Information Security and Ethical Hacking · Topic 1 of 3
Security and Hacking Concepts
Learn the CEH basics: the five elements of information security, key hacking terms, hacker classes, hacking phases and what an ethical hacker may do.
- 5 min
- EC-Council lists five elements: confidentiality, integrity, availability, authenticity, non-repudiation.
- Attack = motive + method + vulnerability.
- Black box means no knowledge, gray box partial, white box full.
What it is
Information security protects information and the systems that hold it. EC-Council describes it with five elements, and it frames every attack as a threat actor using a method against a weakness.
Hacking means gaining access to a system or resource without permission, or exceeding the access you were given. Ethical hacking uses the same techniques with written permission, to find weaknesses before a criminal does.
How it works
The five elements of information security
| Element | Meaning | Typical attack on it |
|---|---|---|
| Confidentiality | Only authorized people can read the data | Eavesdropping, data theft |
| Integrity | Data is not changed without authorization | Tampering, man in the middle changes |
| Availability | Systems and data are usable when needed | Denial of service |
| Authenticity | The data or the sender is genuine | Spoofing, forged documents |
| Non-repudiation | A sender cannot deny having sent a message | Weak logging, missing digital signatures |
The first three are the classic CIA triad. EC-Council adds authenticity and non-repudiation, so expect the five-element version.
Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hack value | How attractive a target is to an attacker |
| Vulnerability | A weakness in a system, process or person |
| Exploit | A piece of code or a technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability |
| Payload | The part of an attack that performs the harmful action after the exploit succeeds |
| Zero-day | A flaw with no vendor patch yet available |
| Daisy chaining | Using access gained on one system to attack the next one |
| Doxing | Collecting and publishing personal information about a person |
| Bot | A machine under remote control of an attacker, often part of a botnet |
| Threat | A possible event that could harm an asset |
A useful formula: attack = motive (goal) + method + vulnerability.
Attack vectors and information warfare
An attack vector is the path used to reach the target. Common ones are cloud computing, mobile devices, the Internet of Things, viruses and worms, ransomware, phishing, web applications, botnets, insider attacks and the supply chain.
Information warfare is the use of information and communication technology to gain an advantage over an opponent. It has defensive and offensive forms, and it includes command and control warfare and cyber warfare.
Hacker classes
| Class | Description |
|---|---|
| Black hat | Attacks for personal gain or damage, without permission |
| White hat | Defender or ethical hacker, works with permission |
| Gray hat | Works between the two, may break rules but without the aim of harm |
| Suicide hacker | Attacks without caring about being caught or punished |
| Script kiddie | Uses ready-made tools with little skill |
| Cyber terrorist | Attacks to cause fear or damage for political or religious goals |
| State-sponsored hacker | Employed by a government to gain intelligence |
| Hacktivist | Attacks to promote a political or social cause |
| Insider | Employee or partner who misuses legitimate access |
The five phases of hacking
Reconnaissance is split into passive (no direct contact with the target, such as search engines) and active (direct contact, such as calling the help desk or probing the network).
Ethical hacking concepts
An ethical hacker needs permission in writing, a defined scope and rules of engagement. The report goes to the organization, and findings are kept confidential.
Penetration tests are classed by how much the tester knows in advance.
| Type | Knowledge of the tester |
|---|---|
| Black box | None, the tester starts as an outsider |
| Gray box | Partial, such as one user account or a network diagram |
| White box | Full, including source code and architecture |
A penetration test has three stages: pre-attack (planning and reconnaissance), attack (gaining access and escalating) and post-attack (reporting and cleanup). A vulnerability assessment lists weaknesses but does not exploit them, while a penetration test tries to exploit them to prove the impact.
A worked example
A hospital wants to know whether a stranger on its guest Wi-Fi could reach patient records. The hospital signs a contract naming the guest network and the records server as in scope, forbids denial of service, and gives the tester no credentials. This is a black box test, run in the pre-attack, attack and post-attack stages, and the final report lists what was reached and how to close the gap.
How the exam asks about this
- "An attacker alters invoice amounts in transit. Which element is violated?" -> Integrity.
- "A tester is given full source code and network diagrams. Which test is this?" -> White box.
- "A flaw is exploited before any patch exists. What is it called?" -> Zero-day.
What to remember for the exam
- EC-Council lists five elements: confidentiality, integrity, availability, authenticity, non-repudiation.
- Attack = motive + method + vulnerability.
- Black box means no knowledge, gray box partial, white box full.
- Hacking phases: reconnaissance, scanning, gaining access, maintaining access, clearing tracks.
- Ethical hacking always needs written permission and a defined scope.
Do not mix up a hacktivist (political cause) with a gray hat (ambiguous ethics) or a script kiddie (low skill, ready-made tools).
Common mistakes
Treating availability as the only target of denial of service. Denial of service attacks availability, but a disrupted service can also hide other attacks.
Confusing vulnerability assessment with penetration testing. An assessment finds and ranks weaknesses. A penetration test also exploits them to show real impact.
Assuming ethical hackers can test anything. The scope and rules of engagement limit what may be tested, and anything outside them is unauthorized.
Check yourself
Which two elements does EC-Council add to the CIA triad?
Authenticity and non-repudiation.
What distinguishes a gray box test from a white box test?
In a gray box test the tester has only partial knowledge, while in a white box test the tester has full knowledge such as source code.
What is a zero-day?
A vulnerability that has no vendor patch available yet, so defenders have had no time to fix it.
Topic 1 of 3 in Information Security and Ethical Hacking
Test yourself on Information Security and Ethical Hacking
The full EC-Council 312-50 question bank has 1,000 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
This study guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by EC-Council. Vendor names, certification names and exam codes are trademarks of their respective owners and are used for identification only.