A Whitehat hacker is an ethical hacker who hack the information security (IT) system of an organisation to test the system for possible vulnerabilities and fix them. He is hired by a Company and performs hacking under a contractual agreement.
White Hat Hacking has several names like web hacking, ethical hacking, penetration testing, and web/network auditing.
Significance of Whitehat hackers
Whitehat hackers collaborate with Australian businesses to enhance their clients’ security posture at the network or computer system level, as well as to find any exploit or potential vulnerabilities that an unauthorised or malicious user could manipulate.
These professionals employ all the hacking methods employed by a Black Hat hacker to break into a system. White hats not only run deep security network scans to find any possible open or unsecured ports, computer viruses, but they also trick employees into clicking on fake links sent in an email or an SMS that might cause malware infestations. They can also test your password to check for its strength.
Once a Whitehat hacker discovers a vulnerability in the system, organisation will have to mitigate the risk. They will also provide a report on their findings.
White Hats are one of the reasons for the minimal downtime and lesser issues faced by any website belonging to a larger enterprise.
Educational Criteria to become a White Hack Hacker
Although there are not any specific educational criteria for becoming a whitehat hacker, a bachelor’s or master’s degree in information security, computer science, or mathematics serves as a solid foundation.
Obtaining the EC Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification is a good place to begin. The CEH credential is vendor-neutral, and CEH-certified experts have a huge demand.
Besides, an aspiring whitehat hacker must know coding languages like Java, HTML, and Swift and the basic concepts of an operating system.
Skills and Personality traits to become a Whitehat Hacker
Apart from education, you will also require a certain set of personality traits to be suitable for the job of a whitehat hacker. They are as follows:
- Intelligent and a quick thinker.
- Knowing to use common logic when essential.
- Well-organised.
- Problem-solving capabilities.
- Good Communication skills.
- Envisioning – thinking like a Black Hat hacker to stay ahead of the game.
- Strong work ethic.
- Dedication and passion towards the job.
- Stays calm and composed while working under pressure.
- Persuasion skills to convince people to give access to their sensitive data.
Challenges faced by Whitehat Hackers
If you enjoy taking on complex situations, this could be the best job for you!
After all, this profession is all about bypassing security measures and identifying vulnerabilities to overcome them and prevent any internet security breach or cyberattack.
One of the most difficult challenges that whitehat hackers face today is “staying legal,” which means that they only access systems that they have permission to access. This challenge becomes increasingly difficult in an increasingly connected technological world.
Career for Whitehat Hackers
One can commence their whitehat hacker by taking a job role of a tech consultant or an information security analyst. The demand for these job roles is quite high.
Other jobs like penetration tester, network security specialist, or
information security consultant can also be a good base for your White Hacker career.
Besides, the bank and the financial sector have a huge demand for ethical hackers due to the rising financial fraud.
Government Jobs for Whitehat Hackers
The government sector has many IT jobs, particularly in the cyber warfare division of the military.
IT specialists are also required for their assistance in keeping the government’s IT systems up to date to keep any cyber security threat at bay. They also perform patch computing to ensure that the computer systems, software, apps, and computer programs are patched. This helps in safeguarding sensitive data of national importance from external enemies who are on the hunt for security glitches and steal defence and other information.
Besides, your IT career in the government sector can give you a government security clearance, which will open doors for top positions in the government sector.
White Hat Hacking Jobs in Private Sector
Although the private sector has many jobs, Companies mostly prefer experienced, ethical hackers over freshers.
As a result, becoming proficient in databases and systems, as well as having adequate programming/coding skills, is advantageous. You will get an advantage over the competition when looking for an entry-level position.
How much do Whitehat hackers earn?
A whitehat hacker can anticipate earning an average salary of $80,000 per year. Depending on their skills, many can also anticipate bonuses worth $15,000-$45,000 per project or contract. Experts can gain an annual earning of up to $120,000 for their service.
Freelance whitehat hackers can follow a Subscription business model to offer subscription weekly, monthly, or annual subscription price to businesses on their services.
If you wish to safeguard your systems and detect as well as mitigate security vulnerabilities before cybercriminals find them, then Anitech’s ISMS expert consultants can help you!
You call 1300 802 163 or email info@anitechgroup.com or enquire here.
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