5 Reasons Why Businesses Need Ethical Hackers [Extra Quality]
When it comes to hacking, surely you might think of a man who is busy with codes on big machines in a dark room and surrounded by bulky racks with blinking lights. All thanks to movies and TV series, hackers do have that corrupt reputation but let me tell you that there are some noble hackers too. And they are White Hat Hackers who are involved in ethical hacking. Considering the increase in the number of cyber attacks, the demand for ethical hackers has increased, as companies are hiring them to protect their data from the black hat hackers who are involved with illegal activities. But, being one [ethical hackers] is not an easy task and requires a lot of studying about tools, techniques and penetration testing. If you are still contemplating whether an ethical hacking career is your cup of tea, here are the top 5 reasons to learn ethical hacking that might convince you to build a career around it.
5 Reasons Why Businesses Need Ethical Hackers
Whenever a new product is developed, stakeholders often neglect its security testing due to a time crunch, which at times leave the software vulnerable to theft and hacking. But if there is an ethical hacker on board, the security testing can be performed quickly, efficiently and comprehensively with the best industry practices. Beyond this, learning ethical hacking can help with studying tools, created by hackers and quality assurance testers to expedite the remediation of common vulnerabilities. Moreover, by knowing about these tools, developers can acquire knowledge about coding errors that should be avoided.
As an ethical hacker, you have the liberty to work for whichever industry you want. You can work for one of the Fortune 500 or even start a small venture on your own. Moreover, for those who aspire to travel the world, ethical hacking might be the right start. The reason being that on the global scale, Cyber attacks are on an all-time ride and are outpacing the supply of ethical hackers. Thus, there are plenty of opportunities for cybersecurity professionals.
Costs of security testing vary based on businesses. Businesses with large user data base might need to pay hefty costs while others might pay lesser for information security. Tasks like checking of firewalls, servers, IP addresses do cost high but this investment is justified compared to the loss caused by cyber-attacks. To safeguard the systems, companies can either hire an ethical hacking firm or agency or hire ethical hackers. This decision is made based on various factors. Few businesses cannot afford to allow other agent to hack in systems from outside for security and therefore hire in-house ethical hackers. While others go for ethical hacking firms to protect their systems and network. In both the circumstances, ethical hackers need to sign a legal agreement with various terms and conditions with the host client.
Today, hiring ethical hackers is not a matter of choice but a necessity for businesses. EC Council governs the Certified Ethical Hacker program to qualify professional hackers. For all obvious reasons, CEH are in high demand in businesses across industries worldwide.
Cybersecurity is a top concern for many businesses, and for good reason. A cyber attack can interfere with profitability, expansion, or even the survival of many businesses. There are many things businesses can do to protect themselves against cyberattacks, and using an ethical hacker is one way to prevent cybercrimes from seriously or even irrevocably damaging a business and its operations.
PC AGE offers a course to prepare students for certification as an ethical hacker so they can help businesses protect themselves against malicious hackers that want to harm them. Request info about this and all our other courses that can help you get started in an IT career or advance in your current position.
While those insights alone might seem like a good reason to hire a certified ethical hacker, many companies are still reluctant to do so. The fact is, though, that there are several good reasons to have one on your staff.
As mentioned previously, a certified ethical hacker, also known as a penetration tester or pentester, provides a layer of defense against cyberattacks on your network. In many cases, IT security relies on playing defense against known threats; this is why we have constant updates to virus and malware definitions, and are always adjusting firewalls, etc. However, someone who has completed certified ethical hacker training has the skills to help you play offense against hackers. In other words, they find vulnerabilities before hackers do, giving you an opportunity to shore up your defenses before you have a problem. In addition, a CEH will provide assurance that the methods you are using are working, allowing you to focus on other priorities.
Apart from the fact that hackers are making a lot of money stealing, those on the ethical hacking side are experiencing a boom as well. The need to train certified ethical hackers has risen tremendously due to the demand for over 500,000 security professionals. With so many organizations under attack, the demand has far exceeded the supply.
