Courses, Colleges, and Tips to help you become an Ethical Hacker

The word ‘hacking’ has a wrong perception in our minds. We all think that hacking is wrong and illegal which is true generally. But there is a field of ethical hacking that is not a criminal offence. Ethical hacking means hacking computers to solve problems with permission. Most of the time we think that hackers always hack personal information or sensitive information, and will use them against us. But ethical hackers are hired by software companies to hack the computers of the organizations to reach out to the inner problem and to resolve it.

Ethical hackers make sure the security system of computers is strong so that other hackers can not reach any information illegally. Almost every software company hires ethical hackers for this purpose. Hacking without permission can be dangerous and can have severe consequences. But companies having devices or networks require ethical hackers for their own benefit. Nowadays this field of job is getting known and students are leaning towards this job. So, this article will provide all the information related to how to become an ethical hacker.

Rules of ethical hacking:

Ethical hacking consists of some basic but important rules that an ethical hacker needs to follow –

1.  Ethical hackers must take the written permission from the network they are working for.

2.  They should try to identify the possible security risks.

3.  They must have respect and a sensible mindset towards the individual or the company’s privacy.

4.  They must close every data from the computer after their work so that nobody can exploit it later.

5.  Ethical hackers must inform the company about the disputes of the software or hardware to the company.

Courses to become an ethical hacker:

An aspiring student can opt for many courses like – UG courses, PG courses, diploma courses, certificate courses, and doctorate courses to become an ethical hacker. Some of the courses demand an entrance exam, such as – JEE Mains, IPU CET for UG admission, and PG admission candidates can appear for the GATE exam. The details of these courses are given below –

Bachelor’s course in ethical hacking

• Bachelor’s courses in ethical hacking are for 3 to 4 years.
• A student can do a general as well as a specialization in the bachelor’s course.
• Candidates can get admission to these courses by appearing for entrance exams at the state or national level.

Admission process for bachelor’s courses:

1.  Aspiring students can get admission by both entrance exams and based on their merit.

2.  Some top entrance exams like – JEE Main, IPU CET, SET Exam, etc. are held at the national and state level to take admissions.

3.  A student must pass their 10+2 exams from a recognized board to appear for the entrance exams.

4.  Also, students must score a minimum of 50% marks in their exams to appear for these exams.

UG courses to become an ethical hacker:

There are some other colleges that offer UG courses in ethical hacking which also provide a standard quality of education. Some of these colleges are :

• Chandigarh University
• SRM University
• Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science
• Institute of Aeronautical Engineering
• School of Engineering and Technology
• Graphic Era University, etc.

Details of master’s course in ethical hacking: 

1.  If a student opts for a master’s course after their graduation, they will be able to learn things like - Malware Detection, Port Scanning, Buffer Overflows, Penetration Testing, Digital Forensics, Network Security Management, etc.

2.  Students will be required to have a bachelor’s degree in networks, computer applications, or similar fields to enrol for a master’s program if they have not done a bachelor’s course in ethical hacking.

3.  To apply for a master’s degree, all candidates must have passed their bachelor’s course in relevant fields.

4.  They must score at least 50% aggregate in their bachelor’s course from a recognized university.

5.  Candidates can appear for entrance exams to get admission in PG courses too. These exams are – GATE, CUEE, CUCET, etc.

Certificate courses in ethical hacking:

Most of the certificate courses in ethical hacking are done online. There are a lot of websites that provide courses in this field and the duration is very compatible as well.

• Students may apply for the online courses by clearing the entrance exams conducted by the agencies themselves.
• Candidates need to pass these exams with a minimum percentage required by the agencies.
• The agencies also have associations with some training centres providing help for the entrance exams.

Students must have prior knowledge about computer programming and cybersecurity to do the certificate course.

There are very few institutes in India that provide offline certificate courses in ethical hacking. Some of those are :

• Indian Institute of Hardware Technology, Bangalore
• Insparc Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Lucknow
• IANT Ahmedabad
• Jetking Infotrain Ltd, Mumbai
• ACTS CDAC Thiruvananthapuram

Diploma courses in ethical hacking:

• Students can apply for diploma courses after their 10th or 12th final exams.
• For PG Diploma courses, students need to pass their bachelor’s degree.
• UG diploma courses are 1 to 2 years long and PG diploma courses are 2 to 3 years long.
• Candidates need to have some knowledge about computers and computer programming.

Admission process for diploma and PG diploma courses:

• The admission mostly depends on the merit of a student. Some institutes check about computer knowledge.
• A student’s marks of class 10 are judged for admission in the diploma courses. For admission in PG diploma courses, candidates need to complete a bachelor’s or diploma course.
• Candidates must satisfy the minimum marks criteria to take admissions in diploma courses.
• Some institutes demand prior computer knowledge and computer programming knowledge for the admission process.

Basic tips to become an ethical hacker:

1.  Research all the operating systems.

2.  Try to know about other things that will help you in this field in the future. Like – coding, scripting, general IT skills, etc.

3.  Have every knowledge about the tools.

4.  Examine your network keenly.

5.  Always have a backup plan to resolve the problem.

6.  Make a document of everything for the client’s later purpose.

7.  Last but not least have good communication skills with the client and others of your team.

The growth of invading computer systems and networks has risen the demand for ethical hackers a lot these days. Ethical hackers can get a job in big IT teams and can get a salary of Rs. 4 lakhs minimum at the beginning. The efficiency of an ethical hacker helps in the growth of their salary. So, having an interest in computer programming can help you widely to become an ethical hacker.

By Sayantika Mondal

Also Read:

• Bachelor of Technology (Cyber Security)
• Master of Science (Information Technology) (Cyber Security)