Hacking means breaking into a computer network, system or internet entity by exploiting its loopholes. There are two sides to hacking – ethical hacking and black hat hacking (regular hacking).
Ethical hackers hack into computer networks, systems and internet entities of organizations and companies. They hack into these systems to find out flaws and security vulnerabilities present within the system. In short, ethical hackers investigate and find out flaws in networks, systems and web entities. The ultimate aim of an ethical hacker is to identify vulnerabilities in the system and patch it up in a timely manner.
Last year, ethical hacking was estimated to be a $3.8 billion industry in the US alone. According to Nasscom, India will require at least 77,000 ethical hackers every year whereas we are producing only 15,000 in a year, currently. Ethical hacking is growing at a tremendous pace and offers a plethora of lucrative job opportunities.
Skills required
- Ability to write programmes in many programming languages like C, C++, Perl, Python, and Ruby.
- For those working with web applications, Microsoft .NET and PHP are vital. Knowledge of assembly language is also essential for those who want to analyse disassembled binaries.
- Knowledge of a variety of operating systems (Microsoft Windows, various versions of Linux, etc) is critical.
- Experience with various network devices, including switches, routers and firewalls is also important.
- Have a basic understanding of TCP/IP protocols such as SMTP, ICMP and HTTP.
- Ability to adapt to different environments & be resourceful
Ethical Hacking Courses
Courses mentioned below are Bachelor’s Degree courses, PG Degree courses and Certification courses:
- B.Tech. Cyber Security and Forensic
- B.Sc. in Networking and Security
- B.Tech. IT & Cyber Security
- M.Tech. CSE (Information Security)
- M.Tech. Computer Science and Information Security
- M.Tech. Information Security
- M.Tech. Cyber Laws and Information Security
- CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) course
- SSCP course
- CISSP course
- CISA course
- CISM course
- OSCP course
Scope & job opportunities:
The information security industry is going at a current worldwide growth rate of 21%. Frost & Sullivan have estimated that there are 2.28 million information security professionals worldwide which is expected to increase to nearly 4.2 million by 2015. The need for information security for security compliance in India is mandatory for all companies with an IT backbone. The requirement for such personnel is especially high with organisations in the IT/ITES space.
- Financial Institutions
- IT and ITES companies
- All online businesses and organizations
- Consultancies
- Governments
- Diplomatic set-up
- Security installations
- Security agencies
- Defense organizations
- Telecommunication sector
- Immigration services
- Aviation industry
- Hotels
- Forensic Laboratories
Types of Jobs:
- System administrator
- Ethical hacker
- System security architect
- Network security specialist
- Security manager
- Systems auditor
- Secure programmer
- Encryption specialist
- Security analyst
Salary:
A fresher may work as an intern for a couple of months and can start with a minimum of Rs. 2.5- 3 lakh per annum. With one year of experience, one can expect upto Rs. 4.5 lakh per annum. Those with work experience five years or more can get from over Rs. 12 lakh per annum.
(Edvantage Point is India’s go-to platform for education-related products and services. We are into admissions management for schools, career advice and counselling services for students as well as recruitment services).