Ethical hacking is deemed acceptable if it is solicited by organizations. But even then, it does not make such hacking immune to legal action. Most precarious is the position of those hackers who break into systems unsolicited but with good intentions. Laws governing ethical hacking are currently inadequate and vague. The issue of legal protection for ethical hackers needs serious focus. The scope of work and other legal provisions need to be determined.
So-called ethical hacking is the practice of breaking into systems with the intention of finding security issues, but without any malicious intent. Ethical hackers tend to let the owners or stakeholders in the system know their findings. Ethical hackers can do their jobs either solicited or unsolicited. Organizations formally solicit hackers to test their systems, an arrangement known as penetrative testing. Hackers test the systems and usually provide a report at the end of the job. Unsolicited hackers, on the other hand, test systems for various reasons. Solicited hacking is potentially less hazardous for hackers than unsolicited hacking, mainly because unsolicited hackers lack formal approval. (Learn more about the positive side of hacking in 5 Reasons You Should Be Thankful For Hackers.)
Ethical hacking is a beneficial and preventive practice, and is frequently solicited. However, ethical hacking can still cause many different problems. For example, such hackers can still allow malicious intent to take over at some stage, and lack of legal agreements can lead to a messy situation.
On the surface, ethical hacking is an ethical action that benefits organizations. There are many hackers who, solicited or unsolicited, have been finding security flaws in systems before someone else with bad intentions finds them. Ethical hacking is practiced in most organizations to different degrees internally or by hiring specialized hackers. However, software security is a vast and complex area and internal testing may not always reveal all flaws, especially in the case of large and complex applications handling sensitive data such as financial or defense data. In such cases, you need specialized hackers to find security flaws. Having said that, it is the hacker who determines how ethical the hacking will be. To understand this point, consider the following issues:
There is no doubt that ethical hacking is beneficial for organizations. Instead of providing legal protection to ethical hackers, focused laws defining the scope of work, roles and responsibilities of both parties need to be passed. The laws should address the following issues:
Ethical hacking is the skill of identifying vulnerabilities in networks and systems. It is the perfect career direction for a data scientist, since it builds on skills they already have. To become an ethical hacker, you need hands-on knowledge of data science, networking, database management systems, cryptography, and social engineering. Ethical hackers can add great value to businesses.
As a result of the evolution of big data, all businesses wish to have a solid online presence to reach their audience effectively. It has enabled companies to target their audience and market their products or services more efficiently. But this technological evolution has also increased security threats for online businesses. Hiring a competent and experienced ethical hacker has become crucial for all companies.
If you are an aspiring ethical hacker, you must focus on improving the skills that can open the gates of many opportunities. It will help you land your dream job as the demand for ethical hackers is increasing daily.
Cyber-attacks not only damage the finances and systems of the companies but also affects their credibility. Companies are willing to pay handsome salary packages to competent, ethical hackers. It means you have a good chance to establish a great and rewarding career by nurturing the required skills.
According to a research study, the average raise of 50% per year has been recorded in the salaries of ethical hackers. It shows the presence of great and life-changing opportunities in this field, so you need to make the most out of it.
To catch criminals, it is important to think like them to understand what can be their next move. Similarly, when it comes to cyber security threats, ethical hacking allows you to understand the mindset of hackers.
Whenever new software is developed, stakeholders and developers need someone to check its security protocols. That is where the role of ethical hackers becomes crucial because they can ensure foolproof security testing as per the industry standards.
Are you considering using your skills as a data scientist to become an ethical hacker? To do that, you need to opt for the relevant courses and degrees that will help you to increase your worth in the eyes of potential employers. Once you start learning ethical hacking, you will start understanding the mindset of cyber criminals. It will help you know what skills you need to master to mitigate the risk of cyberattacks and contribute positively to the growth and sustainability of companies. 041b061a72