Whenever a person hears the word ‘Hacker’, they think that it refers to someone who tries to obtain unauthorized access to information or data. However, some hackers do the act for a good cause as well. They hack into a computer network so that they can evaluate or test the security level, without any criminal or malicious intentions. They are trained to perform the tasks and do so in the interest of the computer network instead of trying to gain any personal or secret information that may be stored inside the computer memory. They are hired by companies to make sure that the security guarding the information or data is appropriate enough to avoid any incidents of successful unauthorized hacking.
The meaning of Ethical Hacking
It refers to the process that is used for locating the vulnerabilities or weaknesses in a computer system. Also called as Penetration Testing, it is a test that is done authorized by the owner of the information, in order to make sure that the data cannot be retrieved by hacking into the computer and performing various tests. Ethical hackers, called White Hats, use the act in order to make the system strong and identifying as well as fixing any loopholes in the system in order to deter any malicious intent.
How to become an Ethical Hacker?
In order to be a certified ethical hacker, one has to go through training and need to be certified by EC- Council CEH called C|EH or Certified Ethical Hacker. One can get this after a series of vigorous examinations and training. The CEH Training for extensive training should be attended by the aspirant in Ethical Hacking at any accredited or recognized Training Center or through an online portal for CEH classes, after filling out a form and submitting a relevant 2 years work experience record. The CEH exams are important and need to be taken by the aspirants to determine whether they pass the minimum standards for being an ethical hacking. A $500 fee is also retrieved with an extra $100 for those who are enrolled for self- studying.
Ethical hacking can be a great career those who like the thrill and want to work in the field. Penetration tests, scanning of all ports of a system and testing system vulnerability are some of the tasks that are done by them. Certified Ethical hackers earn huge amounts of salaries, with added bonus if they are working in a big company. It can be a great career path.
