Topics Discussed in this Appendix:

• White Hat Vulnerability Testing

• White Hat Protection Tools

Introduction

Appendix A looks at some of the tools security analyst's can use to help test and secure their networks. For the exam, it is important to be comfortable with using tools that test systems and protect them from exploitation.

Following are some of the terms used in this appendix:

• White Hat As functional security analyst's working to defend and protect the systems they administer from attack and exploitation, White Hats test hacking tools in a controlled environment. Think of a White Hat as a "good guy" when it comes to network security.

• Black Hat Black Hats create tools to manipulate weaknesses within running systems for the purpose of causing harm. Black Hats are usually highly skilled in networking and programming and can create most of the tools they use themselves. These are the most dangerous of the "bad guys" in network security.

• Gray Hat Falling somewhere in the middle of White Hats and Black Hats, Gray Hats are hackers who are not as malicious as Black Hats, but do not necessarily share the White Hat's beliefs that security breaches should be reported to vendors for repair.

• Script Kiddies Script Kiddies are Black Hat wannabe's who find tools online to use to cause harm to networks.