Someone who hacks computer systems and websites is definitely breaking the laws. But if you possess an interest in the field, you can make your living out of it legally. Become an ethical hacker!
Who are they?
Ethical Hackers are certified professionals employed by an organization to attempt to penetrate their systems and websites to find any loopholes, in order to find and fix computer security vulnerabilities. This is like the same work as a hacker but only subjected to websites, and systems allotted by the company. All findings are reported back to the company and not taken illegal advantage of. Ethical hacking is also known as penetration testing, intrusion testing, and red teaming
With the growing IT interventions and every business being completely dependent on its computing devices, it’s essential that all of them are secure from damage. This is where the Ethical Hackers come in; they are an integral part of any corporate system today.
How it started:
One of the first ethical hackers were in the 1970s. The US government used a group of experts called the ‘red teams’ to hack into their own computing system to check for its level of efficiency and security vulnerabilities. Since then, Ethical hacking has gained popularity because of its relevance. Almost all companies now have teams of ethical hackers employed to regularly check their systems.
Qualifications:
Professional certification is required to be earned by the student in order to become an ethical hacker. The course involves theory and practice, and varies in time duration from few days to few months, depending on the depth. The courses are also available full-time and part-time. The certification is provided by the International Council of E-commerce Consultants (EC-Council).
Ethical hackers are to keep updating their knowledge in the field so as to succeed in accomplishing their work successfully.
Ethical Hacker in focus: Shantanu Gawde the youngest ethical hacker in India
“India needs you” are the words of the former president of India Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam with regard to 7th grader Shantanu Gawde. Shantanu is the youngest Ethical hacker in India at age 12. He acts as a ‘consultant’ for IT security certification company, Orchidseven based in Mumbai. The chief Officer at Orchidseven, Rajshekhar Murthy said; “He is a gifted child and has the tremendous grasping ability, which makes him far better than other young professionals,” The company has certified Shantanu as the youngest ethical hacker in India. Because he is underage, the company can not remunerate his professional help via a salary which would be around Rs.2.5 lakh per month, they have hence decided to sponsor an advance course in cybersecurity.
As for Shantanu, he’s very happy being his age and having fun playing cricket and reading books. In an interview he stated; “I want to grow up and be a cyber cop, so I can educate youngsters in cybersecurity,” Very neat intentions in mind for the young lad.
While the world finds more and more children succeeding beyond their age, it’s their talent and focus that inspires many adults all over the world. A career in IT is in boom these days. Ethical hacking is a great option to branch out and explore your IT skill potential. It may even end up being more interesting than imagined.