Includes bibliographical references.

Chapter I: Why Ethical Hacking? -- 1.1 You -- 1.2 Me -- 1.3 Ethical Hacking -- Chapter II: Essential Terms and Concepts -- 2.1 Types of Ethical Hackers -- 2.2 Definitions and Typology of Ethical Hacking -- 2.3 Conventional Computer-Security-Threat Model -- 2.4 Common Methods Used in Ethical Hacking -- 2.5 Other Relevant Terms -- Chapter III: Methodology and Quantitative Studies of Ethical Hacking: Evidence-Based Decision and Policy-Making -- 3.1 Report for Public Safety Canada, 2011 -- 3.2 Summary of Findings -- 3.3 GDELT Analysis Service - Event Data (with Kevin Kim) -- 3.4 Google's Big Query (with Richard Li) -- 3.5 Dark-Net Analysis of Malware and Cyber-Jihad Forums -- 3.5,1 Cyber-Jihad Forums (with Adrian Agius) -- 3.5.2 Hacking Forums (with Richard Li) -- 3.6 Observations -- Chapter IV: Legal Cases Around the World (with Jelena Ardalic) -- Chapter V: Select Ethical-Hacking Incidences: Anonymous -- Chapter VI: Select Ethical-Hacking Incidences: Chaos Computer Club, CyberBerkut, Lulzsec, Iranian Cyber Army, and Others -- Chapter VII: Online Civil Disobedience -- 7.1 Online Civiil Disobedience in Context -- 7.2 Timeline -- 7.3 Case Studies -- 7.3.1 Anonymous, Operation Titstorm -- 7.3.2 German Lufthansa Protest -- 7.3.3 Twitter #TellVicEverything Campaign -- 7.4 Observations -- Chapter VIII: Hacktivism -- 8.1 Hacktivism in Context -- 8.2 Timelines -- 8.3 Case Studies -- 8.3.1 Anonymous, Post-Christmas Charity Donations -- 8.3.2 Neo-Nazi Website -- 8.3.3 WikiLeaks, Operation Payback -- 8.4 Observations -- CHAPTER IX: Penetration/Intrusion Testing and Vulnerability Disclosure -- 9.1 Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Disclosure in Context -- 9.2 Timeline -- 9.3 Case Studies - 9.3.1 Australian Security Expert Patrick Webster -- 9.3.2 Cisco Router -- 9.3.3 LulzSec Hacking to Incentivize Sony to Fix Known Software Bugs -- 9.3.4 Gardians of Peace, North Korea, and the Sony Pictures Hack -- 9.3.5 Vulnerability Hunter Glenn Mangham -- 9.3.6 Da Jiang Innovation -- 9.4 Observations -- CHAPTER X: Counterattack/Hackback -- 10.1 Counterattack/Hackback in Context -- 10.2 Case Studies -- 10.2.1 LulzSec, MasterCard and PayPal, and Barr -- 10.2.2 Illegal Streaming Link Sites -- 10.2.3 Automated Counter-DDoS -- 10.3 The Legalization of Hackback -- 10.4 Observations -- CHAPTER XI: Security Activism -- 11.1 Security Activism in Context -- 11.2 Case Studies -- 11.2.1 Spamhaus Project -- 11.2.2 Spam Fighter -- 11.2.3 Botnet Removal Communities -- 11.2.4 Cyber-Security Researcher Y -- 11.3 Observations -- CHAPTER XII: Ethical-Hacking Challenges in Legal Frameworks, Investigation, Prosecution, and Sentencing -- 12.1 Criminal Landscape: Convention on Cybercrime and the Canadian Criminal Framework -- 12.2 Attribution -- 12.3 Jurisdiction -- 12.4 Evidence -- 12.5 Integrity, Volatility of Evidence, and the Trojan-Horse Defence -- 12.6 Damages -- 12.7 Sentencing and Dealing with Mental Disorders - Addiction and Autism Spectrum (with PhD candidate Hannah Rappaport) -- 12.8 Observations -- CHAPTER XIII: Ethical Hacking, Whistle-Blowing, and Human Rights and Freedoms Toward an Ethical-Hacking Framework -- 13.1 The Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms -- 13.2 Whistle-Blowing and Ethical Hacking -- 13.3 Observations -- CHAPTER XIV: Toward an Ethical-Hacking Framework -- 14.1 Ethical Hacking in Context -- 14.2 Encourage Legitimate Space for Virtual Protests -- 14.3 Guidelines and Policy -- 14.4 Code of Conduct for Hackback -- 14.5 Transparency of Government Engagement with Hackback -- 14.6 Security Research Exemption and Public-Interest Consideration -- 14.7 Concluding Remarks -- Bibliography -- Appendix: Interview Questions

"How will governments and courts protect civil liberties in this new era of hacktivism? Ethical Hacking discusses the attendant moral and legal issues. The first part of the 21st century will likely go down in history as the era when ethical hackers opened governments and the line of transparency moved by force. One need only read the motto “we open governments” on the Twitter page for Wikileaks to gain a sense of the sea change that has occurred. Ethical hacking is the non-violent use of a technology in pursuit of a cause —political or otherwise — which is often legally and morally ambiguous. Hacktivists believe in two general but spirited principles: respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and personal privacy; and the responsibility of government to be open, transparent and fully accountable to the public. How courts and governments will deal with hacking attempts which operate in a grey zone of the law and where different ethical views collide remains to be seen. What is undisputed is that Ethical Hacking presents a fundamental discussion of key societal questions." (Book Cover)

Issued also in electronic format.