Technology has considerably evolved in the last few years than in the previous two decades. The threat of cybercrime is also rising with advancing technology. Considering the increasing cyber-attacks in organizations worldwide, the demand for ethical hackers has increased. Cybercrime poses a national security threat for nations across the globe, which is why reputed organizations and government agencies hire skillful, ethical hackers.
Generally, hackers are associated with criminal activities, but that is not always true. Ethical hackers, also called white hat hackers, protect the organization’s data against black hat hackers or criminal hackers and potential data breaches. Ethical hackers play a vital role in securing IT systems from sophisticated cyberattacks. However, it involves studying a lot of tools and penetration techniques to learn ethical hacking from scratch.
But if you wish to accelerate your learning, you can pursue a certified ethical hacker course from numerous educational platforms. Certified ethical hacker provides the hands-on training required to penetrate network systems and equips you with the skills to thrive in the Information security domain.
Table of Contents
What is ethical hacking?
Ethical hacking involves hacking a computer system or application based on moral values rather than wrong intentions of potential data breaches. It includes developing active security measures to defend information systems from black hat hackers. Ethical hackers are skilled security professionals with a good understanding of Linux systems, cryptography, and Database Management Systems.
Using ethical hacking tools, white hat hackers identify the vulnerabilities that may lead to potential data breaches and provide solutions to secure the company’s data. An ethical hacker first hacks the system and computer networks before any black hat hacker targets the data.
Cyber security training is essential in today’s digital landscape to combat evolving threats. Gain vital skills through expert-led courses covering diverse topics like ethical hacking, network security, and more. Practical labs and real-world simulations provide hands-on experience, ensuring you’re ready to protect systems and data. Whether you’re new to the field or seeking advanced knowledge, cyber security training equips you to excel in a high-demand industry. Stay ahead of cyber threats and safeguard valuable information with up-to-date education. Prepare to make a significant impact in the world of cyber security through comprehensive training that empowers you to thrive.
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Ethical Hacking Techniques
A comprehensive certified ethical hacker course will dig deeper and help you learn ethical hacking from scratch. However, the most common ethical hacking techniques are elaborated below:
1. Sniffing
It involves tracking and capturing all the data packets passing through a given network. Ethical hacking tools like Wireshark are used to tap into the network and learn about ongoing conversations.
2. Footprinting
In this technique, the hacker gathers as much information as possible about a specific system or network infrastructure and recognizes potential opportunities to penetrate them.
3. Social engineering
It is a prominent ethical hacking technique that involves convincing people to reveal their confidential information. This attack is categorized into three types:
- Human-Based Social Engineering
- Mobile-Based Social Engineering
- Computer-Based Social Engineering
White hat hackers deceive people into disclosing sensitive information about the company or participating in activities that result in security breaches. These attacks are difficult to recognize since it involves people taking advantage of their trust or lack of knowledge.
4. SQL Injection
This technique includes inserting malicious code into an SQL database through a web application. The attacker sends an SQL query to a database server that modifies it as required. It allows the attacker unauthorized access to the organization’s sensitive information.
5. Password cracking
It involves guessing or cracking the password of secure computer systems using various ethical hacking tools and techniques like brute force attacks, dictionary attacks, or rainbow table attacks.
6. Phishing
The Phishing attack involves the hacker sending messages to the organization under the pretext of pretending to be a trusted source. They manipulate the company’s key members and cause them to perform actions like clicking a malicious link or installing a malicious file.
The hacker relies on public resources to collect personal and work information about the victim and then uses it to create a series of fake messages to initiate phishing attacks.
7. Penetration Testing
In this ethical hacking technique, the network or computer system is subjected to a simulation of a series of attacks to find vulnerabilities that suspicious hackers could exploit. A combination of numerous ethical hacking tools and manual procedures helps in penetration testing and gaining access to private data or company resources.
8. Enumeration
It involves gathering information by connecting with the target host and assessing the vulnerabilities. The data is then used to plan threat attacks to target the host system to collect details like usernames, passwords, IP addresses, hostnames, etc.
Ethical hacking tools
Various ethical hacking tools are available to make the hacking process convenient. The prominent tools are listed below:
- Ettercap
- Netsparker
- NMap
- Wireshark
- OpenVAS
- Acunetix
Popular Certified Ethical Hacker Training
If you want to succeed in the ethical hacking profession, a certification can help you establish a long-term career. A comprehensive course will give you in-depth knowledge of industry-relevant white hat hacking practices.
Certified ethical hackers are among the highly sought-after IT security professionals. According to Cybercrime magazine, there will be more than 3.5 Million cybersecurity job opportunities, including ethical hacking roles, by 2025. The average annual salary of a certified ethical hacker in the United States is $112,000.
Certified Ethical Hacker Certification
It is an industry-recognized certification exam to help you build relevant ethical hacking skills. The exam tests your knowledge of security threats, risks, and security solutions for detecting and preventing attacks.
Certified Security Testing Associate
The CSTA course is designed to be a bootcamp training that enhances your knowledge of performing security assessments and auditing on multiple systems. It is ideal if you want to break into the industry and learn ethical hacking from scratch.
Offensive Security Certified Professional
It is another recommended certified ethical hacker course that helps you think outside the box and improve your hacking skills. It places a heavy focus on infrastructure testing in internal networks.
Conclusion
Since ethical hacking and cyber security are emerging fields with a growing demand, certified ethical hackers will have a competitive advantage when applying for jobs in the top cybersecurity firms in the United States. Certified ethical hacker training is a must to step into the industry. Ethical hackers play a crucial role in protecting the security of an organization or nation, and their job entails high respect and a well-regarded reputation.
