How to Become an Ethical Hacker In 2024?

Ethical Hacking was recognized as early as 1995 when IBM’s John Patrick first coined the term. This oxymoron term has been a saving grace for businesses prone to malicious attacks, especially in the technological boom. The concept of ethical hacking is simple, it recognizes a breach or a gap in a system before a malicious attack and prevents it.

Presently, you can find ethical hackers working with not only big corporations to save their data and protect the system, but also with the government to combat cybercrime and ensure national security. It is not only an interesting job but a critical one with the looming terror threats, cyber criminals, and countless malware and viruses multiplying every day.

In this article, we will discuss the concept of ethical hacking by shedding light on what the job entails and how to be one.

What is Ethical Hacking?

The function of an ethical hacker relies on the concept of hacking or breaching any system with consent and the motive to shield it from any vulnerability. It is an attempt to analyze the various loopholes of a computer system by identifying its weak points and taking necessary security measures to shield it.

The concept is more or less like taking a vaccination, the vaccine familiarizes your body with a threat to counter it and ethical hacking helps to identify the threats to a system to upgrade and secure it.

In layman’s terms, ethical hacking is the counter to malicious hacking and entering a computer system to protect it from malware or viruses to ensure its durability and get rid of any precariousness.

Roles and Responsibilities Of An Ethical Hacker

Ethical hackers also known as white-hat hackers who employ the tricks and trade of hacking to combat threats, have many important roles and responsibilities, which are as follows:

Penetration Tester: One of the most critical roles of an ethical hacker is to induce planned attacks on computer systems to establish their vulnerability and how easily they can be compromised in a threat. This helps an organization or the government to gauge the system’s durability after an attack, along with its weak points.
Vulnerability Assessments: Being an ethical hacker also means that you will be responsible for checking the potential lack of a company’s IT setup and equipment. The sanctity of the IT infrastructure along with scanning for potential weakness relies on a white hacker’s back.
Security: The ethical hacker related to an organization is expected to not only constantly monitor its security by checking the threats but also implement necessary measures and security audit protocols.
Risk Analysis and Reporting: Being an ethical hacker is a multifaceted responsibility, and it is not limited to identifying the threats when it comes to matters of national security or even a company. They are expected to analyze the risk and report on its potential to cause harm by implementing the necessary protective measures.

Steps To Become an Ethical Hacker

Ethical hackers all over the world are usually freelance consultants, while some are permanently associated with various organizations. This is a recent development that we see where ethical hacking is actively advertised as an open position in various organizations.

The steps of becoming a white-hat hacker are the same as any job, where the first step involves getting the necessary knowledge on the subject. Since it is a very sensitive subject, you have to ensure that you know the tricks of the trade by having a strong foundation and considering getting a degree in computer science, which is an added advantage.

However, having a strong foundation and a degree in computer science is not enough to do the job. You have to get relevant certifications to establish your credibility as a good hacker. The certifications are a nod that you are a capable individual who can tackle any cybersecurity threats which is going to hamper an IT framework. We will talk about the certifications in more detail a bit later.

Once you have the relevant degrees that ensure you are capable of cyber combat, you can start by joining entry-level ethical hacking jobs to build your portfolio and establish the trust of your employer. Plus, an experienced ethical hacker is always going to be the need of the hour, regardless of the crisis.

The world of cybersecurity is ever-evolving, with significant developments happening almost every month. So a professional ethical hacker is expected to be ahead of any significant update and to keep up with the security trends.

Joining a professional network or catching up with fellow ethical hackers is always going to work in your favor as an Ethical hacker since a community of like-minded people will always help you with relevant inputs and trends.

Another challenge that you have to face to become an ethical hacker is to be aware of the legal parameters of an operation to ensure there is no security breach and that integrity is never compromised.

Skills Required for Ethical Hacking

A job like ethical hacking is best suited for someone who has certain skill sets that allow them to perform their job smoothly. Some of those appreciated skill sets are as follows.

