Testing your web applications and information systems for security weaknesses is very useful. It reveals where your weak points lie and what measures you are not properly implementing that might expose you to hackers. Hackers have a certain mindset and set of procedures they use to break into systems. These methods are the same ones that white hacking applies to find out the weak points before the hackers do. A white hat hacker will work with the same mindset as a normal hacker and study a system for weaknesses. The hacker will try to find out workarounds for system security measures and reveal the weaknesses that lie in a security system.
For instance, a database that is connected to the internet can be exposed due to weak query structures and validation in the design. Validation of queries before expecting them is very important for modern web applications and database systems with many modern systems totally ignoring the step. Overlooking this step makes it possible for weird characters and illegal operators to be injected into the query. This makes it possible to modify the information on your database owing to a weak reinforcement of the database rules. After the white hat hacking, the investigation reveals ways of upgrading your database design and functions to make it more secure. All the weaknesses and vulnerabilities that are identified by the white hat hacking will be used to make a more secure system.
The security of a system can be enhanced by thinking from the point of view of a destructive hacker. As such, the system gets to be secured much better and all the new tricks that a hacker might be trying are safeguarded against much earlier in advance. This is very important for modern systems that are exposed to the internet and make a target for the hackers to try out their exploits. With the white hat hacking, the exploits are uncovered early enough to take the necessary steps and secure the applications. The vulnerabilities also reveal security bugs that exist in software applications and are used for better, better performing software applications.
At the workplace, white hat hacking can be used to prepare for the actual hackers. It ensures that all the possible methods that the hacker might be trying to develop for the web application or the information system are well secured against. Your system then gets to stay safe and secure from actual attacks by the hackers owing to the security upgrades that follow the white hat hacking. Hackers will have a harder time trying to gain access into your information systems or networks owing to the upgrades you have made. They will not be able to hack into your systems as all their methods will be covered. Your firewalls, for instance, will be able to identify their attack patterns and signature. This will alert you whenever there is an attempt on your information system, allowing you to block out the suspicious traffic and keep the hackers at bay.
