The world is changing rapidly, and in the near future, we may see the rise of a new kind of war. It’s a war that will be fought with cyber weapons. The cyber weapons of today are so powerful that they could bring down the entire Internet infrastructure of a country.
The cyber weapons of tomorrow will be even more advanced and capable of causing far more damage. The reason we are concerned about this future is that the people who will be responsible for building the new cyber weapons are the same people who are already in positions of power.
These people are not the ones you would expect. They are hackers. Hacking is not a crime that is committed by a few isolated individuals. It is a social activity that is practised by millions of people all over the world. Hackers are not criminals. They are the inventors and builders of the future.
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What is an ethical hacker?
The idea of a hacker is pretty simple: A hacker is a person who enjoys being clever. They break into computers and see how they work. They take a computer for a walk around the park – testing how far their curiosity can take them.
An ethical hacker is someone who is trained in penetration testing (i.e. working out how easy it is to break into computer systems), and who then works for organisations that offer a solution to make sure infrastructure is sufficiently secured against potential hacks.
The term “hacker” is irrelevant to me. I know hackers who are good people and hackers who are bad people. Hackers are people who do stuff and use technology.
In many ways, it’s semantics and we should not call these activities hacking. We should only call them penetration testing if it has the full consent of the company. If it’s just a test with the full consent of the company, then we should call them penetration testers.
The penetration tester is a hybrid between an ethical hacker and an exploit tester. An ethical hacker is looking to look for security issues within a system, while an exploit tester is looking to find vulnerabilities within the system, and use them against the target.
She is convinced that you need to have consultancy skills as well. A penetration tester, she says, needs to be able to “communicate the results of the tests at a level tailored to the audience”. Furthermore, it provides technical consultancy and recommendations to customers as to how any reported vulnerabilities could be mitigated.
A complete guide to becoming an ethical hacker.
This complete guide covers everything you need to become an ethical hacker. It gives you information about what ethical hackers do, the skills and experience you need, and strategies for landing a job as an ethical hacker.
This article provides an in-depth examination of these concepts and their practical applications to modern cyber threats so that readers gain an understanding of how they can protect themselves from cyber-attacks.
These labels are used to help keep track of people’s roles, and although some of these designations may no longer be accurate, they remain useful for quick identification.
BLACK HAT HACKER
Although a black hat hacker is still just the bad guy, the good guys are now better described using terms such as red teams, blue teams, purple teams, ethical hackers, and penetration testers. More specifically, red teams provide offensive security services and blue teams provide defensive services.
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PURPLE HACKER
A purple hacker is the combination of a red and blue hacker. All security professionals that provide any sort of security service fall under this category. The term includes a variety of people who work in the security industry in a different role than a traditional hacker.
Analysts and security engineers are both jobs that require technical knowledge. Many of these services will have a “threat” or “vulnerability” management group that will include both offensive and defensive elements.
Although there are some technical differences, it’s important to remember that these various terms are used interchangeably for this guide.
An ethical hacker’s primary purpose is to view security from the adversary’s perspective in order to find vulnerabilities that could be exploited by bad actors. This provides defensive teams with the opportunity to mitigate by devising a patch before an actual attack occurs.
An ethical hacker helps protect your organization’s networks from attack. While much of the value an ethical hacker provides is related to testing security controls and devices for perimeter penetration vulnerabilities, they also look more broadly for weaknesses that can be exploited deep within a network or application such as data exfiltration vulnerabilities.
The skills required to become an ethical hacker.
There’s nothing wrong with being a hacker with an unethical streak. In fact, being a good ethical hacker means having, as is stated in the name, high ethical standards. What is the proper pronunciation of “a” in “all”? I just heard a man at the checkout line talking on his cellphone and saying, Oh my God! You can’t do this! All they have are apples.
In this article, you’ll learn what makes someone an ethical hacker, and how to become an ethical hacker. You’ll learn the difference between ethical hackers and blackhats and you’ll find out how to defend yourself and others from the latter.
