Ethical Hacking Simulator

Ethical hacking and penetration testing critical cybersecurity defense $10 billion industry 2024. Penetration testing simulates real attacks identify vulnerabilities before malicious hackers exploit (proactive security testing, find fix weaknesses, prevent data breaches cost millions). Common vulnerabilities: (1) SQL injection (manipulate database queries steal data, OWASP Top 10 risk, affect 60%+ web applications), (2) Cross-site scripting XSS (inject malicious scripts steal cookies sessions, reflected stored DOM-based types), (3) Broken authentication (weak passwords, session hijacking, credential stuffing attacks), (4) Security misconfiguration (default credentials, unnecessary services, verbose error messages leak information), (5) Insecure deserialization (exploit object deserialization remote code execution).

Penetration testing phases: (1) Reconnaissance (gather information target, OSINT open-source intelligence, DNS enumeration, social media footprinting), (2) Scanning (Nmap port scanning identify services, Nessus vulnerability scanning, banner grabbing version detection), (3) Exploitation (Metasploit framework exploit vulnerabilities, gain access systems, privilege escalation), (4) Post-exploitation (maintain access persistence, lateral movement network, data exfiltration), (5) Reporting (document findings, risk ratings CVSS scores, remediation recommendations). Tools essential: Kali Linux (Debian-based OS 600+ security tools, industry standard pentesters), Metasploit (exploit framework 2000+ modules, automate attacks payload delivery), Burp Suite (web application testing proxy intercept modify requests, scanner discovers vulnerabilities), Wireshark (network protocol analyzer packet capture, analyze traffic credentials), Nmap (network scanner port enumeration service detection). Real-world scenarios: web application testing (test e-commerce banking sites, find OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, SQLi XSS CSRF), network penetration (test corporate networks firewalls, wireless WPA2 cracking, VPN weaknesses), social engineering (phishing emails simulate attacks, test employee awareness, physical security tailgating), mobile application testing (Android iOS apps, API vulnerabilities, insecure data storage).

Certifications valuable: CEH Certified Ethical Hacker ($500-1200 exam, entry-level recognized globally, 125 questions 4 hours), OSCP Offensive Security Certified Professional ($1500 includes course lab 24-hour hands-on exam, highly respected practical), GPEN GIAC Penetration Tester ($2000+ advanced technical, no hands-on but comprehensive), eJPT Junior Penetration Tester (INE $200 beginner-friendly online). Career opportunities: penetration tester $1500-4000/month Vietnam ($80-150K US), security consultant $1500-3500/month (assess organizations security posture recommendations), bug bounty hunter $500-5000+/month (variable, HackerOne Bugcrowd platforms, find vulnerabilities rewards $100-100K+), SOC analyst $1000-2500/month (security operations center monitor threats incident response). Vietnam cybersecurity landscape: growing demand (digital transformation, banking fintech increase attacks, need security professionals), government initiatives (National Cybersecurity Strategy 2025, NCSC National Cyber Security Center), international opportunities (remote work global companies $2K-6K/month, language skills advantage).