How to Become a Certified Ethical Hacker: A Complete Guide

Introduction

“If you want to beat the hack, you need to become one!”

That’s exactly the reason why companies leverage ethical hacking and ethical hackers are in huge demand. Due to the widespread increase in digitization of companies and services all over the world rapidly, the attacks on privacy and breaches on security are increasing day by day.

That means the number of black hat hackers is increasing, and companies are in urgent need of someone who can tackle these black activities and make their services more secure and protected. To counter that, organizations are looking for certified cybersecurity professionals. Hence, the first step toward a successful career in Cybersecurity or learning about how to become an ethical hacker is to consider enrolling in certified and industry-recognized Cybersecurity Training programs.

In this blog, we’ll share how can you become a certified ethical hacker, what you need for that, and all the other questions like 

• Why become an ethical hacker?
• What are the benefits of choosing an ethical master as a career option?
• What are ethical hacker career opportunities?
• What is the value of a certified ethical hacker certification?
• What is the prerequisite to making a career in ethical hacking?
• What are the required ethical hacking certifications?
• How to become a white hat hacker?
• What is the certified ethical hacker salary?

So continue reading to find out why, when, and how to become a certified ethical hacker. But before that, let’s help you scroll through some captivating stats.

Interesting Facts related to Ethical Hacking

Some interesting facts related to ethical hacking:- 

• “Hacker attack every 39 seconds, affecting one in three Americans every year.”
• “The average cost of a data breach in India reached an all-time high of Rs 19.5 crore ($2.35 million) in the financial year 2024.”
• “There were 1.7 million HTTP DDoS attacks, 1.5 million DNS DDoS attacks, and 1.3 million L3/4 DDoS attacks in Q1 2024.”
• “By 2025, unfulfilled cybersecurity jobs  will reach 3.5 million.”
• “Ethical Hacking helps in discovering vulnerabilities from an attacker’s POV so that weak points can be fixed.”
• “Ethical Hacking helps to implement a secure network that prevents security breaches.”
• “Ethical Hacking helps to defend national security by protecting data from intruders.”
• “Ethical Hacking helps to gain the trust of customers and investors by ensuring the security of their products and data.”
• “Ethical Hacking helps in protecting networks with real-world assessments.”

Well, that’s not enough yet! The story of ethical hacking goes on. However, if these data facts motivate you to earn a certified ethical hacker certification, consider enrolling in an industry-recognized Cybersecurity course.

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What is Ethical Hacking?

Ethical Hacking is also known as Penetration Testing, which is a demonstration of intruding or penetrating into networks or systems to discover dangers and vulnerabilities in those frameworks that a vindictive assailant may discover and exploit, causing loss of information, monetary misfortune, or other significant harms. The reason for ethical hacking is to improve the security of the system or networks by fixing the vulnerabilities discovered during testing. So, here comes the next question: how to become a certified Ethical Hacker? 

Well, if you already have a bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or mathematics, you can easily enroll for Ethical hacking courses with certification and earn Certifications like CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker or  OSCP i.e. Offensive Security Certified Professional). Ethical hackers may utilize similar strategies and devices utilized by the vindictive hackers but with the authorization of the approved individual to improve the security and shield the frameworks from attacks by malevolent users.

Who is a Certified Ethical Hacker?

A Certified Ethical Hacker is a skilled professional holding Certifications like CEH or OSCP in his arsenal, who understands and knows how to look for vulnerabilities in target systems and uses the same knowledge and Ethical Hacking tools. A malicious hacker legitimately makes use of security target systems. Ethical hackers with a certified ethical hacker certification are required to report the vulnerabilities and shortcomings during the procedure to the administration

Understanding The Different Types of Ethical hackers

Considering the increasing rate of cyber crimes, it’s a known fact that cyber criminals are growing increasingly powerful. This is why all kinds of data need utmost protection since any framework, process, website, or gadget can be hacked. To find out how the hack may occur and what harm it could cause, ethical hackers must realize how to think like malignant programmers and know the tools and techniques they are probably going to utilize.

There are different types of hackers and are named dependent on the purpose of the hacking framework. Comprehensively, there are three fundamental hackers – White-Hat hackers and Black-Hat hackers.

These names are taken from old Spaghetti Westerns, where the hero wears a white cap, and the trouble maker wears a dark cap. The third type is Grey hat hackers. They are a combination of the two and wear a grey cap.

• White Hat Hacker

Ethical Hackers or white hat hackers don't expect to hurt the framework or organization yet they do as such, formally, to enter and find the vulnerabilities, giving answers to fix them and guarantee security. 

• Black Hat Hacker

Ethical Hackers or white hat hackers don't expect to hurt the framework or organization yet they do as such, formally, to enter and find the vulnerabilities, giving answers to fix them and guarantee security. 

The black hat hackers or non-ethical hackers perform hacking to satisfy their narrow-minded expectations to gather financial advantages. 

• Grey Hat Hacker

Dim-cap programmers are a mix of white and dark-cap programmers. These hackers have no vindictive goal for any particular reason. They play out the hacking with no endorsement from the targeted organization.

Some More Types Of Hackers

1. Who is a Green-Hat Hacker?

A green-hat hacker is generally an amateur or beginner in the hacking community—essentially someone who is new to the field and enthusiastic about exploring hacking but who doesn't yet possess advanced technical knowledge or experience. Many individuals in this category are keen to enhance their skills and gain a deeper understanding of hacking practices.

2. What is a Blue-Hat Hacker?

The term "blue-hat hacker" can refer to two distinct types of individuals. One is a hobbyist hacker driven by a desire for revenge. The other, often known as "BlueHat," is a security expert hired by organizations, such as Microsoft, to identify and address vulnerabilities in their software.

3. What is a Red-Hat Hacker?

A red-hat hacker is essentially the adversary of black-hat hackers. Due to their proactive stance against cybercriminals, red-hat hackers are often seen as a type of vigilante. Unlike those who merely report malicious hackers, red-hat hackers employ advanced methods to not only expose but also actively neutralize or damage the systems of these wrongdoers.

Worldwide Ethical Hacker Job Demand & Future Scope

The future scope of ethical hacking is very exciting. With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), there are more opportunities than ever before for ethical hackers to make a positive impact. IoT devices are becoming increasingly common, and as they become more widespread, they will become more attractive targets for hackers. However, ethical hackers can use their skills to help secure these devices and protect people's data.

In addition to IoT, there are many other areas where ethical hacking can be used. For example, ethical hacking can be used to help secure critical infrastructures, such as power plants and water treatment facilities. Ethical hackers can also help organizations protect their data from cyber-attacks.

As the world becomes more connected, ethical hackers will play an increasingly important role in keeping people and organizations safe. Due to the intensity of the role, the certified ethical hacker salary is pretty lucrative, too, which we will explore in the upcoming sections. 

This means the skilled cybersecurity professionals like ethical hacker shortage isn’t going away anytime soon — be ready to grab the opportunity and look at how to become a professional hacker.

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Prerequisite Needed: What do you require to become an Ethical Hacker?

Now, let’s discuss the ethical hacking certification requirements. While there are no standard educational criteria to be an ethical hacker, having a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in mathematics, computer science, or information security can help you understand it better and grow in this field. If you are a non-college aspirant or already working in any company and looking to become an ethical hacker, you still have the opportunity to get highlighted and showcase your skills.

• Different kinds of footprinting, footprinting apparatuses, and countermeasures
• Network scanning methods and scanning countermeasures
• System hacking philosophy, steganography, steganalysis assaults, and covering tracks
• Various kinds of Trojans, Trojan examination, and Trojan countermeasures
• Working with infections, infection investigation, PC worms, malware examination procedure, and countermeasures
• Packet sniffing strategies and how to shield against sniffing
• Social Engineering techniques, recognize theft, and social engineering countermeasures
• DoS/DDoS attack techniques, botnets, DDoS attack tools, and DoS/DDoS countermeasures
• Various kinds of web server and web application attacks
• SQL injection attacks and Wireless Encryption
• Mobile platform attack vector and Android vulnerabilities 
• Different concepts of cloud computing, threats, attacks, and security systems and apparatuses
• Various kinds of cryptography ciphers, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), cryptography attacks, and cryptanalysis devices
• Various threats to IoT stages and to safeguard IoT gadgets safely
• Help IT experts get into the psyches of a regular hacker and find a way to shield frameworks, gadgets, and networks
• Understanding the lifecycle of exploits that uncover security vulnerabilities is likewise a key thought. A Certified Ethical Hacker will recognize the stuff to prove the frameworks and networks
• Finishing a Certified Ethical Hacking course can be your launchpad for cutting-edge IT security confirmation courses, for example, penetration testing, audit accreditations, and forensics. And here are several courses to become an ethical hacker online which you can become a certified ethical hacker.
• Provide encryption methods to prevent data losses

Finishing a Certified Ethical Hacker certification course can be your launchpad for cutting-edge IT security confirmation courses, for example, penetration testing, audit accreditations, and forensics. 

After getting all the ethical hacking certification requirements, the aspirants need to be aware of how to become a hacker. Here, we have discussed how to shape your Cybersecurity career path to accelerate your career in this field. Now, let’s go through the whole process of how to become a professional hacker properly:

Career Path of a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

There are a variety of skills required to turn into an Ethical Hacker as per the following: 

1. Learn and become master in programming

2. Bigger level knowledge of an Operating System

3. Understand the nuts and bolts of Network and Security

4. The understanding of coding platforms, like-

• HTML, PHP, JSP, ASP [for web applications] 
• Java(Android), Swift(iOS), C#[for mobile application] 
• Java ,C#, C++, Python [forDesktop-Based Applications] 

5. Become familiar with the basics of programming languages, data types, variable manipulation at an operating system level, and its functions. Learn assembly language, network and system administration, and so on

Now, if one has earnestly pursued the above advances, let us move ahead: 

Find out different parts of technology and get CEH certified by doing these courses online(either paid/or free)

After a top to bottom information on different ethical hacking courses, certifications, and experience, you can go for the following accreditations: : 

• Network + 
• CEH (Certified Ethical Hacking)
• GIAC Pen Testing
• CCNA Course 
• CISA Course 
• CISM Course 
• CREST 
• CPTC Pen Testing
• CPTE
• OSCP Course (Offensive Security Certified Professional)
• CISSP Course 
• Certified Ethical Hacker Course (CEH Course) [practice now by understanding books and PDF's] 
• Different Courses in Information Security
• Different Courses in Cyber Security 
• Different Courses in Networking and Security 
• Get familiar with programming dialects like Lisp, Perl, Visual Basic, Scratch, APL, PL/M and so on. 
• What's more, invest some energy to learn databases like SQL 

With these ethical hacking courses, your career in Ethical Hacking will begin by learning Cybersecurity Certifications and starting off with the following job roles:

• Penetration Tester
• Vulnerability Assessor
• Information Security Analyst
• Security Analyst
• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
• Ethical Hacker
• Security Consultant
• Security Engineer/Architect
• Information Security Manager

At the point when you have increased enough knowledge and can discuss every single idea even in your sleep, you can move ahead by following certain means: 

• Bolster Position 
• System Support 
• Administrator Role 
• System Engineer 
• Data Security Position

At the point when you have increased enough knowledge and can discuss every single idea even in your sleep! So, now you can move ahead by following certain means: 

1. Gain proficiency in all aspects of penetration testing and the various tools associated with it.

2. Become familiar with the various operating systems inside and out with every single direction to TCP/IP Protocols and increase as a lot of information/as well as data as you can. 

Operating Systems You Must Know as an Ethical Hacker:

• Kali Linux 
• Parrot Security OS 
• Black Box 
• Samurai Web Testing Framework 
• Pentoo Linux 
• Network Security Toolkit (NST) 
• BackTrack 
• Windows Operation System 
• Ubuntu 
• Bugtraq 
• DEFT 
• Node Zero Linux 
• And all other Linux/Unix Commands and dispersions

The different characteristics that a good ethical hacker should possess: 

• One ought to pursue a solid, hard-working attitude
• One ought to be an expert Problem-solver
• One ought to be great at communication abilities
• One should remain constantly propelled
• One ought to consistently be devoted and attempt to split the given arrangement of issues
• One ought to have the option to deal with the most pessimistic scenarios
• One ought to have enough name(in terms of security) to handle different perspectives in the event that they are stuck someplace
• One should attempt to become a white hat hacker
• One ought to be smart, skilled, and gifted to control the decisions
• One should ace Social Engineering

Different Qualifications expected to become a Certified Ethical Hacker(CEH) are as per the following:

• Acing Penetration Testing
• Footprinting 
• Surveillance 
• Social Engineering 
• Step by step instructions to make Trojan Horses 
• What are Backdoors 
• What are infections or viruses
• Denial of Service attacks (DoS attacks) 
• SQL Injection 
• Butter Overflow
• Session Hijacking 
• System Hacking 
• Seize Web Servers 
• Seize Web Applications 
• Scan Networks 
• Crack Wireless Encryption 
• IDS 
• Firewalls 
• Cookies, and much more…

On the off chance that one needs to adapt considerably further than, there are different Hacking Related Forums and Websites, where one can join and expand his/her insight and add to the community also.

If you are a person who wants to peruse books, then here is a rundown of certain books that one must consider to get the hang of Hacking:

• BackTrack 5 Wireless Penetration Testing Beginner’s Guide
• The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing
• The Hacker Playbook 2
• Metasploit: The Penetration Tester’s Guide
• CEH Certified Ethical Hacker
• RHCSA/RHCE Red Hat Linux Certification Study Guide
• CompTIA Security+
• Hacking: The Art of Exploitation
• Penetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking
• The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws 2nd Edition
• Advanced Penetration Testing: Hacking the world’s most secure networks
• The Shellcoder’s Handbook: Discovering and Exploiting Security Holes 2nd Edition
• Red Team: How to Succeed By Thinking Like the Enemy
• Web Hacking 101
• Applied Network Security Monitoring: Collection, Detection and Analysis
• The Hacker Playbook 2: Practical Guide To Penetration Testing
• Hash Crack: Password Cracking Manual
• Hacking: Computer Hacking, Security Testing, Penetration Testing, and Basic Security.
• The Hardware Hacker: Adventures in Making and Breaking Hardware
• The Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws 1st Edition
• The Browser Hacker's Handbook
• Gray Hat Hacking The Ethical Hacker's Handbook
• Hacking Exposed 7: Network Security Secrets and Solutions
• RTFM: Red Team Field Manual
• Blue Team Handbook: Incident Response Edition
• Black Hat Python: Python Programming for Hackers and Pentesters
• Network Security Assessment 2nd Edition
• Violent Python
• Nmap Network Scanning: The Official Nmap Project Guide to Network Discovery and Security Scanning
• Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker

What are the Top Tools Ethical Hackers Use?

The following is a list of some of the most popular ethical hacking tools:

• Nmap: A network analysis and security scanner program, a tool that is used to find hosts and services on a network and find security holes.
• Wireshark: A packet analyzer with uses in software development, network analysis, among other things.
• Metasploit: A tool for evaluating the security of systems and finding vulnerabilities
• Burp Suite: This program is used to find holes in web applications.
• Kali Linux: It is a Linux distribution built on the Debian operating system that includes a broad range of security and penetration testing tools.

Difference Between a Penetration Tester and an Ethical Hacker

Penetration testing is a method for successfully breaking into a certain information system without causing any damage. Ethical hacking still aims to find holes and fix them before criminals exploit them. To find vulnerabilities, a penetration tester, a type of security professional, replicates an attack on a system. Although penetration testing is a component of ethical hacking, ethical hackers have a broader variety of interests. While ethical hackers would do anything to gain access to a system, penetration testers are particularly interested in network infiltration. 

The typical certified ethical hacker salary is $2,15,843, and bonuses are frequently in the range of $15,000 to $20,000.

How much money do Ethical Hackers make?

• Entry level (0 to 5 years) – –  $111,688
• Middle level (5 to 10 years) – $121,620
• Senior level (10 years+) – $165,894+

You can signify 9 % to the above compensations if you have breezed through the CEH examination and up to 10 % if you are a certified pen tester.

What is the Certified Ethical Hacker Salary Based On Location?

Based upon the surveys, the ethical hacking occupations are paid most noteworthy by firms in San Francisco (up to $150 000), and least by firms in Minneapolis ($97,000). 

• California – $256,001 per year
• Washington, D.C. – $106,716 a year
• Maryland – $113,893 a year
• New York – $139,597 a year
• Virginia – $110,800 a year

The United States Department of Labor asserts that New York City pays out the most noteworthy normal pay for CEH experts ($11,140). 

As per job titles

CEH job titles may vary for similar roles. However, specializing in areas such as networking, application security, or forensics can give you an edge over your competitors. You don’t need to work specifically as an ethical hacker to earn a high salary; having a CEH certification can open doors to lucrative opportunities in various related fields.

You might also like, Certified ethical Hacker Salary.

• Cyber Security Analyst – $1,38,157, including bonuses (median of $82,414) 
• Penetration Tester – $132,647, including bonuses (median of $81,097) 
• Security Engineer – $134,844, including bonuses (median of $88,170) 
• Information Security Manager – $153,065, including bonuses (median of $108,662) 
• Information Security Analyst – $1,38,157, including bonuses (median of $70,817) 
• Forensics Computer Analyst – $127,169, including bonuses (median of $69,460) 
• Network Security Analyst – $100,084, including bonuses (median of $$82,414) 

If you look at the salary for a specific position, such as a Pen Tester, you can estimate your potential earnings based on the average salaries and your level of experience.

• Entry level (0 to 5 years) – $110,000 
• Middle level (5 to 10 years) – $90,000 - $120,000
• Senior level (10 years+) – $647,000

What is CEH Training, and what is it meant for?

Do you constantly need to figure out how to find shortcomings and vulnerabilities in a system? Have you generally thought about how security experts shield their frameworks from gatecrashers? Do you wish to ace hacking advancements? If the answer to these questions is yes, then CEH training is for you!

The Certified Ethical Hacker training is the most wanted data security training program any data security expert will ever need to be in. To ace the hacking innovations, you should get one; however, it should be an ethical one! The licensed course gives the progressed hacking devices and systems utilized by programmers and data security experts the same to break into an organization. [as told in the beginning, “If you want to beat the hack, you need to become one!”]

This ethical hacking course places you in the driver's seat of a practical environment with a systematic procedure. Here, you will be presented with an altogether unique method for accomplishing the ideal data security act in the organization: hacking it! You will examine, test, hack, and verify your own frameworks. You will be encouraged to use the five periods of ethical hacking and the approaches to move toward your objective and prevail at breaking in without fail! The five stages incorporate Planning and Reconnaissance, Scanning, Gaining Access, Maintaining Access, Analysis and Configuration. There are several courses on how to become an ethical hacker.

The Cyber Ethical Hacking Training is meant for-

• Ethical hackers
• System Administrators
• Network Administrators and Engineers,
• Auditors & Security Professionals
• Network Security Professionals
• Site Administrators
• Security Officers

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Are you a fit for the Ethical Hacking job?

It is accurate to say that you are an ideal choice for the current certified ethical hacking job if you have-

• Analytical skills
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Problem-solving and logical skills
• Advanced knowledge of networks and programming, security protocols and common operating systems, exploits and countermeasures, cryptography and encryption techniques, and telecommunications
• Software skills
• Applied comprehension of cybercrime technology and basic dangers

Considering the following skills, if you are new in the game of ethical hacking or have an amazing desire to turn into an advanced super sleuth, you can get a smart thought of your future money related possibilities in this career path, you can sign up with JanBask training to find out what it has in store for you! Happy hacking!

How to Become an Ethical Hacker With Zero Experience?

If you don't know anything about computers, the easiest approach to becoming an ethical hacker is to get a degree. You can:

• Obtain a certification in IT security
• After that, enroll in a four-year computer science program.
• Or, enroll in a two-year program with a focus on IT security and analysis. 

Here is a comprehensive guide on how to become an ethical hacker, whether you have some experience or not.

Still have questions? Get in touch with us and explore suggestions from our team of top industry experts.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Become an Ethical Hacker Step by Step?

Q1. How To Become A Certified White Hat Ethical Hacker?

Ans:- There are no standard education criteria on how to become a white hat hacker – every company has its requirements for this position – but a bachelor's or master's degree in information security, computer science, or even mathematics works as a strong foundation for the beginning.

Q2. How To Become Ethical Hacker Step By Step Without Any Degree? 

Ans:- As discussed in the above answers discussing how to become a white hat hacker, graduation or a Master’s in IT keeps a strong foundation. f you do not hold a degree but still want to be a hacker, first focus on enhancing your skill set, and stay consistent. Then, take your next step, go for a short-term ethical hacking certification course to have the required knowledge and hands-on experience. Then, you can also apply for an internship or entry-level job and the next step toward an ethical hacking career.

Q3. What Is An Ethical Hacking Course That Can Help On How To Get Into Ethical Hacking? 

Ans:- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is the first step how to becoming an ethical hacker step by step. It is a qualification that one can obtain after fainting the knowledge of assessing the security of computer systems by checking for weaknesses and vulnerabilities in target systems, following the same information and tools as a malicious hacker does, but lawfully and legitimately to assess the security. After this qualification, you can become a certified ethical hacker.  

Q4. Which Is The Best Ethical Hacker Beginner Course?

Ans:- Any course which brings information related to computer languages, software, and programming can help you how to become an ethical hacker step by step. BCA, B. Tech computer science is the preferred ethical hacker training course. Many institutes also offer short-term ethical hacking courses to help you master the skills of hacking and go for an ethical hacking career.

Tip: Are you looking for the best tutorial, a step-by-step guide on how to become a hacker? If yes then check out our guide on how to become an ethical hacker course for beginners.

Q5. How To Get Into Hacking Ethically?

Ans:- The ethical hacking career is on boom these days and looks a lot on how to become a certified ethical hacker. That is why a lot of people are actively looking to make their career in ethical hacking. Ethical hacking generally is an authorized activity that never intends to harm a system, rather they try to identify weaknesses in a network system as a part of penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.

Q6. How do I know that I need Cybersecurity Training?

Ans:- IT professionals should improve their skill set in the security industry with the appropriate training and certification course as jobs in the cybersecurity field have increased by approximately three times compared to information technology. Online cyber security courses have expanded to individuals enhance their careers as Cybersecurity Experts. So, if you are the one who wants to kickstart your career in the field of ethical hacking then online Cybersecurity Training is apt for you.

Q7. What skills will I learn in online Cybersecurity Training?

Ans:- On the completion of the cybersecurity online Cybersecurity Training, you would be able to accomplish the following skills -

• Gain a strong understanding of security concepts and make your journey smooth in the cybersecurity domain.
•  Learn various fundamental concepts like security essentials, cloud security, cryptography, network security, app security, data safety, cyber-attacks, identity theft, or access management.
• Understand the information assurance principles and identify the major components of cybersecurity network architecture too.
• Master the popular security skills and learn the best practices involved in risk management.
• You would be able to understand different security tools, and network management techniques, and work on different types of attacks too.
• Learn about system threats, the latest IT security techniques and vulnerabilities, and give a proper response to plenty of cybersecurity incidents.

Q8. What are the pre-requisite skills to enroll in an online Cybersecurity Training Program?

Ans:- Enrolling in cyber security online course has no pre-requisite skills, it would be beneficial to have a basic understanding of wireless technologies, Linux/Unix operating systems, and common networking principles.

Q9. What skills will I learn in the entry-level cybersecurity training?

Ans:- At the entry-level Cyber Security Training, you will learn:

• Different security management tools, IT techniques, network management, system security, types of cyberattacks, cloud security, etc.
• Enhance your theoretical concepts and get hands-on experiences too.
• Enjoy personalized learning too based on your convenience and career needs.
• You will get high-quality resources based on the latest cybersecurity trends.