5 important things to do before beginning career in ethical hacking

IT enthusiasts highly covet a career in ethical hacking. It is a career full of new challenges and exciting compensation. Moreover, cybersecurity professionals are the hot commodities now — especially due to the increased awareness about security breaches in the present times. There is not a lot of knowledge about how to begin a career in ethical hacking or which ethical hacking course to take. But here we are providing a fast track guide to help you do so.

Understanding different types of hacking

White hat, black hat and grey hat, they are not the colours of a hat you could wear but the terms used for various types of hackers. While white hats and grey hats use their skills for ethical hacking, the black hats are associated with illegal hacking. But organisations require all of them for serving different purposes. Most ethical hackers are employed for doing penetration testing wherein a penetration tester recognises the vulnerabilities in a system or an application to defend it from external attacks.

Assess your academic and natural skills

Since every company has its own requirements, there is not a fixed criteria regarding academics to become a hacker. However, to create a good base for a career in ethical hacking, a degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or Mathematics will be good to begin with. Besides academics, you must prepare yourself for nerve-wracking challenges, handling pressure and thinking beyond the conventional level.

Gear up to learn programming

A good command over programming languages would be advantageous in this field. For instance, knowledge of Java, C++, PHP, Python, et cetera would be fabulous. Additionally, an overall knowledge of different operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Unix and iOS is significant.

Keep posted with latest developments and update your knowledge base

Hacking is one such profession where there are lots of new techniques and tactics coming up. You need to keep posted and regularly update yourself with newer hacking techniques in order to stand out and be hired.

Getting certified

Like any other IT professional, ethical hackers also need to earn certifications. Before starting a career in ethical hacking, you should understand which certification are good to start with. It is more important to know which certifications are recognised and hold importance in the IT industry. The most reputed and trusted body for this is the EC council. If you are certified by the EC council, most of the organisations would easily hire you. Getting certified with EC implies becoming an industry-accepted security expert. To earn an ECSA certification (EC-Council certified security analyst), you need to submit your penetration testing report in 60 days. The ECSA v9 Exam (current version) is a 4-hour exam with 150 questions wherein you need to score a minimum of 70%. You can learn more about it on the EC Council’s official website.

Things mentioned above are the important aspects to consider and master before beginning a career in ethical hacking. The career prospects are great. There are numerous organisations out there who need full-time ethical hackers. And, who knows you might be the next Neel Mehta or Stephen Wozniak.