By Ranjan K Baruah
The recent pandemic has taught us many things. We have learned many new things from real life experiences which were not available on books as the crisis did not happened in near past. Schools are yet to be open though there have been changes in lock down condition. In this pandemic situation we have seen the important use of digital medium and uses of internet. Many activities are happening digitally including payment and online trading. This has also created demand for people who can work for the digital security and help others in safety in digital world.
Many of us use internet or are familiar with websites and internet. We have also come across a word called hacking when it comes to cyber world. Security is a major worry these days, not only in real world but also in the cyber world. In recent years, there has been increase in cyber crime cases on the Internet like hacking email accounts, stealing and intercepting sensitive data, password attacks, abusive emails etc. Cyber criminal may be called hackers though there are many types of criminal when it comes to cyber space. As more activities are online due to pandemic, so, it is obvious that many people will face problem and challenges from hackers.
Though there are problems there are solutions too and this brings scope for ethical hackers. An ethical hacker is usually employed by an organization who trusts him or her to attempt to penetrate networks and/or computer systems, using the same methods as a hacker, for the purpose of finding and fixing computer security vulnerabilities. Hacking may be considered ethical only when it is done under a contract between the hacker and the organization.
An ethical hacker is someone who hacks with legal permission to strengthen systems and makes them penetration-proof. An ethical hacker is a network or computer experts. Ethical Hackers are technically skilled IT professionals with a strong desire to solve problems and prevent malicious hackers from causing damage to network systems.
Experts from the field of computer science or engineers or similar may opt to become ethical hackers. They must learn different programming and language or in simple we can say that they are the experts in the field of computers. To become an ethical hacker, being computer savvy and gadget friendly are important pre-requisites. To be a professional ethical hacker one needs motivation, dedication, analytical thinking, initiative, problem solving ability, investigative nature and formal training in ethical hacking.
With internet use growing worldwide and cyber crimes increased as well, ethical hackers have become an integral workforce of any IT security industry. This career scopes brings new hopes for many aspirants who are looking for their career related to IT and cyber world as internet security and networking are the two fastest-growing industries where ethical hackers can find employment in ethical hacking and information security.
Many institutes in India offer certificate and diploma courses in Ethical Hacking and related fields like Cyber Forensics, Information security etc. There are certification available form different agencies and institutes. Some of the courses related to ethical hacking are PG Diploma in Information Security and System Administration, MSc in Cyber Forensic and Information Security, MTech in Computer Science and Information Security, MTech in Information Assurance and Security, MTech in Cyber Security, Certificate Course in Cyber Laws, Post Graduate Diploma in Cyber Laws, Advance Diploma in Ethical Hacking, Certificate in Information Security and Ethical Hacking, Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Post Graduate Diploma in IT Security, etc.
There are scopes of getting employed in government as well as in private sectors. Aspirants may get chance to work in government agencies such as military and law enforcement agencies, defence organisations, forensic laboratories, etc. Skilled ethical hackers may work for investigation agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation, the National Investigating Agency, State Police, etc. One may also start own enterprise of ethical hacking by providing services to others. One must have effective communication and networking skills apart from the technical knowledge to become a successful ethical hacker.
(The author may be contacted at 8473943734 or through email at [email protected])