With the rapidly increasing demand for efficiency and consistency in services, technology has become the most crucial asset for a company to survive and thrive in the ever-expanding market. But alongside the inevitably increasing dependency on technology, the risk of companies losing their data through cyber breaches has also heightened. As a result, a great deal of these companies are hiring ethical hackers to ensure the safety of their information.

Ethical Hacking, also known as penetration testing or authorized hacking, involves investigating, identifying, patching, and strengthening the vulnerabilities in the security of a computer system or network for a business or organization by performing authorized security breaches. An ethical hacker performs legally permitted security breaches via duplicated malware. By mimicking the procedures and strategies of a real-life malicious attacker, the flaws and vulnerabilities in the security measures of an organization are detected, and fixed before an actual online thief gets the chance to exploit them.

Organizations dealing with digital technologies are especially at great risk of cyber-attacks. And with most businesses and organizations switching to online services and transactions to reach a wider audience, the demand for ethical hackers has skyrocketed.

Getting a certification for ethical hacking not only opens more paths to job opportunities but also enhances your resume, offers you chances to negotiate better wages, provides you with vast knowledge about technology, and boosts your confidence.

In the following article, we will highlight five of the best in-demand certificates in Ethical Hacking to enhance your career.

1. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

A professionally structured course managed by EC-Council, the Certified Ethical Hacker is one of the most widely recognized and sought-over certifications in the industry. The CEH training has been specially designed to educate you on aspects of how cyber attacks are done and how to defend against them.

Requirements: The candidate should have a minimum of two years of experience in the information security domain or a related IT field and complete the CEH training course. Having a strong background in an IT-related course may be important in understanding the concepts delivered in the CEH course. Having skills such as basic networking, Linux, logical reasoning and troubleshooting, as well as knowledge about applications and systems.

Exam: The duration of the exam is four hours and you will be provided with 125 Multiple choice questions. The average percentage required to pass is estimated globally to be 60% to 85%.

2. GIAC Penetration Tester Certification (GPEN)

Designed by one of the oldest cybersecurity education-providing academies, SANS Institute, the Global Information Assurance Certification Penetration Tester or GIAC Penetration Tester certification provides you with a wide range of knowledge and skills set to boost your career in the field of ethical hacking. You will be tested in a lab environment proving your knowledge, understanding, and skill using actual programs and code with virtual machines.

Requirements: Taking the GIAC exam requires no prerequisites.

Exam: The candidate needs to attend a proctored exam consisting of 82 questions within a time limit of 3 hours. The minimum passing mark is set to be 75%. Exams are web-based and require remote proctoring through ProctorU and onsite proctoring through PearsonVUE.

3. CompTIA Security+

CompTIA Security+ training program is developed to meet industry standards and equips you with the foundational skills required to pursue a career in IT security. They provide you with a unique opportunity to earn a global CompTIA Security+ certification that focuses on essential cybersecurity skills for security and network administrators. The training is designed in such a way that it validates your proficiency in risk management, risk mitigation, threat management, and intrusion detection.

Requirements: Although there are no prerequisites for attending the exam, the candidate needs at least a basic understanding of computer hardware and operating systems, knowledge of networking concepts and protocols as well as familiarity with security concepts and technologies.

Exam: You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam with a maximum of 90 multiple-choice questions combined with drag-and-drop activities and performance-based items. The multiple-choice questions are either single and or multiple responses. On a scale of 100 to 900, the passing score is 750.

4. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

The Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) offered by (ISC)2 is a certification examination that is designed to test your knowledge and skills in information security. CISSP training is often used as a benchmark by employers while hiring professionals as it requires candidates to pass a tough exam and also to have on-the-job experience.

Requirements: To be eligible to sit in this exam, you must have a minimum of five years of paid work experience in at least two of the eight domains of the CISSP (ISC)2 CBK. If you do not possess the required work experience, you will be able to acquire the (ISC)2 associate title.

Exam: The CISSP Exam spans over six hours with 250 multiple-choice and advanced innovative questions out of which 25 are pre-test questions. The passing score out of 1000 is 700.

5. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

Certified Information Security Manager or CISM is a higher certification that provides a variety of employment opportunities because it emphasises on crucial managerial abilities linked with information security. It is suited for not only cybersecurity and IT security managers but also for information risk managers.

Requirements: A minimum of five years of paid work experience in information security management is required, however up to two years can be reduced if certain education or certification requirements are met. The experience must have been acquired between the five years following a successful examination attempt or within the ten years before the application date for certification. A manager of information security must have three of the required five years of work experience.

Exam: The exam, concluded with 150 multiple-choice questions takes four hours to complete. The pass mark is set to 450 with a score margin ranging from 200 to 800.

Conclusion

The important points to note while choosing a certification are to understand which description best suits you and your interests while also aligning with your education and work experience. Nonetheless, earning a certification in ethical hacking will only enhance your career, expose you to more opportunities and also increase your chances of getting higher-paying jobs, all while also expanding your knowledge in the growing field of technology.

5 In-Demand Ethical Hacking Certifications for Advancing Your Career