Technical Skills

An ethical hacker is required to be technically sound to assess the vulnerabilities and fix them. Some required technical skills of an ethical hacker are:

Computer Networking: You must be aware of Hosts or multiple computer devices connected to send or receive data. An ethical hacker is expected to understand the network architecture to not only identify potential threats but also make the best use of penetration testing for their job. Furthermore, computer networking helps an ethical hacker analyze network traffic to identify potential threats and act accordingly.
Programming Languages: Knowing the programming language is a non-negotiable for any ethical hacker to be able to implement the necessary protocols. Programming aids them in writing and developing custom codes and scripts to test for challenges. Plus, knowing the language not only helps to customize tools as per the need of the hour but, also to understand the malware. To reverse engineer the threat at hand, one must be capable of knowing the code that was used to formulate it.
Operating Systems: Without knowing the basics and advances of the operating system, an ethical hacker won’t be able to assess the weaknesses or threats that plague it. Plus, they must familiarize themselves with it’s functioning to implement strategies accordingly.

Soft Skills

It is not enough to be technically sound to be a good hacker. To be the best among the lot, you have to ensure your certain soft skills are at their peak. Since a dynamic job like ethical hacking is best suited for someone who is more analytically aware than the rest, Some appreciated skills of an ethical hacker are as follows.

Problem-Solving: The basic function of an ethical hacker is to solve the problem or the threat at hand. Hence, the desired candidate, regardless of the employer, is someone who can tackle the problem at hand by implementing necessary measures with quick thinking and analytics. If an ethical hacker is to sit with the problem, then the entire operation or the system might be jeopardized or lives might be threatened, depending on the malware.
Attention to Detail: It is almost forbidden for an ethical hacker to rush their job and miss out on something. One miss can lead to so many real-life concerns in a job like this. A skilled ethical hacker is expected to leave no stone unturned to not only tackle the malware but also ensure that there are no security breaches in the existing system. Hence, vulnerability assessment is only possible with a keen eye for detail.

Communication Skills: Even though it might come as a shocker to you, being an ethical hacker, also requires great communication skills. Since you are expected to accurately report your findings and at the same time, brief the entire team on relevant safety measures and actions,. Furthermore, it is not only limited to briefing, an ethical hacker also needs to collaborate with multiple security professionals, depending on the threat and clear communication is necessary for that collaboration to work.

Certifications for Ethical Hackers

As we discussed earlier, if you wish to establish yourself as an ethical hacker, there are certain certificates that you can get to upskill yourself and establish your credibility.

Let us look at a few of them here.

CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker): Certified ethical hacker or CEH, is a globally recognized certification given by the EC council to students who complete the course of ethical hacking techniques of 20 modules and over 220 hand labs. It is a four-hour, 125 multiple choice exam on the fundamentals of hacking, like malware attacks, the latest hacking tools, etc.
OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional): OSP is another globally, recognized certificate for individuals who specialize in offensive security. It is a rigorous and 24-hour practical assessment of your penetration testing skills, which entails attacking and penetrating various live machines. It tests your Kali Linux testing competency and can help you build an impressive portfolio.
CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional): CISSP is given to professionals who are capable of maintaining an entire cybersecurity program by designing, implementing, and adding various details to it. It is also a globally recognized certificate and tests your hands-on experience in a security program.

Conclusion

Ethical hacking, or being the good guy in the hacker world that helps to prevent various malicious attacks it’s not only an interesting but critical job in today’s environment.

With the growing threats of global terrorism or an increase in suspicious malware activities, every day an ethical hacker is the one who is going to ensure there is no chaos.

If you are someone who is intrigued by computers and can manipulate your way around programming. You can surely try this course and be a part of something not only exciting but fruitful in many ways.

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FAQs

1. How does ethical hacking differ from malicious hacking?

Ethical hacking is the hacking of a system with consent to ensure the loopholes in it are addressed and protected from cyber risk. It is the defensive measure of malicious hacking.

2. What skills are required to become an ethical hacker?

There are a certain set of skills that are appreciated in an ethical hacker which includes computer networking, programming, analytical, and testing skills.

3. What educational background is needed for a career in ethical hacking?

A student wishing to pursue ethical hacking can be of any background, but a one with a bachelor’s degree (BSc, BTech, BE, BCA) in Information Technology or Computer science is more appreciated.

4. How can I gain practical experience in ethical hacking?

The best way to gain experience in ethical hacking is by taking part in online challenges or forums to have hands-on and assess your skills.

5. What are some popular tools used by ethical hackers?

Some popular tools used by ethical hackers, are Wireshark, Nmap, Metasploit, Acunetix, Nikto, John the Ripper, Hydra etc.