Why Now Is The Time To Become A White Hat Hacker

Surprise! IT security is important. ​From the ransomware attacks that have been rippling across major corporations worldwide, to email leaks (…) and other cyber crime, public awareness around cyber crime is keen. And, duh: everything's done digitally — communication, research, transactions, it's all readily viewable in a browser window.

So what happens when a malicious hacker infiltrates your workplace's networks and systems? Well, when your personal computer's been invaded by malware, you usually can't access any of your personal files, and sensitive information like credit card numbers and location is up for grabs. Essentially, that happens to companies on a massive scale: their user and customer information is compromised, critical information for operations becomes corrupted and chaos breaks out across the organization. TL;DR it sucks. 

Again, duh: companies are investing extra funds to beef up their IT security measures, including hiring people who are paid to be a step ahead of hackers: ethical hackers. The methodology is called penetration testing, ethical hacking or white hat hacking, and the role involves using the same techniques hackers use to discover internal security vulnerabilities and resolve them before anyone else can take advantage of them.

The job requires a combination of master problem solving skills, adaptivity, strong technical and organizational skills, and the ability to keep calm under pressure. A deep understanding of the inner workings of computer systems and programming languages is essential, because hackers know how to exploit their twists and turns to their advantage.

Interested in a career in white hat hacking? There's a number of certifications and skills that can help you get recognized as a candidate, even if you don't have a huge amount of hands-on experience – copious amounts of practice and study and a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification is a great place to start. After all, an ethical hacker's starting salary is upwards of $72,000, with a potential to reach $100,000 — and from a consulting standpoint, CEH professionals can expect to be paid $15,000 to $ 45,000 per assignment.

If you want to get started learning, an online training like The Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle is a great place to start. It includes 76 hours of training that will prepare you to for a certification in pentesting, with nine different courses in skills you need to know. They include:

1. Bug Bounty: Web Hacking

Major companies like Facebook and Google will actually pay you to identify and fix bugs on their app — in fact, last year Facebook paid $5 million to independent hackers, while Google paid more than $6 million as part of their bug bounty programs. You'll learn how to legally hack some of the most successful companies in the world (and be paid to do it!).

2. CompTIA Security + Exam Preparation

The globally-recognized CompTIA Security+ certification exam is a perfect starting point for aspiring information security professionals who aren't sure where they want to land career-wise. This course helps lay down a solid foundation for basic security fundamentals, threats and vulnerabilities.

3. Ethical Hacking Using Kali Linux From A to Z

To really master penetration testing, you need to know how to leverage Kali Linux to your advantage. This course trains you in its tools and techniques, and eventually you'll run an entire penetration test on your own from beginning to end.

4. Ethical Hacking From Scratch to Advanced Techniques

This course walks you through ethical hacking from the ground up, covering how to bypass layers of security, compromise computers, crack passwords and crash systems — all so you can prevent other companies from meeting the same fate.

5. Learn Social Engineering From Scratch

Learn how to hack into all major operating systems, generate different types of Trojans, and deliver them using smart social engineering practices with 11.5 hours of training.

6. Learn Website Hacking and Penetration Testing From Scratch

Focused on the practical side of penetration testing, you'll gain a complex understanding of how to exploit websites to carry out a number of powerful cyber attacks before fixing these vulnerabilities.

7. Hands on, Interactive Penetration Testing & Ethical Hacking

Get interactive, hands-on experience with penetration testing as you follow through each stage of practice in real time. You'll get to tweak and hone your technique, and run post exploitation techniques using the latest tools and methodologies.

8. Complete WiFi and Network Ethical Hacking Course 2017

Learn the latest in WiFi hacking and security, including every possible attack you can perform on a target network without being connected to it. By the end of the course, you'll be breaking all kinds of WiFi encryption methods.

9. Cyber Security Volume I: Hackers Exposed

Get a read on the cyber environment we live in today with this course, which discusses the threat and vulnerability landscape through threat modeling and risk assessments. You'll build a powerful foundation to expand your security knowledge, learn about global tracking, hacking infrastructures of different nation states and more.

Interested in an exciting new career? Get The Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle for $43, or 96% off the usual price of $1,080. 

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