Ethical Hacker – An overview

What do you think of when you hear the word “hacker”?

Many of us would have heard the term ‘hacker’, but don’t know the exact meaning of it. We know a hacker as someone who just uses some malicious techniques to get into some social accounts in Facebook or any other social media apps.

Some of the hackers don’t just hack for their personal gain, they even do for protecting data from some other hackers. They are known as white-hat hackers or officially known as an “ethical hacker”.

Who is an Ethical hacker?

An ethical hacker is someone who uses his hacking skills and techniques more for good over evil. As mentioned earlier, not every hacker is engaged in malicious activities. There are even some ethical hackers or white hat hackers who proactively work for saving the information of some entities. These hackers are provided powers to infiltrate an organisation’s IT security and find vulnerabilities in it.

These hackers can sometimes can be paid by the organisations as security specialists that attempt to find security vulnerabilities of a company via hacking.

Qualities of an Ethical hacker:

• The main quality of a hacker must be the extensive knowledge about the topic. He must have the ability of problem solving and strong technical grip.

• He must be able to make proper decisions even under pressure.

• It also involve powerful communication skills, intelligence and adaptable skills.

In the present world where there is a high frequency of cyber-attacks, the organisations are free to hire a specialised ethical hacker to keep their company information safe and secured.

If you are one of those persons who are aspirant to become an ethical hacker, having a bachelor’s or master’s degree in information security and even computer science and mathematics can lead you towards your goals.

Scope of an ethical hacker or white hat hacker:

According to IBM statistics, the average cost incurred by a company by data breach is reported to be approximately $ 3.9 million. A rise in malware and phishing or fraud activities are being identified by the medium and large sized firms. Consequently, all those firms are investing huge and huge fortune for protecting their information, data and networks.

According to a (source), by 2025 the cyber security market size is expected to reach $258.99 billion, thus creating huge opportunities and demands.

The New York Times have reported that the job openings for cyber-security professionals would rise from $ 1 million in 2014 to $ 3.5 million in 2021.

However things aren’t simple as they look, though these overwhelming stats are depicting to have a great scope for ethical hackers or cyber-security specialists in future. Some Authorised Cyber Security Specialists all over the world doubt the expertise and experience of the hackers for the required cyber-security personnel.

But, thankfully the reports show that there is a rising trend for these cyber-security specialists with competitive salaries.

Market value for an Ethical hacker in India and foreign nations:

Cyber-security industry is growing tremendously creating huge opportunities for cyber security specialists who want to pursue their career in this industry. According to Payscale, the median salary of a white hat hacker is almost $ 80,000. And the top range could climb to $ 100,000.

In India the average salary of a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is INR 4, 99,333, according to Payscale.

Some of the famous white hat hackers include Tim Berners-Lee, Steve Wozniak, Kevin Mitnick, Jeff Moss, Linus Torvalds etc.

Become an Ethical Hacker?

Though the term “hacker” does not have a good reputation in today’s vocabulary, it actually offers many career opportunities and skill enhancing chances. To learn more about the different roles, skills and responsibilities of an ethical hacker, click here.

If you are very keen to join the course, visit here and get registered for the upcoming batches.