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With the increased set of cyber crimes, companies as well as government organizations are raising concerns to protect their invaluable data from hackers. Since all our data is now stored, processed, and collected online it is more important to protect the data. Therefore, this is the major reason companies are hiring a group of white hat hackers who use their hacking skills for defensive purposes is the strongest protection against Black Hat hackers.
A White Hat hacker tries to break into gadgets and networks in order to test them. These professionals are also hackers, but their skills are being put to profitable service in the field of cyber security. Since they are hackers, they are acquainted with the methods used by malicious hackers to exploit systems. Moreover, in easy language white hat hackers seek out for vulnerabilities before the wrong fellows do.
Due to such increasing malicious activities the scope and demand of white hat hackers is also increasing. This is a career that will challenge you to perform better at every step and test your skills and abilities by putting you through some of the most conundrum situations. No doubt that ethical hacking is a difficult profession that attracts those who enjoy the task of proving and disproving security measures in encrypted network systems. It puts your intellect, tolerance, creativity, and endurance to the test.
Roles and Responsibilities of a White Hat Hacking Professional
Let’s have a look at some of the major roles and responsibilities of these professionals that they need to perform while working. They are:
- Meeting clients to discuss the security system currently in place.
- Research the company’s system, network structure, and possible penetration sites.
- Conducting multiple penetration tests on the system.
- Identifying security flaws and breaches.
- Identify areas of high-level security.
- Reviewing security network.
- Creating suggestions for security upgrades and compile penetration test reports for the client.
- Conducting penetration tests once new security features have been implemented.
Skills required to become a White Hat Hacking Professional
Below are some of the most engaging skillsets required by such professionals and these will make your journey easy and steady. Some of the skills are:
- Web application
- Problem-solving skills
- Network pen testing
- API assessment
- Organizational skills
- Social engineering
- Source code analysis
- Mobile: Android
- Cryptography
- Binary analysis and reverse engineering
Learning Outcomes of White Hat Hacking
Some of the major and most expected learning outcomes of becoming a white hat hacker are listed below:
- Footprinting and Reconnaissance
- Scanning Networks
- Enumeration
- Sniffing
- Social Engineering
- Denial of Service
- Session Hijacking
- Hacking Webservers
How to become a White Hat Hacking Professional
It is very important to know that in the cybersecurity world, the more you know, the better you get. Therefore, it is very important that you should have good experience and relevant qualifications to enter the world of data security. A bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity or a related field is required for the majority of positions. Moreover, if you have a master’s degree or a Ph.D., which will help you advance your career even further. Some certifications that can help you know in a better aspect include:
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
- Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT) Master
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
- Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
Having job experience and completing all the required qualifications and certifications will help you strike out on your own as a competent White Hat hacker.
Why pursue White Hat Hacking as a career?
As per statistics, the Information security market is expected to reach $170.4 billion by 2022, and almost 68% of business leaders worldwide feel that cybersecurity risks are growing. With the increase in online thefts, companies all over the world are investing heavily in cybersecurity. Thus, there is a growing demand for white hat hackers, who will work to report any malicious activities and resolve them beforehand. Industries like government organizations, IT sectors, law enforcement, departments in National intelligence, financial institutions, etc are seeking for such professionals to protect important data from hackers.
It is with the increasing demand that choosing white hat hacking as a career is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. But before taking up this profession, one must be aware that this position requires educational qualifications along with technical skills, strong ethics, and most importantly, a willingness to learn to combat challenges. In India, the demand for ethical hackers is expected to rise by 77, 000 in the next five years. Moreover, a technical hacker can look for top companies like Dell, Google, Wipro, Reliance, Infosys, and IBM to land the highest-paid ethical hacking jobs in India.
Career Prospects in White Hat Hacking
1. Ethical Hacker
Ethical hackers are also known as white hat hackers. These professionals demonstrate the knowledge of assessing the computer system’s security by looking out for faults and vulnerabilities. Moreover, it is a good career if you are interested in the ethical hacking and cybersecurity field but it requires a great knowledge of the complete information technology field. They also specialize in penetration testing and other testing methodologies to ensure the security of an organization’s information systems.
Average Salary: INR 3.5 Lakhs per annum
2. Information Security Analyst
This is one of the best jobs to start within the cybersecurity field. The major responsibility of these professionals is to keep systems updated by upgrading software and advising management on security changes. They work to avoid any possible security breaches and carry out security steps to safeguard an organization’s computer networks and systems. Moreover, you’re also expected to collaborate with employees and understand new programs and hardware.
Average Salary: INR 6 Lakhs per annum
3. Cyber Security Analyst
This is a very good career, as there is a huge demand for professionals with these skills. According to statistics, the employment rate for cyber security analysts is expected to grow by 31 percent from 2019 to 2029. The major role of these professionals is to protect a company’s hardware, software, and networks from hackers. The primary role is to understand the company’s IT infrastructure in detail, monitor it at all times, and evaluate threats that could potentially breach the network.
Average Salary: INR 5 Lakhs per annum
4. Security Analyst
These professionals monitor, prevent, and stop attacks on private data. To secure data and network infrastructures, these professionals design and deploy firewalls and software systems. Moreover, this is an entry-level job and your salary is always expected to increase with the amount of experience you gain. Therefore, this is a good career option and you should definitely have a look at it.
Average Salary: INR 5 Lakhs per annum
5. Security Engineer
If you have an engineering background and are interested in this field, then a job as a security engineer is one of the best career options for you. These professionals are expected to have the most in-demand information security and IT skills. Moreover, a security engineer analyzes computer networks, confirms that they are functioning safely, and attempts to predict potential security susceptibilities in the future.
Average Salary: INR 5.8 Lakhs per annum
6. Security Consultant
If you’re looking for a rewarding and challenging career that is in high demand, then you should definitely have a look at the job of a security consultant. Multi-national companies and educational institutions with large databases often hire security consultants. Security consultants must be adaptable to the various industries to which they can be hired. You are expected to be well-organized and communicate effectively. Overall, this job is booming due to its high demand.
Average Salary: INR 8.6 Lakhs per annum
7. Penetration Tester
This is one of the best career choices for one who is excellent at the computer, IT, and problem-solving skills. You’ll get to be on top of the IT block, earn a good amount of money, and build your network. These professionals are also known as a pen test, pentest, or ethical hacking, which is a legally authorized simulated cyberattack on a computer system that is used to determine the system’s security. Penetration testers help remove these cyber attacks.
Average Salary: INR 5 Lakhs per annum
Average Salary
It is very clear that you need to have some specialization to earn a higher salary. With enhanced experience in white hat hacking and cleared basics and deep understanding of the fundamentals. A White Hat hacker’s annual salary in India is around INR 4.7 Lakhs which makes it a pretty good career as a professional working in this field will be expected to rise from their current position to achieve a higher position with better monetary benefits. Moreover, it is very clear from the graph that with rising experience you will benefit in every aspect.
Career Path to follow
If you’re thinking to step into the field of cybersecurity as a white hat hacker then you must first establish a sound foundation before you can become an expert in this field. And you should have the right skills before you can move on to the practical teaching. So you should definitely look forward towards gaining knowledge by attending lectures, joining study groups, taking online certification courses, and taking tests to check yourself where you stand.
Therefore, to solve this problem we are providing you with the best online certification courses on the web. Vskills is offering Certified White Hat Hacker online certification course that will help you begin your career in this field and will give you a clear idea of the topics that need to be covered. The best part is that this certification is recognised by the Government of India so this will add value to your resume as well. We would also like to wish you all the best for your career. Happy Learning!
