What are the Different Types of Ethical Hacking? >> You may have known Ethical Hacking, similar to penetration testing, as a process of intruding into systems or networks to identify vulnerabilities and threats in those systems that a hacker finds and exploits, causing data loss. It helps in improving the security of the systems and network by fixing the vulnerabilities found during testing. Ethical hacking is a legal and authorized practice that bypasses system security to find out potential threats in network and data breaches. It includes duplicating strategies and actions of malicious attackers.
Ethical hackers notify organizations about breaches and vulnerabilities they found during the hacking process and provide appropriate advice for resolving those issues. They use their knowledge and expertise to improve and secure the technology of organizations. Still, they may have to agree to a non-disclosure agreement, terms and conditions required by the assessed organization. Today, an ethical hacker is one of the most sought-after job roles. Many beginners and professionals seek a suitable ethical hacking course across the world.
In this article, we are going to discuss different types of ethical hacking and the benefits of taking certification courses in this domain.
Types of Ethical Hacking
It is known that systems, websites, processes, devices, or any data can be hacked any time anywhere. It is necessary to understand how the hack might happen and what the damage could be. Thus ethical hackers should know how to think like hackers and learn about the techniques and tools they are likely to use. Different types of ethical hacking are:
- Web Application Hacking
- Web Server Hacking
- System Hacking
- Hacking Wireless Networks
- Social Engineering
Types of Hackers- They are of different types, and their names are based on the intent of hacking systems.
- White Hat Hacker- Ethical hackers or white hackers are not aimed to harm or damage the system or organization, but they have to do it officially and legally. They try to locate and penetrate the vulnerabilities and provide the best possible solutions to fix them in order to ensure safety. These hackers are not doing anything illegal as it is a part of their job of penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.
- Black Hat Hacker– Opposite of a white hat hacker, Black hat hackers perform non-ethical hacking to fulfill their selfish intentions to gain monetary benefits. These hackers are also known as crackers, who hack to gain unauthorized access to a system. They steal sensitive information and try to harm or damage an organization’s operations. They do it illegally and intend to do bad things which involve violating the privacy, stealing corporate data, or damaging the system.
- Gray Hat hackers- Gray hat hackers are the combination of white and black hat hackers. They do hacking for fun and without any malicious intentions. They also can exploit a security weakness in a computer system or network without an owner’s knowledge or permission. They are performing their job without any approval from the targeted organization.
- Hacktivists- It is the type of technique by which a hacker is hacking into any network or computer system illegally for any reason ( political or social). They leave a very large message on the main page of any popular website so the visitor can find the message and take action accordingly.
- Cyber warrior- They are a kind of hackers who are being hired by an organization or individual to creep into the computer network or system. They act as a wicked hacker and try to search for weaknesses or vulnerabilities. They don’t have any prior knowledge of the computer networks or systems to which they are gaining access.
Why Take a Course in Ethical Hacking?
Learning Ethical Hacking can always be beneficial as it involves deep studies, understanding of tools and techniques of penetration testers and hackers’ tools and techniques to identify, correct, and triage vulnerabilities in computer networks and software. There are many reasons to take a certification course in ethical hacking. Some of them are mentioned below.
- Professional Development- Learning ethical hacking is considered the best way to get into the cybersecurity field. It provides you the positions to take advantage of the skill shortage as there is a gap between the skilled professionals in this domain, and the pool for available talent is huge and still growing. So there are good chances of growth and professional development if you take the proper ethical hacking course.
- Easy To Get Job- Learning ethical hacking and achieving certification can help you to get your desired job in the security field. It can also help you demonstrate competency and can set you apart from other candidates and successfully land the job.
- Learn Advanced Hacking Concepts- Taking a course in ethical hacking can help students understand advanced hacking concepts such as hacking smartphones and mobile devices, corporate espionage, writing virus codes, reverse engineering, and exploiting writing. It helps in handling information security and understands the finer nuances of Trojans, Backdoors, and countermeasures. So it is always beneficial to take a course to a grand start in an ethical hacking career.
- High Demand and salary- There is still a huge gap between the demand and supply of qualified professionals in ethical hacking. The demand is high for talented ethical hackers, as a report shows that around 29% lost their revenue due to a security breach. So, several organizations are ready to pay high salaries to skilled, experienced, and qualified ethical hackers. They can earn around $70,000 to $120,000 annually.
An ethical hacking course can train you on the advanced practices that hackers use to protect any system or network from data breaches and threats. It can make you capable of thinking and acting like hackers. So if someone wants to land a career in the cybersecurity field, they must take certification courses with any reputed course providers to get the dream job with legal hacking.
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