HISTORY OF CYBER CRIME:
The history of cybercrime has posed an unacceptable risk for a member of a cybersecurity team. If you were working at a large organization with an astute legal team, you’d better not have any part in hacking someone else’s computers. As a cyber security professional, your resume should make it clear that you understand the difference between authorized and unauthorized behaviour.
While a change in your employment is not something to take lightly, if you want to make the change happen, it is also important to consider how to get around legal issues that may arise. Having a few hacker-themed resumes is an easy way to make sure you can do your due diligence.
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CYBER SECURITY TECHNICAL SKILLS.
You need to have advanced cybersecurity technical skills in order to become an ethical hacker. The ability to recommend mitigation and remediation strategies is a part of this required skill set. You also need to understand networks, both wired and wireless.
If you want to do some eCommerce or start a blog, you’ll need at least a basic understanding of the following topics: operating systems (such as Windows and Linux), file systems, and basic networking. Additionally, they must be adept at using websites and understanding the concepts behind blogging.
Strong coding skills are essential and must include defending. So many assets in their career that imitating and then thinking a few steps. Ahead of the adversary is almost second nature. In short, a good ethical hacker should have defended so many assets over their career that they’ve become comfortable with imitating and then thinking a few steps ahead of the adversary.
It’s more than just technical skills, ethics and a special blend of creative and analytical thinking. Hackers that are ethically and professionally responsible will think like an adversary. Understand what motivates the bad actors, and be able to estimate how much time and effort the blackhat may be willing to apply toward any specific target.
To protect valuable data and systems, the pentester must understand the value of those things.
Ethical hacker certifications and education
These are the two ethical hacker certifications. CEH stands for Certified Ethical Hacker, while OSCP stands for Offensive Security Certified Professional. Both of these certifications focus on helping students develop their skills as ethical hackers.
CERTIFICATES.
The CEH credential certifies individuals in the specific network security. The discipline of Ethical Hacking from a vendor-neutral perspective.” Anyone with the CEH certification can work as an ethical hacker. It’s a well-known fact that hackers who have no security expertise can be hired for ethical hacking.
OSCP certification describes an examination, in which they give you access to a range of targets, from Linux to Windows to iOS.
At the beginning of the test, the student is given a test with no networking experience. The successful student will first be required to research the network and determine all its vulnerabilities. Then execute the appropriate attacks.
Security through obscurity isn’t very effective. Attackers will know what you’re trying to hide before you even start. They may already have identified your system’s weaknesses and are just waiting for you to open the door.
Points are awarded for each compromised host, based on their difficulty and level of access obtained. A Bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field is a good starting point for your career.
EDUCATION.
An undergraduate degree in computer science or networking provides a good foundation for work in the security field. In choosing a program with an interdisciplinary focus, you should prioritize programs that offer both computer science and networking.
Computer engineering, computer science, and business management are crucial in the current job market. Programs that emphasize those skills are essential to preparing students for the workforce.
The home lab can be a very useful tool. Youtube videos, internet groups and forums, and social media posts and exchanges. These are all methods used by successful blackhats to stay on top of the game.
5 Steps to Becoming an Ethical Hacker
How to Become an Ethical Hacker. With the rise of internet technology, our world is changing at a faster pace than ever before. The advent of data-driven, connected technologies, along with millions of new job opportunities and careers that have sprouted as a result, has created a security landscape for the 21st century where ethical hackers play a role similar to that of the black hats from the 1970s.
- According to a Cybersecurity Ventures report, the number of open jobs in the Cybersecurity industry will increase to over 5 million.
- There is a huge gap in the market for skilled, motivated cybersecurity professionals and ethical hackers. Companies, governments, and businesses large and small are starving for skilled, motivated cybersecurity professionals and ethical hackers to protect their data.
If you want to become a security researcher, an ethical hacker, a penetration tester, or any other kind of cyber-security practitioner, this book will get you started on the path to a successful career as a digital crime fighter.
