What You Should Know Before Pursuing a Career in Ethical Hacking

To many, white hat hacking is somewhat of a mysterious phrase. Yet, even if you’re not quite sure what white hat hackers do, you probably know that they’re growing in popularity — particularity in California. This means that it’s an excellent time to become a white hat hacker, otherwise known as an ethical hacker. Read on to learn more about this dynamic profession and determine if it may be a good fit for you.

What White Hat Hackers Do

Put simply, white hat hackers break into computer networks to test their security. They use the same tactics as stereotypical hackers, or black hat hackers, but with a different intent. While¬ black hats merely seek to cause harm or obtain information for personal gain, white hats strive to uncover network vulnerabilities in order to correct them. By proactively strengthening their networks before security breaches occur, organizations can better protect the individuals that they serve, as well as their own financial resources, trade secrets, and general reputation.

Where White Hat Hackers Work

White hat hackers are employed everywhere from traditional network security companies to financial institutions and government agencies. Some even function as self-employed bug bounty hunters who help uncover a company’s security bugs under a temporary contract. Several famous entrepreneurs and technological geniuses have also dabbled in white hat hacking. Steve Wozniak of Apple, Linus Torvalds of Linux, and Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, are three you may be familiar with.

How White Hat Hackers Are Paid

Though salaries vary by region and title, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual salary for information security analysts to be $95,510. In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts jobs in information security to grow by 28 percent between 2016 and 2026. This is much faster than the 5 – 9 percent growth predicted for most occupations.

Become a White Hat Hacker

If the idea of creating trojans, worms, and viruses for good sounds exciting, you should consider a career in white hat hacking. The first step to a career in this field is an understanding of computer operating systems and Cisco routers.