What should I study to become Ethical Hacker
In this article, I will walk you through:
- Who is an Ethical Hacker ?
- Prerequisite Knowledge Required
- Ethical Hacking Certifications
- Recommended Websites for practice
- Recommended Books
- Conclusion
- Reference
Who is an Ethical Hacker ?
A hacker is someone who solves a technological problem by using computer, networking, or other skills. Anyone who uses their skills to obtain access to systems or networks in order to protect them is also referred to as a hacker. Determine the scope of their assessment and make known their plan to the organization. Report any security breaches and vulnerabilities found in the system or network
Prerequisite Knowledge Required
1) Networking
In the hacking world, networking skills are crucial. Almost every device has access to the internet. If a hacker gains access to a victim’s network, he or she can do whatever they want with the victim’s computer. Fundamental of how networking works in day to day life is important to start you career with hacking.
Certificates
- CCNA
- CCNP
- Comptia Network+
- Juniper Certs
2) Programming
Hackers are problem solvers and tool creators, and learning to program will enable you to create your own tools. It will also set you apart from script kids. Writing programs might also aid in the detection of flaws in the applications you’re evaluating. Learning programming helps you to work from scratch about tools and technology. for example: if you can build a firewall from scratch you will know each and every bits of how it works which will be easy to bypass in real life firewalls.
3) Databases
Most web-based software keeps sensitive information such as user credentials in databases. So, if you have a thorough understanding of databases and languages like SQL, you will be able to secure them and defend against any database attack. Database can be cloud or on premises, you will need to understand all the concepts in database so that you will be able to access them.
4)Cloud Computing (AWS, Azure, Google)
Nowadays, the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer. which means you must be able to bypass the cloud firewall to get into the databases of it.
Certificates
- Azure Security Engineer
- AWS Security Engineer
5) Operating Systems (Linux and Windows)
Mastering the Operating Systems like Linux will help you breach and use many pre built tools for hacking(Kali Linux). Linux is the very first open source OS that you can build yourself from the kernel and use it for your purpose of hacking and windows mac os knowledge is important where you will be working with multi platforms.
Linux Operating System Distros
- Kali Linux
- Parrot Security OS
- Manjora
- Arch Linux
- Fedora
6) Cryptography
You must learn the art of cryptography in order to be a good ethical hacker. Encryption and decryption are crucial hacking skills. On the internet, sensitive information is encrypted, and when hacking a system, these encrypted codes must be broken, which is known as decryption.
Ethical Hacking Certifications
- RCCE — (Rocheston Certified Cybersecurity Engineer Level 1 & 2)
- CREST Registered Penetration Tester (CRT Pen)
- CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CP SA)
- OSCP — (Offensive Security Certified Professional)
- OSCE — (Offensive Security Certified Certified Expert)
- OSWP — (Offensive Security Wireless Professional)
- eCRE —( eLearnSecurity Certified Reverse Engineer)
- eCXD — (eLearnSecurity Certified eXploit Developer)
- eCPPTX —( eLearnSecurity Certified Professional Penetration Tester Extreme)
- eWPTXv2 —( eLearnSecurity Web Application Penetration Tester Extreme v2)
- eWPTX —( eLearnSecurity Web Application Penetration Tester Extreme)
- eCPPTv2 — (eLearnSecurity Certified Professional Penetration Tester v2)
- eCPPT Gold — (eLearnSecurity Certified Professional Penetration Tester (Gold))
- eWPT —( eLearnSecurity Web Application Penetration Tester)
- CEH — (Certified Ethical Hacker)
- CHFI — (Computer Hacking and Forensic investigator)
- CISM — (Certified Information Security Manager)
- CISSP — (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
- CompTIA Security+
Recommended Websites for practice:
- https://www.hackthebox.com/
- https://www.hackthissite.org/
- https://portswigger.net/web-security
- https://www.offensive-security.com
- https://www.pentesteracademy.com
- https://overthewire.org/wargames/
- https://www.root-me.org/
- https://www.cybrary.it/
- https://hacking-lab.com/index.html
- https://defendtheweb.net/
- https://www.hellboundhackers.org/
- https://cyberstart.com
- https://hackersacademy.com
- https://www.udacity.com/school-of-cybersecurity
- https://my.ine.com/learning-paths
- https://tryhackme.com
Recommended Books
- Hacking: The Art of Exploitation
- Penetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking
- Metasploit: The Penetration Tester’s Guide
- CEH Certified Ethical Hacker
- CompTIA Security+
- The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook
- Advanced Penetration Testing
- Gray Hat Hacking The Ethical Hacker’s Handbook
- The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing
- The Hacker Playbook 2
Check out my Career Path Site to learn more about fields
Conclusion
Hacking is something different from all of the above. Hacking is an art. You have to dedicate yourself to this, which means you have to make sure you focus on this 100% so you get successful. By the way, hacking is where you need to know the entire technology education and keep on updating yourself with whatever happens in the world of tech. You need Programming, Networking, Database, Cloud, Security and more.
Thank you for reading!
If you do have any queries, do comment.
