How to pursue a career in Ethical Hacking?

‘Hacking’ or ‘hackers’ are terms which are usually associated with wrong doing. You also think that way. Don’t worry, you are not alone. Most of us think that way. But do you know that there is something called ethical hacking? I know your reaction right now would be, ‘Hey, hacking and ethical? Are you kidding me?’ Of course not!

This article will focus on what ethical hacking is and how one can take it up as a career. Before moving on to that let’s understand the term ‘hacking’ clearly.

Computer hacking refers to the practice of altering or modifying computer software and hardware to accomplish their goal which is not the same as the creator’s original purpose. A person who engages in hacking is called a hacker. It is not always done for the wrong reasons. Computer geeks or technology buffs use it to learn more about computers and consider hacking an art form. It is common among young adults and teenagers/ adolescents. They look at computer hacking as a real life application to improve their problem-solving skills and more a chance to demonstrate their abilities than harming others.

Having understood hacking, let’s see what Ethical Hacking is.

Ethical hacking is a term used to describe an action performed by an individual or a company to help them identify the potential or possible threats on a computer or network. It is known by various names such as penetration testing, intrusion testing and red teaming. It is done to identify the loopholes in an IT system and rectify it to strengthen and make the servers penetration- proof. It can be done only when there is an agreement between the hacker and the company. An ethical hacker comes to the rescue by bypassing system security and looks for the presence of any weak points which will be possibly exploited by harmful or malicious hackers. The information provided by the ethical hacker is then used by the organization to reduce or totally eliminate any system attacks in future. Ethical hackers are also called as ‘White hat.’

For hacking to be proved ethical, the hacker must obey the following rules.

• Written permission for network probing and identifying potential security risk factors
• Respect to the privacy of the individual or corporation
• No window of work must be left open or unattended on the computer system of the ethical hacker
• Letting the hardware manufacturer or software developer know about the vulnerabilities which have been identified in their software or hardware

Now coming to the most important question: How to pursue a career in ethical hacking? Looking at the educational qualifications cum skill sets and personal traits to be possessed will provide the perfect answer.

Educational Qualifications and Skill Set

• Bachelors or Masters degree in either computer science, IT or computer engineering
• Knowledge of programming languages such as C, C++, Python, Ruby etc
• Understanding of popular operating systems such as Windows, Linux and Firefox
• Certifications such as CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), CHFI (Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator) offered by EC Council, CCNA Security (Cisco Certified Network Associate Security), SCP’s SCNS (Security Certified Network Specialist) & SCNP (Security Certified Network Professional) and CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) offered by International Information System Security certification Consortium. Certification from SANS institute, USA is also a valuable certification, though expensive
• Certifications offered by renowned companies such as Cisco, Microsoft and Novell
• Design and implementation of firewalls, IDS, wireless security, Cryptography, Linux security and Windows security

Personal Attributes or Traits

For a successful career in ethical hacking one should be:

• Computer Savvy
• Gadget- friendly
• Technology geek
• Self- motivated
• Dedicated
• Analytical thinker
• Initiator
• Problem solver
• Formally trained through the right education
• Investigative
• Honest
• A person of integrity
• Trustworthy
• Adaptable
• Resourceful
• Skilled in computer hardware and software

If you possess all these skills then have no second thoughts about choosing ethical hacking as your career. There are a lot of job opportunities such as in Government agencies such as military and law enforcement agencies, defence organization’s, forensic laboratories, detective companies and investigative service agencies. The various job designations associated with ethical hacking are Network Security Systems Manager, Network Security Administrator, Systems/Applications, Security Executive, Web Security Administrator and Web Security Manager.

Computer security is a global issue faced by many corporations/ individuals. So go out there and make the cyber-space safe, now and forever as an ethical hacker.

Pic courtesy: www.pixabay.com