Hacking attacks areconstant worry and perennial headache for any network administrator. Moreinterestingly and ironically, the best defense against them comes from hackersthemselves. But these hackers are of a different kind and breed ? they are?ethical hackers?

While companies andgovernment organizations all across the world are spending huge sums on hiringprofessional network security experts or ethical computer hackers, you can makeyour computer secure by being a little more careful and by keeping your systemequipped with next generation anti-hacking solutions. Let's see how?

1.      Always use the latest version ofanti-virus software applications.  With goodanti-virus software, whenever a hacker tries to access your machine you wouldbe warned about it so that you can take necessary steps before any damage isdone.

2.      Always keep the firewalls in active modeas it will prevent unauthorized entry by the hackers.

3.      Keep checking the programs running onyour system on a regular basis. In case, you come across some program that youmight not have installed or which does not form part of standard operatingsystem, then be alert and cross check it as it might be some sort of spam. 

4.      To minimize risk against virus attacksand hackers, keep your operating system up to date as it allows the machine tobe aware of the latest discovered security holes. If you don't do that, you arejust giving open invitation to the hackers who just evolve from every failed or?taken care of? hacking attack.

5.      Never ignore the patches when they arrivefor installation. Usually what happens is that a hacker makes a way to enteryour computer through some common programs. By installing security fixes andpatches you make your computer safe from hackers as they are developed with thesole motive to fix security related issues.

Well, these tipsare just the primary precautions to keep your system safe from the hands ofhackers. But it's better to take help of experts to take care of securitymeasures. Many companies nowadays employ ethical hackers with knowledge ofnetwork security, cracking and hacking to counter the menace of criminalhacking.

Let me explain alittle more. Hackers are broadly categorized into three groups:

-         Black-hat hacker- These are themalicious or criminal hackers that break into networks or computers, or createcomputer viruses.

-         Grey-hat hacker: These are skilled hackerswho have mixed characteristics of white and black-hat hackers. They usuallyhack for fun or challenge but in the process can do some pretty damagingthings.

-         White-hat hacker: These are ethicalhackers whose task is to provide security and protection to IT systems. Suchpeople are employed by companies to enhance their IT security and keep theirnetwork systems free of hackers and spammers.

Ethical hacking isthus fast becoming a chosen career option for young IT pros given the fact thatthe IT security market worldwide is growing by leaps and bounds. There arevarious courses available for computer hacking and network security training.Professional cracking tutorials and other courses prepare IT security pros forattractive careers in big organizations.