Hacking For Dummies® 3rd Edition

Chapter 21. Ten Deadly Mistakes

Several deadly mistakes — when properly executed, of course — can wreak havoc on your ethical hacking outcomes and even your career. In this chapter, I discuss the potential pitfalls to be keenly aware of.

Not Getting Prior Approval in Writing

Getting documented approval, such as an e-mail, an internal memo, or a formal contract for your ethical hacking efforts — whether it's from management or your client — is an absolute must. It's your Get Out of Jail Free card.

Obtain documented approval that includes the following:

• Your plan, your schedule, and the systems to test.

• An authorized decision-maker's signature agreeing to the terms of your plan and agreeing not to hold you liable for malicious use or other bad things that can happen unintentionally.

Warning

No exceptions here — especially when you're doing work for clients: Make sure you get a signed copy of this document for your files.

Assuming That You Can Find All Vulnerabilities during Your Tests

So many security vulnerabilities exist — known and unknown — that you won't find them all during your testing. Don't make any guarantees that you'll find all the security vulnerabilities in a system. You'll be starting something that you can't finish.

Stick to the following tenets:

• Be realistic.

• Use good tools.

• Get to know your systems and practice honing your techniques.

Assuming That You Can Eliminate All Security Vulnerabilities

When it comes to computers, maintaining 100 percent, ironclad security ...