Data breaches, financial fraud, online intrusions, and cyber warfare are all common events in the headlines these days. All of this is made possible by the fact that people with malevolent intent may now organize these operations behind a screen. Because the internet is so widely available around the world, it encourages many hackers to participate in cybercrime. Naturally, the demand for qualified ethical hackers and other cybersecurity specialists has skyrocketed.
Let us have a look at the topics covered in this article:
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What is Ethical Hacking?
Hacking is a term that has been around for quite some time. In the early 1960s, the first instance of hacking was recorded at MIT. Hacking is the process of identifying system vulnerabilities and exploiting them to gain unauthorized access to the system to undertake destructive operations such as deleting system files or stealing sensitive information. Hacking is unlawful and can have serious consequences.
However, if done with permission, hacking can be lawful. Computer professionals are frequently employed by organizations to hack into their systems to uncover vulnerabilities and weak endpoints so that they can be remedied.
Ethical hacking, also known as pen testing or penetration testing, is carried out as a protective measure against malevolent hackers.
People who hack into a system with permission, and without any malicious intent, are known as ethical hackers or white hat hackers.
Ethical hacking is the authorized and legal process of finding out vulnerabilities in a system or computer network through penetration testing.
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How to learn Ethical Hacking from scratch?
How difficult is it to learn ethical hacking? It is a common question that we get asked.
Well, gaining competence in ethical hacking is not that difficult. To succeed in the field of cybersecurity, you must have CEH certification.
Ethical hacking has the potential to become one of the finest, most exciting, and inventive job options available. This is because the cyber field evolves every week. There are continually new viruses in the market that you must investigate and familiarize yourself with. The more proficient and knowledgeable you are, the greater your demand will be, and you will be rewarded accordingly.
The first step is to begin the process of preparing for CEH certification. The EC-Council’s CEH certification is industry-accepted, demonstrating mastery of key hacking techniques to examine security and vulnerabilities in the target system, lawfully and legitimately. Organizations will hire you once you have obtained the certification.
As a result, organizations will expect you to discover any security faults or vulnerabilities in their systems.
Languages to learn for Ethical Hacking
To have a successful career in cybersecurity, technical expertise is deemed necessary. You may wonder if coding is vital to becoming a cybersecurity professional. Most cybersecurity professionals do not have or require coding skills, but having zero coding skills can limit your chances of having a cyber security career in the future. Knowing some programming languages will help you to identify the plan behind an attack and defend yourself against dangerous hacking.
Programming languages for ethical hacking are described below, in brief:
Python:
Python is a general-purpose programming language, and it is mainly used in the field of hacking for exploit writing. It is referred to as a de-facto programming language for hacking programming. It plays a crucial role in writing hacking scripts. Python socket programming can also be used for discovering vulnerabilities in a system. Owing to its vast community and libraries, Python makes prototyping and automation scripting easier.
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JavaScript:
JavaScript is used for web hacking and penetration testing. A good understanding of JavaScript allows a hacker to discover system vulnerabilities. Knowing this language will help you to discover flaws in web applications. JavaScript can be used to read saved cookies and to perform attacks like cross-site scripting.
PHP:
Hypertext Preprocessor is a dynamic server-side programming language that is used to build websites. As a hacker, you should know PHP as it will help you to understand web hacking techniques. Several websites make use of PHP; hence, knowing PHP can help you compromise or protect these websites.
SQL:
Although SQL is not a traditional programming language, it is used to communicate with databases to organize, add, delete, or edit data from them. Having in-depth knowledge of SQL lets you comprehend the structure of a database and defend against SQL injection attacks. Hackers make use of SQL to develop hacking programs that are based on SQL injection.
Job Roles and Pay Scale
Today, there are many ethical hacker job openings for both entry-level and seasoned professionals, since most companies are searching for people who can assist in enhancing system security and keeping the systems safe from exterior threats and vulnerabilities. As a result, the demand for ethical hackers has exploded in recent years, and this trend will only increase.
The following are some examples of ethical hacking job profiles:
- Network security engineer
- Software security specialist
- Ethical hacking engineer
- Cybersecurity analyst
- IT security analyst
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According to Glassdoor, entry-level ethical hackers in the United States typically earn US$69,100 per year. With expertise and depending on the companies that they work for, an ethical hacker’s salary might reach US$102,000 per year.
According to PayScale, the average income of a certified ethical hacker (CEH) in India is around INR 490,900 per year, with the potential to rise to INR 3,000,000 per year.
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Skills Required for Ethical Hacking
As a Certified Ethical Hacker, you must understand a variety of ideas in addition to the skills required in this field. Below-mentioned is skills that you will need to master:
- Knowledge of programming languages such as HTML, JavaScript, SQL, PHP, Python, and others
- Networking skills
- Linux experience
- Knowledge of computer hardware
- Reverse engineering and knowledge of cryptography
Conclusion
Cyberattacks are attracting worldwide attention because everything is becoming more virtual. Data breaches, financial fraud, online intrusions, and cyberwarfare are all common events in the headlines.
Hacking is a term that has been around for quite some time. Ethical hacking has the potential to become one of the finest, exciting, and most inventive job options available. As a result, the desire for ethical hackers has exploded in recent years.