“Ethical hacker”, looks fascinating right?
A person, who can hack into anything in a few clicks and keystrokes, right?
Sorry to say it but this only happens in movies… The reality is way different from this.
To become an Ethical Hacker, you have to learn plenty of things and you have to practice a lot! You will learn to live with frustration and confusion most of the time. Learn to be patient, things don’t happen overnight.
Once you’ve set your mind on it, we can move on to “how to become an Ethical Hacker”.
These are some basics fundamentals which you need to understand before moving towards hacking computers.
I believe that before hacking into something you need to have complete knowledge of how it is built, what its architecture is, what software it is using, how it works, etc.
Now, once you know everything about computers, let’s jump to our second step.
This step is again compulsory to understand as you will learn how computers communicate with each other.
Learn about TCP/IP suite, the OSI model, and different network topologies like LAN, WAN, MAN. Also, learn about different types of computer ports and their uses, and about different protocols that run over those ports.
Try to understand how things work. Understand the structure of the request/response and data packets. Learn about IP addresses and MAC addresses and their use in computer networking. You don’t need to be a network specialist, but trying to understand the basics and getting a rough idea about everything should be helpful to start.
Learn the basic commands of Linux which are used in the terminal. I know 90% of you might use Windows, but for hacking purposes, you need to switch to Linux.
Windows is quite rigid and doesn’t allow you to do many tasks that are important in hacking. On the other hand, Linux is extremely versatile and can be modified according to your needs. Because of this, almost all the tools that are used in hacking are made for Linux.
There are so many dedicated operating systems that are meant for hacking-purpose only. The most commonly used are Kali Linux, Parrot Security OS, Black Arch, Fedora Security Spin, etc. If you ask me, I am a fan of Kali Linux and Parrot OS (but it depends on my mood….LOL).
These operating systems have so many tools preinstalled into them so that you don’t need to install them separately. Although you can install any other tool into the OS depending on your requirement.
Now we are done with the basics. So let’s dive deep into the learning!!
I would suggest you get some books because from there you will have a proper roadmap and a great explanation about every topic of ethical hacking.
The best way to learn, in my opinion, is “learning from your mistakes”. Never be afraid of trying something out. Always try to go with the practical approach. It doesn’t matter if you succeed or not. Google, youtube videos, and books are a great place to start. Also, attending many hacking webinars and workshops might help.
Nonetheless, the most important thing is that you grow your network in the Cyber Security domain. Your network will help you find some resources to learn, will clear your doubts and queries, and keep you motivated.
Explore all the different domains of Hacking and Cyber Security and get a good idea about all the domains.
Now that you have a good idea about all the domains of hacking, it’s time to choose one of them. Cybersecurity is a vast field and one can’t master all its domains. So, the best way is to find the domain of your interest and start learning about it. Again! Read many books, watch videos, read articles, and ask your network.
After you have completed all these steps, you will have a clearer path to move forward into the Ethical Hacking career. As a suggestion: don’t run behind the certifications in the beginning.
Start practicing yourself and develop your skills. This will help you get jobs faster. Initially, there is no need for certifications. Instead of spending my time and money on certifications, I would rather buy a book or a course that will enhance my skills!
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