How to Chart a Career Path in Ethical Hacking in India in 2022

A career in ethical hacking in India is as lucrative as any other tech career in the industry

Hacking can be defined as the gain of unauthorized access to any computer system. In the existing industry today, this can be defined as quite a common phenomenon. This is one of the many reasons why ethical hacking gained momentum in the industry. Ethical hacking ensures that all the systems are secure and not vulnerable to notorious hackers. Even governments are using state-sponsored hacking to prevent intelligence information about influence politics, an enemy of the state, and such other information. This is one of the many reasons why there is the rising popularity of individuals willing to have a career in ethical hacking. The consequences of a vicious attack can result in financial losses, loss of dignity, and a host of legal problems. Hence professionals with expertise in ethical hacking practices need to be able to effectively detect weaknesses in information systems to provide a basis for correcting these vulnerabilities. A career in ethical hacking is not only financially lucrative but is also extremely beneficial for aspirants seeking a career in cybersecurity.

Being an ethical hacker is a quite challenging profession due to the fact that they need to know everything about systems and networks. Certain organizations started to give out certifications that support talented hackers when it comes to working. Hackers with these certifications have an increased chance of getting higher salaries. Most enterprises prefer certified individuals when it comes to system security due to the growing needs of the field. 

Skills Required to Become an Ethical Hacker in India

Apart from soft skills and basic educational background like graduation, there are some other qualities that an ethical hacking professional is expected to possess. These are acute problem-solving skills, the ability to work under pressure, a learning attitude, and basic skills like coding and programming using programming languages like Java, C++, HTML, Python, etc. They should also possess knowledge about servers and search engines, different platforms used for different types of tools, various hacking tools and techniques, programming languages like JavaScript, SQL, HTML, Python, and others. Besides, any professional working in the fields of Software Development Life Cycle and application security is required to possess this knowledge in programming. 

An ethical hacker should be strong in networking and cybersecurity areas, which are considered the most critical skills. Advanced knowledge of firewalls, penetration testing, cryptography, networks like VPN, and others will also help them tackle various security threats. 

Roles and Responsibilities of an Ethical Hacker

Ethical hackers are employed to protect networks and computers from attacks from unethical hackers who illegally penetrate computers to access private and sensitive information. Using advanced software, they can attempt to penetrate their company's system in the same way, a hacker does. But for that, they need to keep themselves updated about the recent types of hacking techniques or any unique system or tool that scammers can use to penetrate through the company's systems. The goal is to basically uncover any weak spots in the system.

They can also conduct thorough risk assessments and put in place measures to control the vulnerable areas. They have to understand the infrastructure of the company and its business operations, simulate breaches to network security and develop measures to lock down areas of risk. An ethical hacker must strive to ensure that any information that can damage the reputation or finances of an organization or its clients does not fall into the wrong hands.

Scope of an Ethical Hacker Career in India

In India, various large tech companies like Wipro, IBM, Infosys, and others can hire ethical hackers to build their security systems. To start an ethical hacking career in India, aspirants must have an undergraduate degree in computer science or any related field. For freshers, ethical hacking jobs in India can offer INR 3 to 4 LPA, and after gaining a few years of experience in this field, they can earn up to INR 7 LPA. Those working in the industry for a period of over 5 years, can acquire INR 12 to 13 LPA. 

A career in ethical hacking can be as interesting if the aspirants keep learning new techniques and tools in hacking. The scope of ethical hacking in India has increased exponentially in the past few years. The job does take a great amount of flexibility, but a little effort every day can yield quite favorable results for the aspirants.