A hacker is described as anyone who intentionally breaches or bypasses the security measures of a system to infiltrate and gain access to the network. These hackers use their advanced tech skills to illegally obtain access to secured systems. The motives for their actions are fuelled by several factors. While some gain access to commit fraud and theft, some just relish the challenge.

What most people don’t know is that there exist some hackers commissioned by an organization to intentionally hack a system to exploit flaws. This practice is known as ethical hacking. Ethical hackers think and act like regular hackers, only this time they are on the organization’s side.

Ethical hacking skills is used to test system security measures and identify possible vulnerabilities.  Ethical hackers stress-test the organization’s network and protocol while spotting weak points. Ethical hacking has become very necessary for organizations. It is a proactive precautionary measure to protect the system against infiltration.

One business in the world experiences a cyberattack every 11 seconds. Cyberattacks are very costly to the business. Recovering from cyberattacks costs money and time. A business may be brought to a standstill during a cyberattack. There is a greater need for testing the system and exploiting system flaws.

We compiled a list of ethical hacking skills for professionals in 2022 and beyond. But before we dive in, let us first understand what an ethical hacker does and how they differ from normal hackers.

An ethical hacker is a hired worker for the organization. They are purposefully hired to intentionally hack the organization’s system and exploit them. This enables the organization to identify and map out potential vulnerabilities and in turn prepare a response plan. This helps in resolving system flaws and enhancing system rigidity while anticipating a hack.

Ethical hackers differ from penetration testers. The scope of ethical hackers exceeds just testing system vulnerabilities. Ethical hackers apply robust methods to accomplish their tasks. In some cases, ethical hackers test all aspects including whether devices are being used properly.

Ethical hacking can be learned in school or from continuous practice. The ethical hacking skills for professionals discussed below are mandatory for ethical hackers. Businesses need to ascertain that the ethical hackers they contract have the following bare minimum ethical hacking skills. Let us dive into our list of ethical hacking skills for professionals.

Ethical Hacking Skills You Need To Master For A Lucrative Career

Ethical hackers may deploy a few strategies to test the system and determine the vulnerabilities. These skills include:

1. Hijacking web servers and web applications. Ethical hackers might try cracking and bypassing wireless encryptions just to examine vulnerabilities.
2. Investigating issues related to device theft and employee fraud. Device theft is a potential source of an attack. Attacks may originate from misplaced devices belonging to the organization. Ethical hackers also investigate the role of employees in facilitating the attack.
3. Constantly and frequently making attempts to evade and infiltrate Intrusion Penetration (IPS), Intrusion Detection systems (IDS), and firewalls. Stress-testing is important in ethical hacking. Constantly attempting to penetrate a system is essential in ascertaining system rigidity.
4. Examining and exploiting security patch installations. Security patches are used to fix vulnerabilities in softwares. Ethical hackers are mandated to identify software vulnerabilities and deploy appropriate patches.
5. Engaging in social engineering practices to gain privileged information from employees by being kind. Cyberattacks may originate from employees. Employees might unconsciously surrender crucial information necessary for attacks. Ethical hackers are mandated to use social engineering techniques to identify and seal such problems.
6. Open port scanning to determine pot vulnerability and remedy measures. Ethical hackers may use tools like Nmap to scan a system and identify open ports that may be a gateway to an attack.
7. Deploying social engineering such as dumpster diving in search of crucial information necessary to initiate an attack. Some crucial information may end up getting into the trash can. Hackers are aware of this possibility. That is why ethical hackers engage in measures to seal all potential attack gateways.

These strategies employed by ethical hackers are important in identifying system vulnerabilities. Once the vulnerabilities are identified, an effective response plan can be deployed to shield the system from attacks. This increases the system’s rigidity and makes it less susceptible to attacks.

Several skills are necessary for any hacker. These are the several ethical hacking skills for professionals: extensive knowledge of social networking scenes, in-depth knowledge of computer knowledge, inexhaustible knowledge of cloud computing and storage, and vast knowledge of computer programming.

Adequate knowledge of computer hardware and software is an essential ethical hacking skill for professionals. Additionally, hackers, including ethical hackers, require extensive knowledge of malware softwares and finally mastery of the art of reverse engineering.

The ability to use and administer a database is equally essential in hacking. A demonstrated comprehension of artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as superior analytical skills, is an added advantage in the world of ethical hacking.

There are several ethical hacking techniques that every ethical hacker must be aware of. These techniques are used to simulate a real-world attack to test system security. These techniques include password cracking using complex softwares. Ethical hackers may also use social engineering techniques and psychological tricks to obtain passwords from employees. 

Limitations of Ethical Hacking

Ethical hacking is undoubtedly important for system security. Organizations that deploy ethical hacking are proactive and therefore less susceptible to cyberattacks. However, ethical hacking has some limitations. These limitations include cost constraints, time constraints, and the legality of ethical hacking.

Ethical hacking is not foolproof. Some gateways will go unidentified and left open. Secondly, ethical hacking is cost-intensive and time-consuming. The scope of work might exceed months and even years. Hiring ethical hackers might cause the organization a fortune. Finally, ethical hacking might encounter some legal problems that come with legal redress actions.

Despite these limitations, ethical hacking is still beneficial to organizations. Ethical hacking is still highly sought after by organizations. The need for ethical hackers is constantly growing day by day. There are many career paths in the field of ethical hacking. Ethical hackers may also decide to specialize in particular areas including network security and web security.

Cybersecurity is a very lucrative field filled with prospects. The demand for Cybersecurity experts is expected to continually grow in the coming years. This demand is fuelled by several factors including the dynamism of Cybersecurity and the need for organizations to shield themselves from attacks.

Mastering the above highlighted ethical hacking skills for professionals is just the beginning. We can help you with your journey to becoming a professional Cybersecurity expert. Our highly valuable and informative courses will equip you with the skills you require to excel in this field. Check out our course section or get in touch with us to kick-start your Cybersecurity career.