From large to small businesses, firms around the world are looking to increase their IT security expenditure. A white-hat hacker, popularly known as an ethical hacker, is responsible for testing an organization’s IT security and identifying weak spots.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, information security analyst jobs are projected to grow 31% by 2029. In comparison, all other non-IT professions are looking at a mere 4% growth. If you are looking to get a certification and advance your career, you should become a certified ethical hacker. You should also pursue this career path if you appreciate the intricacies of the information technology world and enjoy the occasional challenge.
The Stages of Becoming An Certified Ethical Hacker
Like everything in this world worth having, becoming an ethical hacker requires patience. You don’t become a pro hacker overnight, but with skill and commitment, you will arrive at your goal.
Step 1: Get a Computer Science Degree
A computer science degree equips you with the fundamentals of computers, machine languages, and other basic things you need to know about computers. If you’re already working in the IT sector, you already have a computer science degree and are one step ahead of most other people.
To give yourself an extra edge, you can also get a CompTIA certification, that can give you hands-on focus and experience in IT security analytics. This can give you that extra push to start your certified ethical hacker training.
Step 2: Get Network Support Experience
The next step you need to take is to gain experience in network support services. The tasks you will undertake in this role will include monitoring and updating security software, installing new security programs, and identifying and dealing with threats. Your goal at this position should be to learn how to be a network engineer and understand the challenges of that position.
Step 3: Become a Network Engineer
Rather than just monitoring and observing things from a supporter’s perspective, as a network engineer, you get to design and implement support systems. There are many certifications you can take up depending on which stage you are at in your journey.
One of the most important certifications at this stage is the Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification. This equips you to create effective designs, and at the same time, improve your results and observe what performs better in which situation.
Step 4: Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Training
There is a fine line between hacking into someone’s IT system legally or illegally – to help them improve their cybersecurity or cause them harm. Getting certified as an ethical hacker tells your potential employers that you are technically skilled enough to help them improve their system security and won’t accidentally or intentionally cause harm or damage to them.
A CEH certification is the most trusted ethical hacking accomplishment recommended by employers. It gives you in-depth knowledge of the phases of ethical hacking, countermeasures to prevent cyberattacks, and much more.
In the first quarter of 2020, India has seen a 37% increase in cybercrimes. The demand for improved cybersecurity has risen drastically, and the need for ethical hackers will only increase in the months and years to come. This ethical hacking certification is one of the most valued and industry-recognized ec council certification in the cybersecurity space.
Step 5: Get trained for Information Security
Becoming an information security analyst is just a fancy way of saying you’ve officially become a hacker; correction, an ethical hacker.
As an ethical hacker, your daily job roles will include examining system security, tackling and preventing network breaches, and putting up robust security measures for the firm with which you work. Ethical hackers earn six-figure salaries around the world for the work they do, pointing out shortcomings in the security systems of top companies around the world.
In a world that runs on data collection, interpretation, and usage, this virtual data is of utmost importance, more so for those who collect and store data. Companies around the world have faced the brunt of black hat hackers who hack into company systems to steal their data or corrupt entire drives, or even just for fun. CEH training is a great direction to take your career, both in terms of growth prospects and outdoing yourself regularly. It’s time to enroll and advance your career today.