Ethical Hacker
Who Is A Ethical Hacker?
Ethical hackers are usually hired by organisations to understand and fix the vulnerability of their system and protect their database. As an ethical hacker, you will use your expertise in programming and identify areas that unethical hackers are likely to target.
Say a client is launching a new product. You will be called in to protect it from attacks once it has launched. You will spot the bugs and loopholes, and fix it before it hits the market.
Roles & Responsibilities
Scanning through the owner’s system to identify open ports. Ports are the points of connection between your local device and the Internet. You will need to learn tools like Nmap or Nessus to study and secure vulnerable ports.
Developing tools to enhance security. You may have to work with the design team to develop a secured version of existing applications based on your findings.
Reviewing and authorising vendors who provide security systems. If your company is outsourcing a product, you will be responsible for testing its usability and reporting the same. To protect your company’s data, you will examine every foreign application on an independent device (not connected to other operating devices in the firm) or a simulator.
Training and educating the staff on security measures. Since you will be studying every new system or application, it is your responsibility to guide your team toward safe usage.
Take the Mentoria career assessment, to find out how well-suited you are as a Ethical Hacker.
What Skills Will I Need To Have To Do This Job Well?
As exciting as this sounds, there are some things you’ll need to learn to do the job right:
PROGRAMMING SKILLS
Even though you will work on someone else’s code and find bugs in it, it is necessary for you to study various programming languages like Java, C++, SQL, to name a few.
PATIENCE
You may have to read a thousand lines of code to find a single bug. You should be calm and patiently test each part of your code. It is one of the most critical skills that every ethical hacker should possess.
DETAIL ORIENTED
As you gain more experience, it won’t take you much time to manually spot a basic syntax error. If it is something that can’t be located with the human eye, precision and persistence are skills that will prove handy.
TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS
Technology is constantly evolving with each passing day. Being an ethical hacker, you need to be on top of this change. For example, the Operating System (OS) in which your application is functioning may change. If you are aware of this change before it reaches users, you can work to support this OS change.
What Will My Workplace Look Like?
As an ethical hacker, there is a high probability that you will not be restricted to an office space. Most ethical hackers work on a freelance basis and stay with a specific organisation only for as long it takes to finish a project. However, if a government body hires you, you might have to work in shifts and put in extra hours if there is a deadline. Travelling is not mandatory, but you will be attending client sites as and when needed.
What Is My Scope For Career Growth As A Ethical Hacker?
You can enter the web of ethical hacking as an intern with any organisation for a couple of months. As you gain experience, you may apply for jobs in government organisations.
After several years of experience, you can start working as a freelancer. You will not need to stick to any particular company; you can choose any project you prefer to work on.
Thinking of a career as an Ethical Hacker? Take the Mentoria assessment test & talk to our career counsellors to get personalized step-by-step guidance for your future career path.
How Much Will I Get Paid?
The exact amount will depend on the organisation, size of the project and your experience. Let’s give you a general idea.
As an intern, you can earn about INR 2,50,000 per annum in India. After a year’s experience, you will earn about INR 4,30,000 per annum. After about ten years of experience, you can earn INR 80,00000 per annum.
Okay, I'm sold. This is amazing
STEP 1: Class XI-XII/Junior College
You will have to pursue Science and choose computer science as your optional subject. Learn the fundamentals of any programming language like C++ or Java. Finish a basic Oracle course, if you can.
STEP 2: Entrance Exams
After clearing Class 12, you can take the state-level (MH-CET) and national-level (JEE) entrance exams. If you aspire to join an autonomous college like VJTI, study for their private examination.
STEP 3: Graduation
You can opt for a bachelor’s degree in Computer science (CS) Engineering or Information Technology (IT) Engineering. The total duration of the course is four years. Take various Internet courses and offline courses dedicated to hacking alongside.
STEP 4: Internship
Try to land yourself an internship in any reputed organisation where you can work as an intern on an individual project under a senior programmer.
STEP 5: Land a Job
Now that you have a bachelor’s degree in Computer science (or IT) engineering, the next step is to look for a job. Start applying for jobs in startups and smaller institutions initially because there is a lot of scope to learn at such organisations.
Congratulations, you are now officially an ethical hacker!
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