By William Noujaim, Head Online Editor
When most people think of hacking, they associate the term with black hat hackers. These are hackers that breach into a network without permission, causing disruption and often chaos. However, with an ever-changing world of technology, there is a breed of hackers here to help: white hat hackers.
The Ethical Hacking Club (EHC) consists of white hat hackers. Our mission is to teach cybersecurity offensive and defense skills while keeping ethics in mind. With physical and software tools at their disposal, they examine real-world cases of hacking attacks. We even build labs to recreate these attacks. These attacks are always practiced on authorized devices and networks.
Starting in 2013, the EHC has had its difficulties across the years, with its lowest point during the COVID-19 epidemic. With new leadership in 2021, the EHC grew, becoming one of the largest cybersecurity clubs on Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus!
As the President of the Ethical Hacking Club, my goal is to combine aspects within the Cyber Intelligence and Security department into club meetings. We want to bring the cybersecurity talent out within all students, cyber or not. Without a security-conscious community, human error will remain the weakest link. The EHC represents the College of Business, Security and Intelligence, taking materials taught in class and applying them to the real world.
The EHC features physical security tools, software tools, guest speakers, certification study material, and much more! We have worked with Cyber Alliance, a fellow cybersecurity club, to host the high school cybersecurity competition CyberAero in the Spring of 2022. We will also collaborate with Tracer FIRE (Forensic and Incident Response Exercise) for a cybersecurity competition in October 2022 along with a new CyberAero Capture the Flag (CTF) competition in the Spring of 2023. The EHC has also produced Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program (DoD CySP) scholars, adding to the cybersecurity workforce in the public sector.
The EHC plans to add new features to the club such as guest speakers from ERAU alumni to professionals in their field! With certifications being a hot topic, the EHC plans to cover and discuss material related to cybersecurity certifications such as the A+, Network+, Security+, and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
With a new semester comes another year of cybersecurity events. The EHC plans to inform, educate, and highlight these events, allowing students to learn to defend and how black hat hackers offend. According to Cyberseek.org, over 700,000 job openings are available in cybersecurity. Students are needed with cybersecurity talent, and the EHC aims to make an impact.
Learn more about the Ethical Hacking Club here: [https://eaglelife.erau.edu/ehc/home]
