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What are the 10 rules that ethical hackers follow? [2025]
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What are the 10 rules that ethical hackers follow?
Hackers nowadays have many resources to learn hacking more intensely, and they use their skills on various platforms without knowing the consequences of that. For that, they need to know about what is ethical and what is unethical.
If you are one of them, then you can read about “What are the 10 rules that ethical hackers follow?” here, clearing your doubts about doing everything legally and ethically. What are we waiting for? Let’s get straight to the topic!
What is Ethical Hacking?
Attempting to legally and morally break into computer networks, apps, or systems to find security flaws is known as ethical hacking. Finding vulnerabilities that malevolent attackers could take advantage of without harming people or stealing data is the aim.
This enables businesses to comprehend their security posture and make the required adjustments to stop actual threats. Let’s see, “What are the 10 rules that ethical hackers follow?”
The 10 Commandments of Ethical Hackers in 2025
The following are the Top 10 commandments of ethical hackers:
- Thou shalt obtain explicit permission: Before performing any penetration tests or security assessments, obtain explicit written consent. This guarantees legality and establishes the extent.
- Thou shalt define the scope clearly: Recognize and accept the precise networks, applications, or systems that will be put to the test. Don’t cross these lines.
- Thou shalt report all findings transparently: All vulnerabilities found should be clearly and thoroughly documented and communicated to the customer or organization.
- Thou shalt not exploit vulnerabilities for personal gain: The goal is to find vulnerabilities so they can be fixed, not to use them to gain illegal access or make money.
- Thou shalt minimize harm: During the testing process, take care to prevent any harm, interruption, or data loss.
- Thou shalt respect confidentiality: Maintain the highest level of confidentiality for all information acquired during the engagement and refrain from disclosing it without authorization.
- Thou shalt erase traces of testing: After the evaluation is over, restore the systems to their initial configuration by deleting any tools, scripts, or backdoors that were utilized.
- Thou shalt act professionally and ethically: Throughout the interaction, remain extremely professional and uphold moral standards.
- Thou shalt continuously improve skills and knowledge: Keep abreast of the most recent dangers, weaknesses, and ethical hacking methods.
- Thou shalt operate within the law: Respect all applicable cybersecurity and data privacy laws and rules in the operating jurisdiction (currently New Delhi, Delhi, India).
Benefits of Ethical Hacking Skills for Organizations
| S.No. | Benefits | How? |
| 1. | Identify Vulnerabilities Proactively | To find security flaws in networks, applications, and systems before bad actors can take advantage of them, ethical hackers mimic actual attacks. |
| 2. | Enhance Security Posture | Organizations can increase their overall defenses, repair flaws, and apply specialized security measures by knowing their vulnerabilities. |
| 3. | Prevent Data Breaches and Financial Losses | Early vulnerability detection and mitigation can avoid expensive data breaches, monetary losses, and harm to one’s reputation. |
| 4. | Ensure Regulatory Compliance | To prevent possible legal repercussions, ethical hacking assists firms in adhering to industry-specific security legislation and compliance standards. |
| 5. | Improve Security Awareness | A security-conscious culture can be fostered by educating staff members about security threats and best practices using the insights gathered from ethical hacking assessments. |
| 6. | Test Incident Response Capabilities | The efficacy of an organization’s incident response plan can be assessed by ethical hacker-simulated attacks, which enable enhancements to detection and recovery procedures. |
| 7. | Build Customer Trust | Customers are more confident in the company’s ability to protect their data when ethical hacking is used to demonstrate a commitment to security. |
| 8. | Gain an Attacker’s Perspective | By thinking like malevolent attackers, ethical hackers offer insightful information about attack methods and vectors, enabling organizations to better foresee and fend against possible dangers. |
Top 10 Industries that need ethical hacking skills in 2025
The following are some of the industries that need ethical hacking skills:
- Finance (Banking, Insurance, Fintech): These organizations are frequently the focus of cyberattacks because they manage enormous volumes of sensitive financial data. Digital wallets, financial transactions, and consumer data security all depend on ethical hackers.
- Healthcare: To preserve patient privacy and the integrity of medical systems, ethical hacking is crucial in the healthcare industry since it handles extremely sensitive patient data, such as personal information and medical records.
- Government and Military: Public services, vital infrastructure, and national security information are handled by government agencies. To detect and protect government systems from cyberattacks and espionage, ethical hackers are essential.
- Technology and Software Development: Businesses that create software, apps, and IT infrastructure need ethical hackers to find flaws in their systems and products before bad actors take advantage of them.
- E-commerce and Retail: Online companies manage vast amounts of client data, including payment details. Payment gateways, user databases, and internet platforms must be secured by ethical hackers to stop data breaches and monetary losses.
- Telecommunications: These businesses are prime targets for cyberattacks because they oversee vital communication networks and enormous volumes of customer data. To guarantee the security and robustness of their infrastructure, ethical hacking abilities are crucial.
- Energy and Utilities: Critical infrastructure is under the jurisdiction of the energy sector, and hacks can have dire repercussions. To protect industrial control systems and avoid interruptions, ethical hackers are required.
- Education and Research Institutions: These companies are possible targets for cyber espionage since they frequently carry out innovative research and possess valuable intellectual property. Their digital assets are safeguarded by ethical hackers.
- Consulting and Cybersecurity Firms: Ethical hacking abilities are essential to these businesses’ primary operations, which include penetration testing and vulnerability assessments, and they offer cybersecurity services to other firms.
- Manufacturing: Growing cybersecurity threats are a result of the manufacturing sector’s increased automation and networked technologies. Their operational technology (OT) can be secured, and interruptions can be avoided with the aid of ethical hackers.
Job Profiles after Ethical Hacking Course
| S.No. | Job Profiles | What? |
| 1. | Penetration Tester (or Pen Tester) | To find flaws and vulnerabilities that malevolent attackers might exploit, this position entails simulating cyberattacks on networks and systems. They offer reports and remedy suggestions. |
| 2. | Security Analyst | To safeguard an organization’s digital assets, security analysts assess security occurrences, keep an eye out for security breaches on networks and systems, and put security measures in place. They frequently use incident response procedures and SIEM tools. |
| 3. | Cybersecurity Consultant | Consultants analyze risks, suggest and execute security solutions, and counsel enterprises on their security posture. They frequently create security policies and processes and carry out company security assessments. |
| 4. | Information Security Auditor | To guarantee adherence to rules and industry best practices, auditors examine and appraise an organization’s security controls, policies, and processes. They point out weaknesses and suggest fixes. |
| 5. | Vulnerability Assessor | These experts use a variety of scanning technologies and manual procedures to find and analyze security flaws in systems and applications. They offer thorough reports on vulnerabilities that have been found. |
| 6. | Security Engineer | Firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and other security tools are among the technologies and systems that security engineers create, deploy, and oversee. |
| 7. | Incident Responder | Following a security breach, incident responders take steps to control the attack, look into what happened, restore any compromised systems, and put precautions in place to avoid similar attacks in the future. |
| 8. | Threat Intelligence Analyst | To give firms actionable intelligence to proactively fight against possible attacks, these analysts investigate and evaluate new cyberthreats, attack vectors, and threat actors. |
| 9. | Application Security Tester | These testers, who specialize in software applications, find security flaws during the phases of design, development, and implementation. They frequently carry out dynamic testing and code reviews. |
| 10. | Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst | SOC analysts respond to security warnings and continuously scan systems and records for unusual activity while working in a centralized security monitoring and analysis hub. |
Conclusion
Now that we have talked about “What are the 10 rules that ethical hackers follow?” you might want to know if you could learn more about such rules and the related skills to start a career in the IT Industry.
If yes, you can get in contact with Craw Security offers a dedicated training & certification program, “Ethical Hacking Training Course with AI in Delhi,” for IT Aspirants. During the training sessions, students will be able to be facilitated through online sessions and virtual labs.
After the completion of the Ethical Hacking Training Course with AI in Delhi offered by Craw Security, students will receive a certificate validating their honed knowledge & skills during the sessions. What are you waiting for? Contact, Now!
Frequently Asked Questions
About What are the 10 rules that ethical hackers follow?
1. What are the guidelines for ethical hackers?
The following are some of the guidelines for ethical hackers:
- Obtain Informed Consent,
- Maintain Confidentiality,
- Minimize Harm & Avoid Disruption,
- Act with Integrity & Professionalism, and
- Report Findings Responsibly.
2. What are the 10 codes of ethics for computer professionals?
The following are the 10 codes of ethics for computer professionals:
- Competence,
- Integrity,
- Responsibility,
- Privacy,
- Confidentiality,
- Public Good,
- Professionalism,
- Non-discrimination,
- Intellectual Property, and
- Compliance.
3. What are the principles of hacker ethics?
The following are the principles of hacker ethics:
- Sharing Information,
- Open Access,
- Decentralization,
- Free Software, and
- No Harm (Generally).
4. What are the rules of cyber ethics?
The following are some of the rules of cyber ethics:
- Respect Privacy,
- Honesty & Integrity,
- Respect Intellectual Property,
- Responsible Use of Resources, and
- Promote Digital Well-being & Safety.
5. What does an ethical hacker need to know?
To find and take advantage of vulnerabilities in a way that is both morally and legally acceptable, an ethical hacker must be knowledgeable about a broad range of cybersecurity concepts, tools, and tactics.
6. What is an ethical hacker’s salary?
The annual salary range for an entry-level ethical hacker is ₹4.5 lakhs to ₹5.5 lakhs.
7. How many hours do ethical hackers work?
Depending on their style of employment (in-house, consultant, or freelancer), the particular projects they work on, and the demands of the firm, ethical hackers’ working hours might vary greatly.
They may have to work after regular business hours to respond to security incidents, meet report deadlines, or conduct testing during designated maintenance windows, even though a typical full-time position could need about 40 hours per week. Due to urgent security issues or project needs, some weeks may be longer than others.
8. What is a professional hacker called?
A white hat hacker, also known as a penetration tester, is a professional hacker who, with the owner’s consent, uses their expertise to legally and morally identify weaknesses in systems.
9. Where do hackers work?
Ethical hackers operate in a range of organizations, such as government agencies, financial institutions, technology corporations, cybersecurity firms, and independent consultants, frequently working remotely or in office settings.
10. Does Google hire ethical hackers?
To find weaknesses and improve the security of their infrastructure and products, Google employs ethical hackers as members of their security teams. Within the organization, they are frequently referred to as penetration testers, security analysts, or security engineers.
Through projects like Project Zero and its Vulnerability Reward Program (VRP), Google also actively interacts with the larger ethical hacking community.
11. Who do hackers target?
For a variety of reasons, such as financial gain, data theft, disruption, espionage, or even advocacy, hackers target a broad spectrum of people, organizations, and systems.
12. What job fights hackers?
The following are some entities that fight hackers:
- Security Analyst,
- Incident Responder,
- Penetration Tester (Ethical Hacker),
- Security Engineer, and
- Threat Intelligence Analyst.
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