A hacker is an expert computer programmer. The ‘hacker ethic’ is described as promoting development by encouraging the peer reviewing of work. Hacking is said to have begun at MIT in the 80’s, where hacker Richard Stallman is said to have created the first open-source software in GPL.
Also Read : Learning Ethical Hacking
The growth of the ethical hacking sector
Nowadays, many of the biggest corporate problems are solved by hackers. Big finance is relient on independent hackers to test and strengthen their security systems. Using staff inside the company does not work as well as using a so-called ‘ethical hacker’ with a fresh, outsider perspective. The ethical hacker acts as a detective who thinks like a criminal in order to prevent instances of fraud occurring. It’s an industry that is growing fast: a new outpost in Dublin has just announced plans to recruit 100 new people in spring of 2012. The US company, Total Defense, has recruited individuals with multilingual experience to promote it’s anti-virus and anti-crime software in Ireland. The country could well experience something of an IT Renaissance after the slump if it can become a hub for internet security professionals.
Ethical hackers nowadays run large consulting firms and command healthy salaries. Their work is becoming increasingly sought-after as large organisations such as internet service providers seek to protect their customers and profits. The industry’s best broadband deals in secure connections and personal data.
Training to be an ethical hacker
There are undergraduate and postgraduate courses devoted to training up programmers to work on international government and corporate security problems. These courses are often sandwich courses which allow students to go into the workplace and work on real problems.
You can take the CEH qualification to convert your skills and become an ethical hacker. You might eventually be able to earn somewhere between $50,000 in the beginning stages of your career, and $120,000 later on. So what do you need to know? A qualification in the A+ programming language is necessary. Take a job in IT and work up to network engineer position. You will then need to learn the Security+, CISSP and TICSA qualifications and from then on, try to find an information security role. What you need to concentrate on is known in the biz as ‘penetration testing’. Next, work towards the Certified Ethical Hacker qualification. Now you’re marketable as an information security expert.
Ethical hacking basics are widely available online to learn and part of the hacker ethos is to share. You can attend conferences like Defcon, an annual hacker conference in London, in order to learn share your ideas with peers and network with potential employers.