Hacking has a negative image in the eyes of people, but nowadays, ethical hackers are making the internet a safe and secure place. There is no doubt in saying that hackers do possess some advanced skills. The term hacker is described as skilled professionals who have unauthorised access into networks by taking advantage of weakness or bugs.
The primary motive of ethical hacking is to gain valuable information or financial profit. More and more professionals are looking to gain ethical hacker certification to enhance their skills.
What is Ethical Hacking?
In layman’s words, it is unauthorized access into a network, computer system, or digital device. Hackers can utilize security capabilities in a network, system, software, or device.
Ethical hacking is one of the productive methods for an organization to protect itself from vulnerabilities that can be utilized by black hat hackers for malicious motives. The major goal of ethical hacking is to assess the prevailing security system and find measures to nourish and improve protection. The company can then determine the issues before a malicious hacker can exploit them.
The companies that own the system or network authorize Cyber Security engineers possessing ethical hacker certification to perform a few actions to test the system’s vulnerabilities.
Types of Ethical Hackers-
White Hat Hackers: These types of hackers do not break any laws or perform any malicious activities. A white-hat hacker can take advantage of ethical hacking to support businesses to enhance their cyber security systems and prevent future malicious hacking. They study and get an ethical hacker certification to perform this job done legally.
Black Hat Hackers: These types of hackers perform illegal and malicious activities. A black hat hacker could evade an organization’s cyber security network to obtain illegal access to confidential information to sell them illegally.
Gray Hat Hackers: Ethical hacking is all about having good intentions. A gray hat hacker only uses their skills to obtain access to systems with the precise permission of the owners.
You need to have cyber security certification to get employed as an ethical hacker with a reputed organization.
Role of Ethical Hackers:
Ethical hackers can work as freelancers. They can also be employed by an organization that specializes in cyber security services, or they can be employed as in-house employees to protect a company’s systems, network, website, software, and apps. They also need to follow certain rules and guidelines to perform legal hacking activities.
Hackers are required to procure complete approval before performing any security assessment on the system or network. It is compulsory for them to keep their assessments confidential. An ethical hacker should abide by the non-disclosure agreement.
Ethical Hacking Certification:
It was indebted to validate that the professional understands how to detect weaknesses and vulnerabilities in computer systems and networks.
Employers always look for professionals with additional skills. The employers with the acceptance of CEH have shown their interest in hiring skilled professionals.
A professional holding ethical hacking certification validates his skills and knowledge. He can be employed for the roles like security analyst, security specialist, security engineer, penetration tester, security auditor, security consultant, and malware analyst.
Skills Required Becoming an Ethical Hacker:
An ethical hacker should have extensive knowledge about all the systems, networks, program codes, security measures, etc., to perform hacking adequately.
An ethical hacker should have the following skills-
- Networking Skills
- Scripting Knowledge
- Understanding of Databases
- Knowledge of Programming
- Knowledge of Operating Systems
- Understanding of Hacking
Making Money as an Ethical Hacker-
Ethical hacking is a pleasurable and interesting field to choose from, but it can also be a good enough way to make money.
The amount of experience one has in the industry largely impacts the money one can make from the profession. As you gain more professional experience in the field and increase your expertise, you will make more money.
Based on information from Payscale, the average salary for a Certified Ethical Hacker in the US is $90,000 per annum as of 2019, but the top earners can make over $130,000.
The Certified Ethical Hacker as a fresher can make 3.5L PA and the average salary of an Ethical Hacker in India is between 29k and 41K per person.
As the concept of ethical hacking is essential for organizations of all sizes, it is crucial to invest in the right cyber security professional. This is also one of the reasons that the salary of ethical hackers is pretty high. The other reason might be the lack of talent and skills in this profession.
The concept of ethical hacking and penetration testing is an exciting one.
Furthermore, the salary of an ethical hacker can vary based on certain factors like location of work, experience, roles and responsibilities, and skills.
