How to Start a Career in Ethical Hacking and Cyber Security

The best way to catch a criminal is to think like one. Similarly, to protect your data from cybercriminals, one has to think like them. Ethical hackers are perfect for this task. They exactly know how cybercriminals penetrate your system and steal your data. Likewise, by understanding the tactics of black hat hackers, Ethical hackers can protect your system from cyber-attacks and malicious threats. Discover the steps to kickstart your career in ethical hacking and cyber security with our comprehensive guide.  

The number of cyber-attacks is rapidly increasing, and almost every organization is demanding cybersecurity professionals who can take preventive measures to protect their systems from a security breach or loss of data. With the increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals, Ethical Hacking has become famous day by day. In fact, it has become the best sought-after career choice for thousands of students in Nepal.

If you are one of those who want to become an ethical hacker but don’t know how to start a career in ethical hacking and cyber security in Nepal, then this blog is for you. Below are the major steps one needs to follow to start a career in Ethical Hacking and cyber security in Nepal.

Understand the Ethical Hacking and Cyber Security Concept

Before diving into a domain, the first thing that needs to be done is to learn the basic concepts of the domain. This is also true for ethical hacking and cyber security. Ethical Hacking is an authorized practice of defending the system and network security by exploiting existing vulnerabilities.

Ethical hacking should follow these four key protocol concepts:

• Stay legal: Get proper approval before performing a security assessment.
• Define the scope: Determine the scope of the assessment as it helps the ethical hacker remain legal and within approved boundaries while performing the assessment.
• Report vulnerabilities: Inform the organization about the vulnerabilities discovered during the assessment, and provide remediation advice to solve the vulnerabilities.
• Respect data sensitivity: Depending on the data sensitivity, ethical hackers have to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Ethical hackers identify loopholes in systems and network security and rectify them with appropriate countermeasures. Ethical hackers use the same techniques as notorious hackers to find system vulnerabilities and fix them. They only do these tasks when they are lawfully hired by an organization.

Learn Programming & Operating Systems

A career in ethical hacking requires a sound knowledge of programming language as it involves working on different systems. This enables the implementation of security solutions where you will require coding. You can learn the following programming languages to get into Ethical hacking,

• Python: Extensively used for exploit writing.
• PHP: Best language to fight against malicious attackers.
• JavaScript: Suitable for hacking web applications
• SQL: Best for hacking large databases.

Moreover, learning operating systems is an essential foundation to start a career in Ethical hacking. You must know how to work on Operating Systems like LINUX, UNIX, Windows, and iOS.

Knowledge of Network and Security

A fine knowledge of computer networks and cybersecurity is the core aspect to start a career in ethical hacking and cyber security. An aspiring ethical hacker understands the concept of computer networking and information security including VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), firewalls, cryptography, and numerous types of cyber-attacks such as DoS (Denial of Service) attacks.

You should also consider learning concepts like Penetration Testing, SQL Injection, Cloud Computing malware and Vulnerability Assessment as you start your career in ethical hacking and cyber security in Nepal.

Join an Ethical Hacking Program

Ethical Hacking is a vast domain where one has to acquire in-depth knowledge of ethical hacking and cyber security, from beginner to advanced levels. Meanwhile, you can enhance basic Ethical Hacking and cyber security skills by reading books or video tutorials. However, after reaching a certain level, you will have to gain practical knowledge as well, and what else would be better than joining an Ethical hacking and cyber security program to enhance practical knowledge in the domain.

BSc (hons) Ethical Hacking and Cyber security program at Softwarica College can help you gain more exposure and understanding of ethical hacking. Affiliated with Coventry University, Softwarica College offers the best ethical hacking course in Nepal.

Get Relevant Certifications

While studying the BSc (hons) Ethical Hacking and Cyber security course, you also apply to get ethical hacking certifications to validate your ethical hacking skills. There are a variety of prestigious certifications related to Ethical Hacking and cyber security including Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Vulnerability Assessor, Global Information Assurance Certification and Offensive Security Certified Professional. Among these certifications, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is the most demanding certification for ethical hacking. These certifications can open doors for multiple career opportunities in the ethical hacking domain.

Dive into the Ethical Hacking and Cyber Security Profession

After the completion of BSc Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity program in Nepal, you are ready to start your professional career in Ethical Hacking and cyber security. In the begining, you can start with an entry-level job such as Security Analyst and Penetration Tester. You can then switch over to senior-level Ethical Hacker and cyber security jobs that include Network Security Administrator, Web Security Manager, Information Security Manager, System Manager, and many more.

Apart from the private IT organization, one with an Ethical hacking degree in Nepal can get a job in various government organizations such as the investigation department, law & military enforcement, and more. As an ethical hacker in Nepal, you can expect an average salary of $71,000, with bonus payments often ranging from $15,000 to $20,000.

So, these are the major steps needed to be followed if you want to become a professional Ethical Hacker in Nepal. Considering the current scenario of the IT world, the number of Ethical Hackers is going to increase rapidly in the coming years. We hope you become one of them.