Cybersecurity is paramount for businesses of all sizes. With the rise of cyber threats,
organisations are increasingly turning to ethical hackers, or white-hat hackers, to identify and fix
vulnerabilities in their systems before malicious hackers can exploit them. Ethical hacking
involves authorised, legal attempts to gain unauthorised access to a computer system,
application, or data, imitating the tactics and techniques of malicious attackers.

Here, we delve into the step-by-step process ethical hackers use to check a business’s
cybersecurity, ensuring robust protection against potential cyber threats.

1. Planning and Reconnaissance

The first step in the ethical hacking process is planning and reconnaissance. This involves
gathering as much information as possible about the target organisation to identify potential
entry points. This phase is also known as the pre-attack phase.

Sub-steps:

• Define Scope and Goals: Ethical hackers and the business define the scope and
objectives of the test. They agree on which systems and applications will be tested and
what the expected outcomes are.

• Passive Reconnaissance: This involves gathering information without directly
interacting with the target systems. Ethical hackers use publicly available resources like
websites, social media, and databases to collect data about the organisation’s
infrastructure, domain names, IP addresses, and more.

• Active Reconnaissance: This includes interacting with the target systems to gather
more detailed information. Techniques such as network scanning and ping sweeps help
identify active devices and open ports.

2. Scanning

The scanning phase involves using tools and techniques to examine the target systems for
vulnerabilities that can be exploited. This phase builds on the information gathered during
reconnaissance.

Sub-steps:

• Network Scanning: Ethical hackers use network scanning tools like Nmap to identify
active devices on the network, open ports, and services running on those ports.

• Vulnerability Scanning: Tools like Nessus and OpenVAS scan the network for known
vulnerabilities in the operating systems, applications, and network configurations.

• Enumeration: This involves gathering detailed information about network resources and
shares, user accounts, group memberships, and other network-related data.

3. Gaining Access

In this phase, ethical hackers attempt to exploit identified vulnerabilities to gain unauthorised
access to the target systems. The goal is to assess the effectiveness of the organisation’s
defences and understand the potential impact of a real attack.

Sub-steps:

• Exploitation: Ethical hackers use various exploitation techniques, such as SQL
injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflow attacks, to gain access to the
target systems.

• Privilege Escalation: Once access is gained, the next step is to escalate privileges to
gain higher-level access, such as root or administrative access. This helps in
understanding the extent of damage that could be caused by an attacker.

• Establishing Persistence: Ethical hackers establish persistent access to the target
systems to simulate an attacker maintaining long-term control over compromised
systems.

4. Maintaining Access

After gaining access, ethical hackers aim to maintain access to the target systems to observe
the potential impact over a longer period. This phase helps in assessing the organisation’s
ability to detect and respond to ongoing threats.

Sub-steps:

• Installing Backdoors: Ethical hackers may install backdoors or create new user
accounts to maintain access. This helps in simulating real-world attack scenarios where
attackers maintain long-term control over compromised systems.

• Evading Detection: Ethical hackers use various techniques to evade detection by
security measures such as intrusion detection systems (IDS) and antivirus software. This
helps in assessing the effectiveness of the organisation’s detection mechanisms.

5. Analysis and Reporting

The analysis and reporting phase involves documenting the findings of the ethical hacking
exercise, analysing the vulnerabilities, and providing recommendations for remediation.

Sub-steps:

• Data Analysis: Ethical hackers analyse the data collected during the testing phases to
identify patterns, understand the root causes of vulnerabilities, and assess the potential
impact of each vulnerability.

• Report Preparation: A comprehensive report is prepared detailing the findings of the
ethical hacking exercise. The report includes information on identified vulnerabilities,
exploitation methods, potential impacts, and recommendations for remediation.

• Executive Summary: An executive summary is provided for senior management,
highlighting the key findings and recommendations in a concise and easy-to-understand
format.

6. Remediation and Retesting

The remediation and retesting phase involves fixing the identified vulnerabilities and verifying
that the fixes are effective.

Sub-steps:

• Implementing Fixes: The organisation’s IT team implements the recommended fixes
for the identified vulnerabilities. This may involve applying patches, reconfiguring
systems, updating software, and enhancing security policies.

• Retesting: Ethical hackers perform retesting to ensure that the implemented fixes are
effective and that no new vulnerabilities have been introduced. This helps in validating
the security improvements and ensuring that the organisation’s systems are secure.

7. Final Review and Continuous Improvement

The final review and continuous improvement phase focuses on reviewing the overall ethical
hacking exercise and implementing measures for ongoing security improvements.

Sub-steps:

• Final Review: Ethical hackers and the organisation’s IT team conduct a final review to
discuss the findings, remediation efforts, and lessons learned from the ethical hacking
exercise.

• Continuous Monitoring: Continuous monitoring is implemented to ensure ongoing
security. This involves using security information and event management (SIEM)
systems, regular vulnerability assessments, and continuous threat intelligence updates.

• Training and Awareness: The organisation invests in training and awareness
programmes for employees to enhance their understanding of cybersecurity threats and
best practices. This helps in creating a security-conscious culture within the
organisation.

A Critical Component in Cybersecurity Strategy

Ethical hacking is a critical component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. By following
a structured, step-by-step process, ethical hackers can identify and address vulnerabilities
before they can be exploited by malicious attackers. This proactive approach helps businesses
protect their sensitive data, maintain customer trust, and ensure compliance with regulatory
requirements.

At CyberFlow, we specialise in providing ethical hacking services that are tailored to the unique
needs of your organisation. Our team of certified ethical hackers follows industry best practices
to help you achieve robust cybersecurity. Contact us today to learn more about how we can
help you secure your business against cyber threats.