Become a Certified Ethical Hacker: Salary, Certifications, and Job Demand
Over the past decade, cybersecurity threats have been steadily rising, with the COVID-19 pandemic bringing on explosive growth. The rate of cybercrimes has seen an incredible 600% increase since the pandemic. Corporations, particularly financial institutions, will need to strategically strengthen their information security capabilities to remain resilient to new and existing threats. As such, there will also be an increased demand for Information Security Analysts.
So, if you’ve been thinking of getting that Certified Ethical Hacker certification, now is the perfect time to enroll in a cybersecurity program.
What Is Ethical Hacking?
Ethical hacking involves making an authorized attempt to penetrate a computer system, network, or application to test its vulnerability to malicious attacks. The goal is to strengthen the system’s security against threats that could potentially cause significant financial loss and/or loss of data by identifying any vulnerability that needs resolving.
An ethical hacker would replicate the same strategies that malicious attackers use to see if the system is susceptible to unauthorized access. The main difference is that they don’t have malicious intent, and their goal isn’t to exploit the information but to help fix any weakness in the security capabilities. More importantly, they have permission from the authorized person to perform those activities.
How to Become an Ethical Hacker
If you’re interested in becoming an ethical hacker, you need to start by acquiring the necessary skills and certifications. At the most basic level, an ethical hacker has experience and foundational understanding of:
- Operating systems.
- Computer networking.
- Information security principles.
- Scripting languages.
Training in examining system vulnerabilities and cyber threats. Getting a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification is a prerequisite for a career in ethical hacking. That’s why you need to enroll in cybersecurity programs that focus on ethical hacking certifications.
CEH Certification
You can become a Certified Ethical Hacker with a CEH certification from the EC Council, the world’s largest certifying body on cybersecurity. This certification will prepare you for a wide variety of roles that require CEH skills, which typically involve jobs related to information security. Getting a CEH certification requires taking a CEH examination after completing the appropriate training at an Accredited Training Center like ed2go.
In partnership with 50+ schools and colleges nationwide, ed2go offers a host of courses to prepare you for leading cybersecurity certifications, including our Certified Ethical Hacker course. This course thoroughly prepares you for the CEH exam 312-50 under EC Council with example questions and extensive training. Here’s a quick overview of what you will learn with this course:
- How to develop a strategy for penetration tests and security assessments while ensuring that it complies with the relevant ethical and legal requirements
- How to analyze different phases of hacking and identify the best ethical hacking strategy to make security assessments
- How to examine different cybersecurity threats, malicious attacks, and security vulnerabilities and recommend an appropriate countermeasure
- How to analyze encryption techniques and cryptography algorithms, and use that knowledge to design implementation strategies to secure information
- How to make assessments on different network security tools and techniques and collect evidence and information that will help in the implementation of appropriate information security controls
Our CEH course is self-paced and online based, with the freedom to get started at any time. Under this course, you get 100-course hours and six months to complete it, after which you can take the CEH exam under EC Council.
Careers and Job Demand in Cybersecurity
The cybersecurity career landscape is booming with a growing need to ramp up information security. Information Security Analysts are also seeing a much faster than average growth in employment compared to other occupations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there is a projected growth of 33% for this occupation, which speaks volumes about the rising demand for cybersecurity professionals.
Those who decide to pursue a career in cybersecurity and acquire their CEH will be able to shoot for top-tier positions such as:
- Computer Forensics Analyst
- Cybersecurity Analyst
- Homeland Security Specialist
- Information Security Analyst
- Intrusion Detection Analyst
- Network Security Analyst
- Penetration Tester
- Security Auditor
- Security Consultant
- Vulnerability Tester
Over the past decade, the Bureau projects about 16,300 job openings for the role of Information Security Analyst each year. Demand is likely to continue rising, especially with the increasing adoption of cloud services even among smaller businesses.
Banks and financial institutions will be the most in need and other corporations that malicious attackers are highly likely to target. As the healthcare industry gradually moves to digitize medical records, it will also see a rising need for cybersecurity professionals to help protect patients’ personal information and medical data.
Ethical Hacker Salary Data
The cybersecurity salary scope is much higher compared to other computer-related occupations. According to data from the BLS, the median annual salary for Information Security Analysts stands at $103,590. Meanwhile, other computer-related occupations see a median annual salary of $91,250.
Salary.com also reports that the average ethical hacker salary is $101,750, with salaries typically ranging from $90,770 to $116,075. A lot of factors play into salary ranges, with education, experience, and certification making a significant difference. Additional skills and certifications relevant to your job role can also help improve your chances of boosting those numbers.
Ready for a Career in Ethical Hacking?
These are impressive numbers and clearly highlight the promising career opportunities for those certified in ethical hacking. No matter where you are in your career, you can improve your job prospects by enrolling in an online course that provides hands-on learning, including hacking tools and techniques. ed2go offers a comprehensive online course that prepares you to get ahead in your current or future role. You will also be prepared to sit for the Certified Ethical Hacker Exam 312-50, offered by EC-Council.
Explore participating schools, pricing, financing options and additional course details on our Certified Ethical Hacker course online or fill out the form below to request more information from our enrollment team.
