About this Online Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking Course

If you are considering working in the cyber security industry, then this training will benefit you greatly. With Cybrary's online Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking course, you will learn how to protect users from cyber attackers by becoming an ethical hacker and learning to exploit networks yourself.

As the internet continues to advance, cybercrimes do as well. Criminals no longer need to leave their homes to commit crimes, they can do so easily with a few clicks of a mouse and an internet connection. While current technology has given us access to huge amounts of information on websites and mobile devices and simplified tasks like shopping, paying bills, and banking services, it has also given rise to the need for ethical hackers to battle cyber criminals. There is no better time than now to begin a career in the cyber security industry.

Ethical hackers are able to help private businesses, public organizations, and government agencies infiltrate their secure systems to identify flaws and weaknesses within those systems. They determine which system areas are safe and which need additional security to help prevent threats to vulnerable networks, like malware attacks. In the Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking training, you will master objectives including Intrusion Detection, Policy Creation, reconnaissance with Social Engineering and Google, DDoS Attacks, Buffer Overflows and Virus Creation. Upon completion of this online training, students will have all the tools required for the development and application of an effective vulnerability prevention strategy to prevent the attackers from entering key systems.

What is Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing?

Ethical hacking involves penetration testing in that the networking expert methodically attempts to penetrate a network or computer system as a service to the owner of the system to find security vulnerabilities that a malevolent hacker may be able to exploit.

While ethical hackers often use the same techniques and methods to test and penetrate systems as their criminal counterparts, they do so to document vulnerabilities and provide system owners with advice on how to fix them, rather than taking advantage of the weaknesses.

An education in ethical hacking allows "white hat" hackers to evaluate the security of a system or network's infrastructure. It involves identifying and attempting to exploit any weaknesses to conclude if the potential for unauthorized access or other malicious or criminal activities exists. Weaknesses are often found in improper or poor system configuration, unknown and known computing or hardware flaws, and operational process weaknesses or technical countermeasures.

By learning to hack ethically, security professionals in the industry are able to identify and overcome these vulnerabilities and provide system owners with solutions, security, and peace of mind.

What Jobs Are Available for Ethical Hackers?

The cybersecurity job market is thriving, and it isn't expected to slow down anytime soon. Expectations predict a growth from $75 billion in 2015 to a whopping $170 billion by the year 2020. Obtaining work in this industry can mean a great income, job security, and advancement potential. In 2017, nearly a quarter of a million jobs in the cyber security industry in the U.S. are unfilled and the growth of job postings in this area is up almost 75% over the last several years. There are many business opportunities, including company management positions, available for professional hackers in today's workforce.

Some common titles for professional hacking experts include: security consultant, ethical hacker, penetration tester, information security analyst, cyber security analyst, security engineer, security analysis, data security engineer, information security manager, digital forensics analyst, site administrator, network security specialist, and IT auditor. In addition to careers in the corporate sector, there is ample opportunity for lucrative cyber security positions in top government agencies as well. The National Security Agency (NSA), Department of Defense (DoD) and the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) are all federal agencies who use ethical hacking to maintain privacy and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive government information.

How Do I Obtain An Ethical Hacking Certification?

Once you complete the Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking course (and any other applicable courses), you may consider moving ahead and obtaining a certification. The first step toward certification may be some advanced study on penetration testing and ethical hacking strategies, depending on your experience, skills level, and overall knowledge. You can obtain resources to help you prepare for certification. When you are ready, you may opt to take the exam for the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certificate, by the EC-Council, which is the most sought-after and recognizable certification available in this field.

While not all ethical hacking positions require that you have certifications, it is a valuable credential to present to new or potential employers, as it shows that you have a fundamental knowledge of how to protect their systems using ethical hacking and penetration testing as the cornerstone of your methodology. The CEH certification involves an exam with 125 questions that you have four hours to complete, and terms require that you have passing score of at least 70% to receive your certificate. You can contact the EC-Council for more information.

No longer will money have dominion over our ability to learn. Penetration testing and ethical hacking are skill sets as in-demand as anything else in the Cyber Security industry.

To best prepare for the exam, check out our free CEH study guide, practice exam as an assessment of your education, and virtual lab (to get real world, hands-on experience). CEU / CPE: 35

Total Clock Hours: 35 hrs, 16 mins

If you enjoy this course, be sure to view the Computer Forensics course or the Advanced Pentesting class next!