries include Numpy, PyTorch, Keras, TensorFlow, etc.
- Python Community
The python community is the one-stop destination for all the developers, where they can find the solution to all their problems related to ethical hacking with Python.
- Third-Party Modules
Many third-party modules come with Python so that it can communicate with other systems and languages easily.
- Data-Structures
The data structures of Python, including lists and dictionaries, are quite user-friendly and help developers create quick data structures.
Demonstration - Password Cracker
The most prevalent use of ethical hacking with Python is concerning passwords. It is difficult to breach and identify a secured password as it appears in password hashes instead of plain text form. There are two ways in which passwords can be retrieved for a website using ethical hacking with Python, as discussed below.
1. Dictionary Attack
It is a simple and easy way to target and breach the passwords of an organization. With a simple code, you can easily conduct a dictionary attack on the password.
2. Brute Force Attack
The steps included in using the brute force attack for cracking passwords are mentioned below:
- Provide the set of characters that is customizable and can be utilized for the generation of passwords
- Use the pyautogui module to ask the user for a password.
- The length of the brute-forced combinations will be identified by the number of characters in the password.
- By running through multiple random combinations of a fixed length, the brute force function eventually finds the correct password.
- The final code block
Final Thoughts
Learning ethical hacking with Python is one of the most important things for any computer scientist. Python offers around 70 programming languages that can be used efficiently to create small scripts. It has become an attractive option for programmers.
Other important careers, such as engineering, data scientists, etc., also require knowledge of Python today. Especially if you wish to make a career in ethical hacking, you should be acquainted with Python, as it is the most widely used language by hackers around the world today due to its ease and effectiveness.
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