Writing a policy for a human hacking event is essencial. Crafting a comprehensive policy for such an event helps ensure that it is conducted safely, legally, and ethically.
Creating a policy for a human hacking event is a critical step for several important reasons. Here's why:
Establishing Ethical Guidelines: One of the primary functions of a policy is to establish clear ethical guidelines for both the testers and the organization. It explicitly defines what behavior is considered acceptable during the event and what is strictly off-limits. This emphasis on ethical behavior promotes responsible and ethical testing practices, ensuring that the event is conducted with integrity and respect for all parties involved.
Ensuring Consistency: A well-defined policy contributes to the consistent execution of human hacking events. This consistency is crucial in standardizing the testing process, making sure that all relevant parties are on the same page. It minimizes ambiguity, streamlines procedures, and sets a standard for how these assessments are conducted.
Managing and Mitigating Risks: The policy serves as a crucial risk management tool. By outlining the scope, objectives, and limitations of the testing, it enables better risk management and mitigation. This includes identifying and addressing potential risks before they escalate, reducing the likelihood of unnecessary disruptions or damage to systems and data.
Defining Detailed Parameters: Within the policy, there is an opportunity to convey additional information about the event, such as the assets to be tested, specific operations to be performed, limits hackers should adhere to (for example, when to halt in the case of Remote Code Execution), and any tests not included in the scope (e.g., Denial of Service attacks). This detailed information ensures that all participants have a comprehensive understanding of the testing's boundaries.
Effective Communication: The policy acts as a powerful communication tool. It plays a pivotal role in ensuring that everyone involved comprehends the event's purpose, its potential impact on the organization, and the expected outcomes. This initial communication provides an essential platform for connecting with various stakeholders, from triagers to ethiackers, as well as other members of the organization. It's the place where rules and expectations are set in stone.
In essence, the policy serves as a reflection of the client's intentions for the event and what they expect to achieve or prioritize during the assessment. It aligns all parties with a shared understanding of the event's goals, ethical standards, and boundaries, ultimately promoting a secure, ethical, and effective human hacking event.
You can find a policy template when you attempt to configure a human hacking event. Alternatively, you can check out some examples below. Establish your rules and run your Human Hacking Event with a great success!
Examples:
🎯 Main Goal
This section should outline the objective of the organization with the human hacking event. It helps researchers understand the organization's intent and the overall purpose of the event.
Example:
The main purpose of this human hacking event is to secure our web application. We welcome ethical hackers to help us by responsibly reporting security weaknesses in our applications, services, and infrastructure.
🎯 Goals
The organization should define specific objectives they aim to achieve with the program. This helps align researchers with the company’s priorities.
Examples:
- We encourage ethiackers to focus on identifying and reporting XSS vulnerabilities.
- We would like to know if there are any vulnerabilities related with the roles on the application.
📜 Rules
This section establishes the boundaries for security testing, ensuring ethical behavior and compliance with legal considerations. It should define acceptable testing methods, and limitations.
Examples:
Assets Rules:
- Specify whether production or staging environments can be tested.
- Denial of Service (DoS) attacks are out-of-scope.
- Social engineering attempts against employees or customers.
- Exploitation of vulnerabilities beyond proof-of-concept (PoC).
📝 Additional Notes
This section includes any other relevant information that may help ethiackers engage effectively with the program.
Examples:
Usernames credentials for grey-box:
- User1
- User2