Last Updated on March 2, 2022 by
Let’s face it – malicious hackers have become more creative than ever with their efforts and strategies to launch a cyberattack. The stakes are now even higher as we continue to migrate to a digital world. A number of cyberattacks occur every day which can range from an individual falling victim to online fraud to tech giants facing a huge data breach. No wonder companies are investing a huge percentage of their budget into cybersecurity initiatives. They have realized that strengthening the defenses of an organization is far more economical than facing a cyberattack and experiencing losses worth millions of dollars along with losing the hard-earned reputation in the market.
Thankfully there are so many steps a company can take to reduce the risks of attacks by malicious hackers, one of them being hiring an ethical hacker. As the name suggests, an ethical hacker is someone who has the permission of gaining access to the systems and networks of an organization. However, unlike ill-intentioned hackers, ethical hackers intrude into the systems so as to identify vulnerabilities and loopholes and fix them before they can be exploited. This is the reason companies prefer hiring ethical hackers, especially those who hold a CEH certification, to deal with any kind of cyber threats.
Let us understand what are the benefits of hiring an ethical hacker for organizations.
Advantages of Hiring an Ethical Hacker
Talented ethical hackers across the world are helping organizations identify their security vulnerabilities by putting their in-depth knowledge of hacking methods at work. By hiring such professionals, companies need not rely on guesswork and assumptions related to security measures but focus on truly protecting their data. Let us look at some more advantages of employing an ethical hacker.
- Many organizations often take a defensive approach when it comes to IT security. It means they adjust firewalls, apply security measures against known threats, and update their virus and malware definitions. But with an ethical hacker, they can take an offensive approach and identify all vulnerabilities beforehand.
- Ethical hackers take a preventive approach and perform calculated trespassing to identify data doors that may be left open inadvertently. This way, they strengthen the network security of an organization.
- Malicious hackers have become more sophisticated over the years. A company may follow standard security protocols, but ill-intended hackers may surpass them. In this case, ethical hackers can help define detection rules and prevent any kind of intrusion.
- Today, many companies are embracing cloud computing. With business data available on the cloud, there are more concerns related to their security. Ethical hackers can even perform complex cloud testing, including load testing, performance testing, and web-based application testing, as they are equipped with specialized technical skills.
- Ethical hackers identify crucial gaps in the information security architecture that often prevents an organization from achieving its security goals and objectives.
- When more ethical hackers are hired, they can focus on all areas of a business, including vulnerability, compliance, penetration, operation, awareness and security controls, and phishing to offer better insights on which threats pose the most risks to an organization.
- Ethical hackers also perform continuous, focused, and targeted research against an organization’s unique technology stack to maintain a progressive cyber security posture.
Becoming a Certified Ethical Hacker
Looking at the above points, you may now be convinced that ethical hackers are quite beneficial for organizations. However, is it an easy task for companies to find talented ethical hackers? Well, there is a scarcity of talented ethical hackers across countries and you may take this as an opportunity to learn about ethical hacking and step into this promising career. One of the ways you can demonstrate your skills in this domain is by achieving the Certified Ethical Hacker or CEH certification offered by the prestigious EC-Council.
As we mentioned in the beginning, companies prefer hiring candidates who have a CEH certification on their resumes. It immediately grabs the attention of the hiring managers and keeps you ahead of the competition during interviews. Accredited by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and the US Department of Defense (DoD), the CEH certification is a globally-recognized credential that helps you benchmark your ethical hacking skills.
CEH certification holders are more than just penetration testers, security auditors, or vulnerability testers. They are familiar with commercial-grade hacking tools that are used in checking vulnerabilities, security checklists that are useful in auditing the information assets of an organization, and a methodology to assess the security posture of an organization. It is important to note that achieving a CEH certification isn’t a cakewalk. Professionals need to fulfill certain eligibility criteria and then appear for the rigorous CEH exam in order to achieve the designation.
Fortunately, there are some reliable online courses that can help you prepare for the CEH exam. EC-Council has Authorized Training Partners to offer official CEH training whose study material align with the syllabus covered in the CEH exam. All you need to do is search for that training provider and enroll in its CEH prep course. You are more likely to clear the exam on a single try with the help of such comprehensive courses.
