Top 5 Ethical Hacking Certifications for Your IT Career

Ethical Hackers are security professional who uses the methods deployed by black hat hackers to penetrate systems and identify vulnerabilities. However, unlike their counterparts, ethical hackers have legal sanctions to make such a breach into the systems of an organization. The breach is made to record the issues and vulnerabilities that the company needs to fix. The hacker is hired by the organization to update with potential security threats, recover inaccessible data, and update regarding necessary security policy.

Ethical hackers are in high demand due to insufficient manpower, which makes employment opportunities and wages very attractive. Many professionals intend to enter and grow in the field. One of the recommended approaches, to start with, includes Ethical Hacking certifications.

What is an Ethical Hacking Certification?

This is a qualification obtained by evaluating the security of computer systems, using penetration testing methods. The ethical hacking course in itself elaborates upon the various tools, footprinting, countermeasures, fingerprinting tools, sniffing methods that are immediate to hackers. It helps the professional to comprehend how an exploit evolves.

Ethical hacking certifications lead to a better understanding of vulnerabilities and risks affecting systems and the organization as a whole. Below are five of the most common and sought-after certifications today.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

The (CEH) is one of the sought-after and broadest of all the available certifications. Certified Ethical Hacker CEH v11 will teach you the latest commercial-grade hacking tools, techniques, and methodologies used by hackers and information security professionals to lawfully hack an organization. This course will put you in a control of the hands-on environment with a systematic process. You will be exposed to a different way of attaining optimum information security posture in their organization.

While many ethical hacker job postings specifically require CEH certification, this might not always be the best option. The CEH course has suffered an incredible amount of criticism due to its emphasis on theoretical study over hands-on labs.

GIAC Penetration Tester

The Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) program provides a broad range of compatible and interchangeable certifications that require hands-on labs. GIAC courses are held online. The main objectives to learn under GPEN are attacking password hashes, advanced password attacks, initial target scanning, exploitation fundamentals, pen-testing foundations, vulnerability scanning, moving files with exploits, penetration testing using the Windows command line and power shell, reconnaissance, and web application attacks.

The best thing about a GIAC certification is that beyond earning the certification itself, you enter a sharing community of specialists that allows you to continue learning and sharing what you learn.

Offensive Security Certified Professional

The Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) is a technical certification that is entirely based on hands-on labs.  The Offensive security certified professional course teaches how to attain, alter and apply public exploit code. This course also offers advanced pen testing exams and courses such as wireless, web, advanced Windows exploitation. The course is accessible online. The exam tests hacking abilities wherein the candidate must be able to break into the system administration within 24 hours and identification of vulnerabilities.

It is best to have a solid understanding of networking protocols, software development, and systems internals, specifically Kali Linux before considering the OSCP certification.

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

CISM combines the role of IT audit with the implementation of information security as an independent function within a business. This certification is accepted as a standard worldwide for professionals responsible for computer security programs and several times in the field of IT auditing and control. If you have ambitions to engage in enterprise-level strategy and touch the business side as well as the technical side of security, this is the path for you.

There are almost endless opportunities for those who hold CISM certification and the high demand for this qualification sees that there are no jobs for such professionals.

CREST

The CREST certification exams and courses are widely accepted across many countries. CREST provides internationally recognized accreditations for organizations and professional level certifications for individuals providing penetration testing, cyber incident response, threat intelligence, and Security Operations Centre (SOC) services. An international not-for-profit accreditation, CREST works collectively and shares top practice and knowledge.

It is also important to have progressive activities that help professionals employed in the industry acquire and maintain the knowledge necessary to work in this rapidly changing environment. CREST serves as a focal point for advancing best practices and career advancement activities through its collective research acts.