When we hear the word “hacking” we automatically consider a worst-case scenario, of a lowlife or thug that is making money stealing data or secrets from good people or businesses. These humans do exist, and when discovered, they face serious problems. In 2023, they will get discovered with greater frequency, because of the lesser-known community of ethical hackers.
Still, while ethical hackers may be lesser known, they are actually greater in number than the bad guys out there. They may not always be known by the label of ethical hackers either.
These are the data scientists, data analysts, programmers and developers, and even some enforcement agents of the world with a combination of advanced degrees, skillsets, and talents, that help them to unlock some of the most technical secrets in the world.
We know that there are more malware, ransomware, keylogger programs, and unethical hackers in the world than ever before, with businesses and everyday users being victimized with greater frequency every day. Ethical hackers are helping to bring this to an end.
If you like to problem solve and prevent these problems, learn more about ethical hacking here, and see if it would be a good fit for you.
1. Ethical Hackers are Cybersecurity Experts
Ethical hackers are more advanced data scientists than your average data scientist, and that is because they are also security experts. They will have advanced training in both programming and security.
For this field, security is found not only in business or home physical security, but also in network security, and security of any device that connects to the Internet.
An ethical hacker will be able to locate vulnerabilities and active threats faster and with greater efficiency than the average data scientist. Hackers that are nefarious in nature will not be able to detect them, unless they are a data scientist that has turned sides, which does happen. An ethical hacker can locate and secure that problem as well. Experts say the industry of ethical hacking is growing, with bug bounty firms and agencies cropping up all over the world to combat the daily bombardment of real and active threats that happen by the thousands daily.
2. Skills Needed for Ethical Hacking
To be an ethical hacker, you have to want to know computers, networks, the Internet, and all of the devices that can connect to it, and you have to want to solve real-world problems caused by the “bad guys” of the cyber world. Some of this can be trained with the best hacking courses, and some of this is talent and skill that is coupled with the desire to eliminate hacking with problem-solving.
If you are the kind of person that can log in to a friend or family member’s device and say, you should have a firewall here, put your passwords away there, and don’t do this here, then you have the makings of an ethical hacker. You just need the skills training and the computer and Internet expertise that can help you to reveal vulnerabilities in systems and networks, and then eliminate them.
3. Job Security With Ethical Hacking
The growth rate in the world of ethical hacking is incredible, with some industry niches seeing a rise of 350 percent growth in the past few years, at a rate of 21 percent growth annually. This may be in part due to a world that has become more remote, while becoming more connected.
Increased cybersecurity is more important than it ever has been. This will never end, and can only grow from here. If you are considering an exciting career in data science and analysis, ethical hacking is an ideal choice.
4. Daily Duties in Ethical Hacking
When you are considering this field, you will learn more about how to perform more in-depth security assessments than the random ones you intuitively perform at home or with your friends. You will also learn how to conduct threat modeling, and provide detailed reports to businesses and individual clients that help them to identify the threats and vulnerabilities and officially and formally remove them.
To get here, you will likely need a degree in computer science or a knowledge base that is equivalent. You will also need to know and have talents in network support, network engineering, and information security. As an ethical hacker, you will constantly be setting up and monitoring systems that help you to identify, locate, and eliminate threats. This is an exciting and growing field that is worth the investment of time and money. If this sounds fascinating to you, then you are already well on the path to becoming an ethical hacker that would make your own community proud.
Begin a Career in Ethical Hacking
To become an ethical hacker and a true hero in the world of cybersecurity, you will need to first have some education in the field.
Experience is not as important here as know-how in networks and vulnerability identification.
Begin the research today and perform some research on the job boards to identify what you need to accomplish to enter this exciting field. This could be your most rewarding job in tech yet.