Long before computer specialists and information security analysts became superheroes in action movies and television shows such as Mission Impossible and Mr. Robot, ethical hackers were at work; testing and probing company systems.

Today, under several different names, ethical hackers or white hats work largely behind the scenes to ensure security at huge companies with global presence and small companies operating out of the founder’s garage. The benefits for the job can be great, both financially and emotionally.

Free Range Hacking as a Career Option

Google paid ethical hackers some $1.5 million in 2014 to uncover entry points and bugs in its software and online presence. Its ongoing Google Vulnerability Reward Program (VRP) presents a menu of payouts, ranging from $100 to $20,000, for uncovering these sorts of vulnerabilities:

• • Authentication or authorization flaws
  • Cross-site request forgery
  • Cross-site scripting
  • Mixed-content scripts
  • Server-side code execution bugs

Clearly, you are not likely to stumble into a $20,000 vulnerability every month, making this sort of free-range ethical hacking more of a hobby than a steady job. Where do ethical hackers go to make good money? More to the point, what is considered "good money" in a cyber security market that is pegged at some $75 billion in 2015, according to industry experts, Cyber Security Ventures?

Without delving into the deep web, and remembering that we are looking at ethical hacking, some other opportunities for ethical hacking outside of corporate America do exist. You could work freelance, for example, taking odd jobs here and there for anywhere from $10/hour up to $100/hour.

Most information security analysts—ethical hackers included—tend to work full-time for companies offering full benefits, regular hours, and good wages. The Certified Ethical Hacker credential is one of the more valuable, more advanced certifications you can get in IT.

Median Income for Certified Ethical Hackers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks information security analysts and says their median annual wage was $90,120 as of May, 2015. In management, scientific, and technical consulting niches, this median rose to $95,520 for the same time period. With 18 percent job growth expected through 2024, the future for ethical hackers looks very strong.

The secret to thriving as an ethical hacker is to pay as little as possible to learn as much as possible about ethical hacking so you can earn as much as the hacker who paid more for the same education.

Certified Ethical Hacker Education Options and Requirements

Getting a Certified Ethical Hacker credential begins with a strong desire to help people and organizations. Interest in computers and systems analysis helps, of course, and a knack for both mathematical and people skills is a boon. To pass the CEH exam from EC-Council, you need specific knowledge and specialized skills. Here is a sampling of the topics you must master:

• • Ethics and Legality
  • Footprinting
  • Scanning
  • Enumeration
  • System Hacking
  • Trojans and Backdoors
  • Sniffers
  • Denial of Service
  • Social Engineering
  • Session Hijacking
  • Hacking Web Servers
  • Web Application Vulnerabilities
  • Web Based Password Cracking Techniques
  • SQL Injection
  • Hacking Wireless Networks
  • Viruses and Worms
  • Physical Security
  • Linux Hacking
  • Evading Firewalls, IDS, and Honeypots
  • Buffer Overflows
  • Cryptography
  • Penetration Testing

EC-Council’s four-hour, 125-item test is not to be taken lightly. It will uncover your weaknesses just as you hope to uncover a company’s weaknesses in its cyber-security. Excellent preparation for the exam gives you a better chance at doing well.

Infotec is there to Train you for your EC-Council Exam

Getting a strong education in ethical hacking begins at Infotec, where an intensive, five-day course covers everything you need to prepare for the EC-Council exam. This instructor-led course immerses you in an interactive environment where you will use hands-on learning and instructor lecture to scan, test, hack, and secure systems. Contact Infotec today to learn how you can uncover a great career as a Certified Ethical Hacker.

For more information about Infotec or any of our programs click here: infotectraining.com or https://ops.infotecpro.com/course_schedule/course_schedule.cfm.