Modern-day organizations cannot afford to undermine the importance of having proper cyber-security strategies in place. Therefore, a growing prominence has witnessed the need of hiring ethical hackers to keep businesses afloat amidst complex cyber-attacks.
Furthermore, with the growing reliance on digital applications across sectors, security and privacy concerns have also augmented globally. Considering the current situation, the demand for professional, ethical hackers will consistently go up in the future.
In this situation, acquiring an ethical hacking certification and pursuing a career in this domain can be a prudent option for people.
Therefore, dedicated and ambitious IT professional candidates should enroll in an ethical hacking course that helps them explore lucrative career prospects.
Who are Ethical Hackers?
Ethical hackers are white hat hackers who tend to penetrate computer systems and infrastructure to test them and subsequently report vulnerabilities present there.
Both commercial and public sector organizations employ ethical hacking professionals who can timely identify weak links in their network and prevent potential cyber-attacks. They ideally make authorized attempts to exploit the network security and leverage their knowledge to prevent malware and protect digital assets.
Individuals with ethical hacking certification shall be skilled enough to conduct penetration tests on the IT infrastructure and effectively detect external and internal risks. They also have the competency to employ techniques and tools like black hat hackers but without malicious intent.
The Growing Need for Ethical Hackers
Owing to the recent increase of cybercrime and instances of ransomware, all types of organizations require experts who can effectively perform penetration tests.
Furthermore, with the increasing usage of cloud-based infrastructure by businesses, the risks of data breaches have also accelerated.
Data theft can not only cost a company a considerable sum of money, but it may even cause irreparable damage to their reputation. To ensure that such an eventuality does not occur, organizations today hire professionals who can proactively find security weaknesses and fix them.
The accelerating prominence of the role of an ethical hacker makes it a lucrative career path. An individual interested in it can continuously pursue an EC Council program or similar courses offered by prominent companies to acquire a trustworthy ethical hacking certification.
As organizations ranging from eCommerce development companies and government offices to telecommunication and healthcare institutions require the assistance of ethical hackers to keep their digital setup safe, one would be able to enjoy much-needed job security in this field.
Skills needed by an Ethical Hacker
● Knowledge of operating systems:
An ethical hacker must be well-acquainted with the various operating systems used today. In addition to Windows, they must also have a robust understanding of Ubuntu, Linux, Red Hat, and so on. Diverse companies may use distinguished operating systems, and an ethical hacker must be prepared to check for flaws and cyber breaches in all of them. Ideally, one can acquire knowledge about various operating systems by pursuing a comprehensive ethical hacker certification.
● Competency in penetration testing tools and methodologies:
To become a proficient ethical hacker, one must know about penetration testing techniques, methods, and tools. They should also have hands-on experience with such systems.
As ethical hackers need to test the IT infrastructure of companies to identify its weak points, they must hone their penetration testing capabilities by undertaking a cyber security certification course.
● Cyber-security fundamentals:
As the job of ethical hackers is largely based on cyber-security, they must have an in-depth understanding of the core concepts associated with it. Whether an experienced IT professional or a fresh graduate, they need to effectively learn the basics of cyber-security before even planning to pursue a career in this field. App protection, password management, antivirus, and database management systems are crucial elements an aspiring ethical hacker must have proper knowledge of.
The field of cyber-security is constantly evolving. As technology becomes more advanced, cyber-attacks also tend to become more complex. Conversely, ethical hackers must also possess sound critical reasoning and analytical skills to progress in this field truly.
Pursuing a career in Ethical Hacking
While a career in ethical hacking can be promising, one first needs to get trained in a proper program and acquire an ethical hacking certification to achieve success in this field. After being equipped with all the knowledge, skills, and capabilities needed in the field, one can easily explore profitable and plentiful career opportunities.
