What Are Most Sought-After Certifications For Ethical Hackers?

One of the high demand jobs in the IT field is that of an ethical hacker, who intentionally penetrates into the systems and networks to detect and fix vulnerabilities.The term hacking of computers, carries with it a negative impact. It just brings to the mind images of techies stealing customer identities, sensitive information and disabling vital computer networks but hacking can also be used to bring about positive results and this is known as ethical hacking or intrusion testing, red teaming,  or penetration testing.

By this act professional hackers or ethical hackers determine the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of information or computer systems of an organization by the techniques adopted by the malicious hackers. As a result, you could land a high caliber job by doing one of the most sought after certification courses in ethical hacking.

The Responsibilities of an Ethical Hacker Are:

• They have the responsibility of offering recommendations on how to reduce vulnerabilities.


• They work with developers to advice on the security requirements.


• They have the responsibility of updating procedures and security policies.


•  They also provide the training as part of the training program and an organization’s security awareness.

Requirements to Get the Job ofan Ethical Hacker:

For an entry level ethical hacker a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or associated field is absolutely necessary. Beyond this level of education, security certifications are necessary.

The Most Sought-After Certifications For Ethical Hackers Are:

#1.CEH: The Most Basic and Widely Recognized Certification

The most basic certification to start the career as an Ethical hacker is CEH. It is provided by the EC-Council and is designed in a way to offer the IT security professionals a general knowledge of countermeasures, risks, knowledge of the security threats through the hands-on labs and lectures. Students who enroll for this course should have adequate knowledge of the Linux and Windows systems administration skills and should be familiar with virtualization and the TCP/IP (Core Internet Protocol).

Skills Learnt From The Course:

• The course covers how to identify the basic viruses to hijacking web servers, scan networks and penetration testing.


• It teaches how to crack the passwords, hack wireless networks, remote access Trojans and perform the denial of service (DoS) attacks.


• It gives an understanding of social engineering or the procedure of manipulating the individuals to obtain personal information. Social engineering is crucial to stay ahead of the threats.


• The course concentrates on RAPID 7, which is a suite of tools that helps the ethical hackers in the comprehensive pen tests including planning, scanning and final analysis.

Benefits Offered By This Certification:

This certification is highly recognized of the three certifications. It raises the pay scale. A CEH-certified professional earns 8.9% more than the non-certified professionals

#2.GPEN: A More Comprehensive, yet Costly Certification

This certification is needed to learn ethical hacking in depth. Prior to taking this course, students should have adequate knowledge of Linux, Windows, and TCP/IP.

Skills Learnt From The Course:

• It teaches how to learn penetration tests that have high business value.


• The main goal of this course is to make a candidate ready to do comprehensive pentests.


• It teaches the IT professionals how to think from the point of view of a hacker.

Benefits Offered By This Certification:

This course is a good balance between hands-on experience and theory. It provides a good job in developing the soft skills required to be successful as an ethical hacker.

#3.OSCP: The Lesser-Known, More Technical Certification

This is a technical certification and it is for the students to prove that they have a practical and a clear understanding of penetration testing process and the lifecycle.

Skills Learnt From The Course:

• It teaches how to take a creative approach to solve problems.


• Apart from learning about the pen testing techniques and tools, it teaches how to think laterally.

Benefits Offered By This Certification:

It offers the best hands-on experience as offensive security needs to be learnt in the legal environment with real scenarios and tools. The skill learnt from this certification course is more valuable than the certification itself.

The job of a white hat or ethical hacker is of high demand in the IT industry and you could make the right career move by earning a certified ethical hacker certification.