The term hacker is often considered a negative term. It is related to gaining unauthorised access into computer systems by exploiting the vulnerabilities or using bugs. The main intent is often mischief or malice. A skilled hacker could be proficient enough to crack passwords, disrupt network services, or penetrate networks. Usually, these hackers want to steal valuable information or corrupt the systems for financial gains. However, not every hacking is considered bad these days.
Ethical Hacking is the New Thing
Ethical hackers are the authorised personnel allowed to bypass system security to discover potential vulnerabilities and threats in a network. Organisations owing a system or network lets their cyber security engineers perform ethical hacking to evaluate the system’s defences against real attacks. Therefore, this type of hacking is planned and approved to reinforce the defence mechanism.
Big organisations are willing to pay handsome salaries and awesome perks to ethical hackers who are able to discover the vulnerabilities in their systems and networks to avoid any kind of data breach.
Types of Hackers in the Hacking World
We are categorising the hackers into different categories for easier classification based on their intention of hacking a system. Interestingly, these terms for hackers are straight from old Spaghetti Western movies, where the good guy used to wear a white hat while the bad guy had a black hat.
White Hat Hackers
Ethical Hackers are also known as White Hat Hackers in the cyber security world. They do not have the intention to harm a system or network. Instead, they are employed for finding out the weaknesses in a system or network with penetration testing and other methods. These professionals are highly demanded by organisations looking for cyber security experts. You should pursue ethical hacking certification training to start your career as an ethical hacker. As an ethical hacker, you have to work for penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.
Black Hat Hackers
Black Hat Hackers can also be considered cybercriminals due to their intention of gaining unauthorised access to a system to sabotage or steal critical information. They might use advanced hacking practices to steal corporate data, damage the system, sabotage network communications, violate privacy, etc. For example; In 2014, Sony Pictures were hacked by North Korean hackers.
Grey Hat Hackers
The Grey Hat Hackers could be recognised as a hybrid version of both white hat and black hat hackers. These individuals usually don’t have any harmful intention; they try to exploit security weaknesses in a system or network just for fun without gaining the permission of the owner. These individuals are very talented and start from an early age with their passion for hacking. Their main intention is to discover the vulnerabilities and grab the attention of the owners to receive appreciation or a prize.
Red Hat Hackers
Apart from the above-mentioned mainstream hackers, there are more categories of hackers. Red Hackers are again the hybrid of both white hat hackers and black hat hackers. However, these talented individuals usually work with government agencies dealing with top-secret data or other important private organisations handling sensitive information. These hackers might have years of experience with different hacking techniques and tools.
Blue Hat Hackers
Blue Hat Hackers are usually from a computer security consulting firm responsible for examining the possible security holes and software errors. Their efforts help a software team to increase system security and defend against malicious attacks. Usually, companies invite these types of hackers for conducting the necessary research and discover and report vulnerabilities. The term ‘BlueHat’ is also used by the American software giant Microsoft for representing security briefing events.
Elite Hackers
Hackers often use this term as a social status to describe the most skilled hackers in the community. He/she is recognised as a cutting-edge cyber security expert with years of experience in hacking and a deep understanding of systems. They usually work on a custom-made Linux distribution that is customised for their unique needs and have all the necessary tools. Apart from this, they have expertise in working with multiple operating systems such as Linux, Mac OS X, Unix, Windows, etc.
What Prominent Skills Do You Need to Become an Ethical Hacker?
Being well-versed in the latest trends of cyber security is very important for an ethical hacker. Taking ethical hacking courses could benefit your skillset and knowledge base to get started. Any company looking for ethical hackers will need professionals with in-depth knowledge of systems, networking, programming, security measures, etc. However, these are some prominent skills that you need to become an ethical hacker;
Programming Languages: The individual must have experience with a programming language to work in the domain of application security and software development team.
Knowledge of Scripting: This individual is expected to have experience with scripting to deal with network-based and host-based attacks.
Impeccable Networking Skills: The individual should have a strong grasp of networking skills to explain how networks are connected and how to handle situations if a network gets compromised.
Knowledge of Databases: The individual should have experience with managing and maintaining databases since the majority of cyber-attacks are targeted to compromise databases. Thus, knowledge of databases like SQL can help you grow with your career as an ethical hacker.
Adaptive with Trends: The individual should be willing to evolve and adapt to the changing technology and tools in the market. Thus, having the knowledge of multiple operating systems like Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Unix, etc., will you help to grow faster.
The Future of Cyber Security
The growing digital world has also led to increasing cyber-attacks. The malicious hackers are on the verge of discovering new techniques to launch attacks against the defence mechanisms of networks. This has made businesses really concerned about their cybersecurity and IT infrastructure. They have opened amazing opportunities for cybersecurity professionals to pursue ethical hacking as their career. The cybersecurity industry is bound to reach new heights in just a few years. This is the perfect time to pursue ethical hacking courses or ethical hacking certification to become a successful ethical hacker.
Ethical Hacking Certificate Course at LSET
If you have decided to become a cyber security expert or an ethical hacker, then LSET’s ethical hacking certification training is the best to way Learn from the industry experts in a practical learning environment with tons of hands-on exercises to excel in your career. This is the best ethical hacking course to get job-ready from day one.