How to become a paid ethical hacker?

Types of ethical hackers

There can be five broad classifications of ethical hackers depending on the type of responsibility and authorization. 

• Hacktivists

Hacktivists are mainly hackers who do not have authorized access to a network system but are rather motivated by the benefit of the general public at large. They can go as far as disrupting traffic to a particular website that may be used for ill content.

• Licensed Penetration Tester

Licensed penetration testers are authorized hackers hired by an organization to perform penetration testing and look for possible vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the system. They can be hired as an associate or on a permanent basis depending on the organization.

• Black Box Penetration Tester

A black box penetration tester is a licensed penetration tester who is hired by an organization to discover vulnerabilities and weaknesses in their network system, but they are not provided with complete information about the system, thereby mimicking the actions of a potential unethical or black hat hacker trying to gain unauthorized access to the system for exploiting the vulnerabilities. 

Having no prior knowledge of the system puts the system penetration tester in a position to try and gain access to the system in any way possible, thus encountering many possible scenarios that may lead to a possible break-in. Thus, the knowledge gathered during the hacking session can be useful to strengthen the security of the network system for better protection.

• White Box Penetration Tester

White box penetration testers are also licensed penetration testers and are much like black box penetration testers. The key difference in their work or working methodology is that complete knowledge of the network system is disclosed to them. In other ways, a white box penetration tester simulated an attack from the inside of the network system of the organization.

• Cyberwarrior

Cyberwarrior hackers are authorized by the sponsor side, where they are allowed to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses by performing penetration testing at a larger scale.

How can you become a paid ethical hacker?

Ethical hacking mostly started out as a freelancing, reward-based job, but as organizations are facing the potential threat of cybercrime now and then, they are hiring ethical hackers to safeguard their network system security. Now that you have all the necessary knowledge of the types of ethical hacking careers which can be pursued, you can further research the type that interests you most for learning the pathway to becoming an ethical hacker. Generally, the following roadmap is followed to find the best way to become an ethical hacker and get paid for your job. 

• Evaluate Your Skills & Interests

You can start by undergoing a thorough self-evaluation of your skills based on your areas of interest. Most ethical hackers are tech enthusiasts with a knack for computer and information technology. They also gain additional skills, including analysis and problem-solving. Sincere interests in the general benefit of maximum people with an interest in using their passion for the best interests are the perfect candidate for an ethical hacking career.

• Find a Good Institution

When you have decided upon what kind of ethical hacker you want to become, you need to find a good institution for getting proper training. You also need to be well accustomed to the software used in hacking which you can learn more about in an ethical hacking course. 

• Learn Additional Skills

Since learning ethical hacking requires the knowledge of additional skills, including the knowledge of programming languages, hacking software, finding bugs, and many more such skills, you have to be well adept in these skills to be able to realize your potential as an ethical hacker. This can be achieved by enrolling in an ethical hacking course where they will be trained in various skills and cover a variety of topics such as laws related to hacking, methods of hacking wireless networks, locating bugs, worms, malware, and viruses that pose a threat to the network system, etc. When subjected to simulated cyber- attacks, you can use your knowledge and skills to make ways to secure the system to prevent future attacks, and such skills can be learned with the help of an ethical hacking course.

• Get Certified

Getting certified as an ethical hacker helps demonstrate your credentials as an expert in cybersecurity. This shows that you have all the required knowledge and skills of an ethical hacker so that you can be a valuable addition to the company of your potential employer.

Eligibility criteria for certified ethical hacker course

There are no eligibility requirements for applying for an ethical hacking certification. Anybody interested in learning the skills of ethical hacking for independent practice or pursuing it as a career can join the ethical hacking certification course. There are no restrictions on the educational qualification or knowledge of programming languages. The ethical hacking certification is awarded to individuals who clear the certification exam at the end of the training session.

Who can take the certified ethical hacker course?

There are no eligibility criteria that have to be fulfilled to enroll in the ethical hacking certification. You should enroll in the ethical hacking certification if you are a/an IT Specialist, IT Analyst, IT Manager, IT Auditor, IT Consultant, IT Operations Manager, Security Specialists, Security Manager, Network Analyst, Network Manager, Network Administrator, Security Architect, Technical Support Engineer, Senior Systems Engineer, Network Architect, Security Engineer, Security Analysts, etc.

Benefits of doing the certified ethical hacker course

The Certified Ethical Hacker course helps you become a skilled cybersecurity professional to pursue it as a profession. In this course, you will learn readily applicable and easily demonstrable skills which you can use to showcase your expertise and knowledge in the subject of ethical hacking. This enhances your chances of employment in the top positions at an organization as an ethical hacking professional or specialist.

In the Certified Ethical Hacker course, you will be able to get thorough training and guidance in the following subjects:

• Footprinting and reconnaissance
• Network Scanning
• SQL Injection
• Hacking mobile networks and wireless networks
• Hacking Web Servers & Web Applications
• Evading IDS, Honeypots, Firewalls
• IoT hacking
• Session Hijacking
• Denial of service
• Social Engineering
• Cloud computing
• Sniffing
• Malware threats
• System Hacking
• Vulnerability Analysis
• Enumeration
• Cryptography

How much does an ethical hacker earn? On average, an ethical hacker income is around $93,000 a year. This can be more or less depending on the company one is employed at or professional charges as an independent practitioner.

Conclusion

Ethical hacking is a lucrative career option with the growing demand for certified cybersecurity specialists in the world of increasing cybercrimes. Certified ethical hackers are hired by organizations due to their exceptional skills and knowledge of penetration testing and rectifying network vulnerabilities. 

Therefore, pursuing a certification to learn ethical hacking online can provide you with the required training and knowledge of hacking along with a certification to establish your credibility as an experienced hacking expert. The Certified Ethical Hacker course can help you learn the best techniques for ethical hacking through the use of the latest commercial-grade software and tools. With the Certified Ethical Hacker certification in your bag, get the best-paid ethical hacker jobs.