Cybersecurity has turned from a subject of mere discussions to an absolute requirement. As cybersecurity issues continue to increase, so too does the employment of ethical hackers. There are high chances that many individuals have questioned upon such scenarios like, ‘What are the steps to becoming an ethical hacker?’ Or What’s the roadmap for beginners in ethical hacking?”’ Well, look no further! This Ethical Hacking Roadmap will take you from the very basics to the point where you might also attain attestation like a CEH.
Table of Contents
What is Ethical Hacking?
Importance of Ethical Hacking in Today’s Cybersecurity Landscape
Why Choose Ethical Hacking as a Career?
Skills Required to Become an Ethical Hacker
Ethical Hacking Roadmap for Beginners
Learn Basic Computer Skills
Master Networking Concepts
Understand Operating Systems (Linux/Windows)
Learn Programming and Scripting
Dive into Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Gain Hands-on Experience
How to Get CEH Certification?
How to Become Ethical Hacker After 12th
Career Opportunities in Ethical Hacking
Conclusion
What is Ethical Hacking?
Let’s start with the fundamentals. Ethical hacking could be defined as the legal act of breaking into or penetrating systems with the intention of seeking and rectifying the vulnerabilities of such systems. You may think of it as being a ‘white hat hacker’- such a person who hacks for the good of society.
Ethical hackers help in defending and securing organizations against cyber attacks. These professionals are employed to stage attacks, identify weaknesses during the attack, and secure the systems. In a nutshell, ethical hacking is about being proactive against cyber
Importance of Ethical Hacking in Today’s Cybersecurity Landscape
Digital world transformation has made it extremely necessary to include cybersecurity into business strategy. Threats such as phishing, ransomware, and data inflations are faced by all companies every second. Risks like these are addressed by ethical hackers who identify possible risks and vulnerabilities.
Take this scenario: A financial institution needs an ethical hacker to test the security integrity of its online payment system. The cutting edge cyber security measures the organizations hacker presents, find flaws and correct them. This sort of hurting potentially worth millions has unnecessary losses which the bank has now avoided.
Why Choose Ethical Hacking as a Career?
The ethical hacking profession is both fulfilling and interesting! So, here’s how you can do it:
Great Professionals: Ethical hackers are required everywhere around the world!
Good Salary: Average annual salaries for ethical hackers are around 800,000-12,00,000 rupees LPA (depending on the individual’s experience).
Interesting Work: Every day has a new task. New projects add variety to the job.
Various Fields to Work With: Some of them are penetration testing, network security, application security, etc.
Skills Required to Become an Ethical Hacker
A wide variety of both technical and non-technical skills are necessary to become a good professional in ethical hacking. Below is an outline:
Technical Skills
Networking: Knowing how information flow in the networks is very important. Get understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, firewalls.
Operating Systems: Get to know Linux (around Kali Linux particularly), windows would also be necessary for some cases.
Programming: At least one programming language: Python, Java, C or similar.
Penetration Testing: Understand the tactics, methods and techniques that are used to test systems.
Soft Skills
Problem Solving: Use the hacker perspective in your analysis to generate new ideas.
Curiosity: There is nothing I can tell you. Just go and learn more.
Perseverance: Substantial patience and endurance is critical in hacking.
Ethical Hacking Roadmap Guide
Step 1: Learn Basic Computer Skills
Right before you start figuring out how to hack, make sure that you know quite a bit about computers. Familiarize yourself with the workings of an operating system, how to troubleshoot basic problems and essential components.
Step 2: Master Networking Concepts
Networking is the major factor in ethical hacking. So, the tools Wireshark and Nmap that are speaker utilities for examining and maintaining network security can be learned. Resource books like CCNA by Cisco can help.
Step 3: Understand Operating Systems
Kali Linux and several other distributions are favorites of ethical hackers. Make sure you invest time in studying file systems, commands, and permissions of Linux.
Step 4: Learn Programming and Scripting
Looking to develop your own tools? Learn languages such as Python to write scripts and JavaScript to gain knowledge of web apps.
Step 5: Dive into Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Understand the basics of cybersecurity:
What is malware?
How do firewalls work?
What’s the difference between encryption and hashing?
Step 6: Gain Hands-On Experience
Get yourself Metasploit, burp suite and Nessus. Use these tools in virtual machines like virtual box or vmware. Great starting point for newbies – Hack The Box and TryHackMe platforms.
How to Get CEH Certification?
The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification is a popular credential across the globe. This is a great way to prove your abilities.
Steps to Get CEH Certified:
Learn the Basics: Follow the roadmap above.
Enroll in a Training Program: For those looking for a no-nonsense CEH training program, Bytecode Security offers such courses to absolute beginners.
Prepare for the Exam: Read the EC-Council official CEH guide.
Pass the Exam: Get a minimum score of 70% and the certificate is yours.
How to Become Ethical Hacker After 12th
You don’t require any qualification to start with your ethical hacking career. Here’s how you can start:
Science Stream (12th Science)
Take an IT or computer science focused degree course.
Enroll for ethical hacking training on the Internet using Bytecode Security or Coursera.
Commerce Stream (12th Commerce).
Try to focus more on very basic computer skills.
Go through training for ethical hacking online at your own pace.
Arts Stream (12th Arts)
Develop basic skills like coding and networking.
Certification should be acquired to establish certification.
Career Opportunities in Ethical Hacking
Like all hackers, ethical hackers can pursue a variety of career options. For instance, they could become:
Penetration Tester: Carries out mock attacks on a company’s networks and systems.
Cybersecurity Analyst: Remains on guard and protects systems from threats.
Security Consultant: Offers guidance to organizations willing to pay for it.
White Hat Hacker: Accesses systems unlawfully with the intention of finding weaknesses but legally in this case.
Not surprisingly, ethical hackers are actively deployed by Google, Amazon, IBM companies. Also freelancing is an option and a very good one if you desire to be your own boss.
Conclusion
The path to becoming an ethical hacker surely has its ups and downs. To be a prerequisite in any of the fields, follow this Ethical Hacking Roadmap, gain skills, take the required certifications, and become self-assured.
Indeed it is about tools and techniques. But learning how to ethically hack requires more than that – it takes intrinsic qualities such as an inquisitive nature, a tenacity to persevere, and an overall feel for problem-solving.
Take the first step with Bytecode Security's Ethical Hacking Course in Delhi—your gateway to expert training, hands-on experience, and globally recognized certifications
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