![[FCO]FreeCoursesOnline](https://onehack.us/uploads/default/original/3X/b/4/b4d2fc8468becec1e9976784dba394e5a378ec81.jpg){kind=small}
As per the 2018 HackerOne report, internet users are already facing over 166,000 registered hackers. With stringent cyber laws, governments and various organizations are trying to make the internet a healthy place for its users. Now, the decision is yours, do you want to make a positive change in our world?
Ethical hackers are those professionals who choose hacking methods to serve a greater purpose in the world with a good intent to benefit others. This guide is for those:
With basic or no knowledge of ethical hacking
With limited experience and waiting for an opportunity in ethical hacking
This guide will lead you through the beginner knowledge of ethical hacking, later acquiring expertise in the domain. One of the important requirements to become an ethical hacker would be your desire and intent to make a difference in the world.
If you want to try your hand at cybersecurity, then you must know that it is a vast industry with numerous domains such as application security, network security, and digital forensics which is sometimes further classified into other branches. So, you should be aware of your interest before you take your first step toward the industry. But if you have already made up your mind to become an ethical hacker, then stay with us.
Reasons to Choose Ethical Hacking as Career
Ethical hackers always have a handful of roles and responsibilities to deal with. An ethical hacker not only safeguards the data and network of an organization but is also responsible for taking preventive measures to avoid a security breach via penetration testing or any other method. It does possess a great career scope. And, the salary package is another fascinating aspect of it. However, if you are still unsure of pursuing ethical hacking as a career, then the listed reasons will serve as food for thought.
1. Scope for Career with Amazing Salary Trends
The updated 2019 report by PayScale suggests the average salary of a certified ethical hacker is to be $90k. The top employers of these certified hackers include:
Booz, Allen, and Hamilton
S. Army
S. Air Force
General Dynamics Information Technology Inc. [2]
The scope for this career route is broadening with each passing year. It has been evidently noticed that government agencies (military, law enforcement department, and national intelligence departments) and private organizations both are hiring cybersecurity experts, though IT firms are primary recruiters of ethical hackers, usually under the title of a penetration tester, security analyst, cybersecurity engineer, network security administrator, and a few others. Apart from that, service providers like airlines, hotels, and financial institutions are also hiring certified ethical hackers to protect their sensitive data.
2. Growing Job Market for Certified Ethical Hackers
Joblift, a UK-based job search platform, reported in 2018 that there are around 3240 job vacancies for ethical hackers. The report analyzed data for the past 24 months and declared that these job vacancies are increasing at an average of 4% per month. Another interesting calculation of the same platform mentions that 7 of every 10 job vacancies are looking for candidates with accredited credentials.
3. Perfect Way to Enter Other Domains of Cybersecurity
An ethical hacker possesses thorough knowledge of network security, application security, information security, and a lot more. There are organizations looking for professionals with specialized knowledge making it convenient for certified ethical hackers to take up other cybersecurity jobs, too, such as:
-
Network administrator/manager
-
Security investigator
-
Penetration tester
-
Web security administrator/manager
-
Data security analyst/specialist
-
Computer/digital forensics investigator
-
IT security administrator/consultant/manager
-
Network defense technicians
The list doesn’t end here. These are just a few of the professional profiles that an ethical hacker can easily fit into.
Guide to Becoming Certified Ethical Hacker
Follow the listed steps to establish yourself as a certified ethical hacker.
Step 1 — Understanding Ethical Hacking
Ethical hacking can be defined as a simple approach of defending the system and network security of an organization by exploiting its existing vulnerabilities and weaknesses and strengthening them with appropriate countermeasures. Ethical hackers follow the same methods and techniques of a malicious hacker for finding vulnerabilities, which will later be fixed. Unlike black hat hackers, ethical hackers offer their services only when they are lawfully and legitimately employed to do so. These hired professionals report all their findings to the management board of the firm.
Step 2 — Skills Required to Start Your Career as an Ethical Hacker
Pursuing a career in ethical hacking demands an ever-evolving attitude. You will be required to update your knowledge with the continuously changing trend. Plus, you need to have a sound technical knowledge of certain scripting or coding programming languages (such as HTML, JSP, ASP, C/C++, Java, Python, or any other strong computer language). You can consider these two points as the mandatory prerequisites for learning ethical hacking to the core.
The below-listed skills are revealed by Joblift in their survey of 2018.
70% job vacancies look for candidates holding accredited certifications
25% of job vacancies are subjected to candidates with the knowledge of programming languages
22% of job vacancies are meant for those candidates who can security check
Employers also look for soft skills, which include confidence, passion, communication skills, flexibility, and innovative nature of a candidate before hiring him/her as an ethical hacker.
Step 3 — Ways to Acquire the Required Skills
To acquire the required skills, you need to go through our three-step process to become a certified ethical hacker.
Certified Network Defender
An ethical hacker needs to have extensive knowledge of network security. You need to have a thorough understanding of how a network operates, various network security controls, protocols, topologies, intricate nature of network traffic, firewall configuration, vulnerability scanning of a network, and a lot more. For that deep understanding,
Certified Ethical Hacker
This is another important step in your journey. The Certified Ethical Hacker program will start by helping you learn the fundamentals of ethical hacking. Then gradually build concepts like footprinting, network scanning, system hacking, sniffing, session hijacking, web servers and web applications hacking, and many other major subject matters.
Other Important Tips
1. Practice and Self-Learning
You should understand the importance of practicing your gained technical knowledge and learning other trending ethical-hacking-related skills. The evolution of your knowledge is one of the most required steps that you need to take. You can do this by reading articles, watching videos, and interacting with experts.
2. Think Out of the Box
Innovation is the key to stand out from the crowd. You need not follow the same path as other ethical hackers do.
3. Look for More Information
All the information is just a click away. If you find some subject matter difficult or interesting, then try learning more about it. These days, the internet is the key to all your queries.
Sources: