By Definition: Hacking is an attempt to exploit a computer system or a private network inside a computer. Simply put, it is the unauthorized access to or control over computer network security systems for some illicit purpose. These activities range from deleting system files to stealing sensitive information. Hacking has gained a lot of recognition as a secured and highly paid profession, and many youngsters are interesting in learning coding and ethical hacking.
TYPES OF HACKING
Hacking is the act of finding the possible entry points that exist in a computer system or a computer network and finally entering into them. This is usually done to gain unauthorized access to a computer system or a computer network, either to harm the systems or to steal sensitive information available on the computer. Some of the types of hacking are: Website hacking, E-mail hacking, Ethical hacking, Network hacking, Password hacking and Computer hacking.
WHO IS A HACKER?
A hacker can be defined as someone who uses his/her computer, networking and other skills to gain unauthorized access to any system for checking for loose points and problems or maybe with any other intention. There are various types of hackers, but three of them are considered the mains and rest are miscellaneous. Hackers can be classified into different categories such as white hat, black hat, and grey hat, based on their intent of hacking a system. These different terms come from old Spaghetti Westerns, where the bad guy wears a black cowboy hat and the good guy wears a white hat.
WHITE HAT HACKERS – Also known as ethical hackers, they are the ‘good hackers’ who never intent to harm a system rather tries to find the weakness and vulnerabilities, and to correct them. Ethical hacking is legal and even have a lot of demand in the IT sector. They are hired mainly to check strength of the system, so that it can be protected from malicious hackers.
BLACK HAT HACKERS – The other name for these hackers is crackers, they hack in order to gain unauthorized access to a system and harm its operations or steal sensitive information. This is always illegal because of its bad intent which includes stealing corporate data, violating privacy, damaging the system, blocking network communication, etc.
GREY HAT HACKERS – They act without malicious intent but for their fun, they exploit a security weakness in a computer system or network without the owner’s permission or knowledge. They kind of have characteristics of both white and black hackers.
ELIGIBILITY FOR ETHICAL HACKER
You must be graduated with any of these degrees – B.Tech, B.Sc., BA, and BCA in Information Technology or Computer Science. You can take up ethical hacking as a profession if you have a diploma in network security or relevant technology. Or getting certification from reputed institutes increases chances of employability. Some of the certificates that you can go for are – Certified Ethical Hacker (EC-Council), Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator (EC-Council), GIAC Certified Penetration Tester (GPEN), and Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA).
Experience in the area of network security, knowledge of various operating systems, Sound working knowledge of Microsoft and Linux servers, Cisco network switches, virtualization, Citrix and Microsoft Exchange, and some knowledge of latest softwares – are some of the technical skills that will come handy when pursuing Ethical Hacking.
ETHICAL HACKING COURSE CONTENT
This is all about technical knowledge of computing and networking, some of the topics that you will encounter in learning ethical hacking are Cyber Ethics, Scanning, Virus Analysis, Social Engineering, System Hacking and security, vulnerability researches, SQL injections, secure coding practices and many more.
ADVANTAGES OF HACKING
This have various advantages and can be useful under scenarios like –
- To recover lost information, especially in case you lost your password.
- To perform penetration testing to strengthen computer and network security.
- To put adequate preventative measures in place to prevent security breaches.
- To have a computer system that prevents malicious hackers from gaining access.
DISADVANTAGES OF HACKING
Like every coin have two sides, similarly hacking can be very harmful and can cause-
- Massive security breach.
- Unauthorized system access on private information.
- Privacy violation.
- Hampering system operation.
- Denial of service attacks.
- Malicious attack on the system.
CAREER PROSPECTS AND SALARY
As the cases of online theft and illegal hacking and breaking into systems is increasing, may big firms and government sector are forced to employ ethical hackers to save their information and data hereby increasing employment options for hackers. So Ethical Hacking as a career has promising prospects in the times to come. Talented Ethical Hackers can look for making their career in some of the big names in the IT sector including Wipro, Dell, Reliance, Google, Accenture, IBM and Infosys.
The average ethical hacker’s salary in India is approximately 5.02 LPA. But with increasing experience and skills you can reach up to 40 LPA. These figures mentioned vary from firm to firm and skills and other factors as well.
CONCLUSION
I hope that article helps you understand about this, its type, advantages and disadvantages and also how can you pursue hacking as a career.
By: Nupur Bhagat