Exposure to the latest IT systems and methodologies. A meaningful way to give back to the world every day. Thousands of open jobs at prestigious employers, locally and internationally. Excellent compensation and benefits. Opportunities for advancement, and much more.
The benefit of being an ethical hacker is clear. But the hard part is how to make the idea of a career as an ethical hacker into reality. Here’s how to get started.
Step 1: Assess Yourself.
Determine if hacking is right for you. The first step is to determine if hacking is right for you.
Ethical hacking is an exciting opportunity to get the thrill of a life-long career without taking on any of the responsibilities. You can be your own boss and work when you choose, and it’s safe from lawsuits.
Advanced cybersecurity is not for the faint of heart. While some background in computer science is helpful, it’s not absolutely necessary to be a cyber expert to get started.
Some ethical hackers come from different backgrounds such as liberal arts and law, but what sets them apart is their technical skill set. They also have to be good at business and sales.
You don’t have to be an ethical hacker to work in cyber security. In fact, many security professionals and consultants are ethical hackers who specialize in pen testing or penetration testing.
This sounds like you! You’re ready to become an ethical hacker. The first step is answering “yes” to this question, which is how to become an ethical hacker.
Step 2: Become Educated About Education
This is an important step because once you decide to pursue an ethics-related career in cyber security, you’ll need to become educated about this area of technology.
It’s a real advantage to transition to cyber security when you don’t have to pay for four years of college. You can learn the skills you need to be an ethical hacker in a few short months at a local college or university.
There are many courses available to help you understand the field of ethical hacking and what it takes to become a professional ethical hacker. Choose the course that is right for you.
Step 3: Get Credentialed
Step 3: Get credentialed. The cybersecurity industry has outpaced the output of skilled, educated cyber professionals in recent years. That means that there are so many ethical hacking jobs available, but few to no cybersecurity specialists with credentials. To get your foot in the door and begin working in cybersecurity, you need credentials.
As the cybersecurity and ethical hacking industry became more strict and eventually implemented education standards and certifications, many students who want to pursue cyber security careers have to meet these educational requirements. Today, to get into this industry, you have to have the right training and credentials to succeed.
To get credentialed, you need to enrol for a hands-on, practical pen testing course to prep you to pass the industry exams, like the OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional) and the CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) exams of the EC-Council.
Choose a training program that offers real-world lab simulations and a faculty who are made up of industry professionals.
Step 4: Build Your Network.
In addition to the technical skills you will learn, ethical hacking is also a great way to get started in the cybersecurity industry.
Networking helps you keep up to date on new developments in your career and to stay connected with people who have connections in other areas. You can build your personal professional network by attending cybersecurity events, like a local college that offers online classes or face-to-face training.
You’ll get to network with local technology experts by taking a course or joining a class. These courses teach you everything about the local cyber ecosystem, including how to stay safe online and secure your computer against malware and viruses. You can even take a pen test or web security course that offers these benefits.
This book shows you how to be a successful network security analyst. A team environment is crucial for ethical hackers, and you’ll learn how to set up your own team and how to develop the skills to get promoted and advance within an ethical hacking organization.
Step 5: Hunt for the Right Job
Step 6: Find Your First Ethical Hacking Position Now that you’ve completed all of your training, and certification exams, and built up your network, you’re ready to look for a job as an ethical hacker. With so many ethical hacking positions available, you can start building your career as an ethical hacker today.
No matter what kind of career guidance you’re looking for, ethical hacking boot camps offer both graduate and undergraduate services, including career counselling, interview coaching, a LinkedIn profile-building service, and internship placement.
You should look for an ethical hacking program that includes the following additional benefits that can help you kick-start your career as a cyber security professional.
I hope this guide will help you guys to achieve your goals and become a cybersecurity specialists of your country. But becoming an ethical hacker and serving your country will be a respectable profession for you in future. Stay connected for more guides.