Every system has some hidden loopholes that are vulnerable to being hacked. These loopholes are known as security vulnerabilities. With advanced skills and enough knowledge, a hacker can infiltrate the system utilizing the loophole. That is why big corporations spend millions of dollars hiring ethical hackers to test their systems and improve them.

What is Ethical hacking?

To understand what you need to know to learn ethical hacking, you have to know what ethical hacking is. Ethical hacking is the process of offensive testing of computer systems to find out the loopholes. Ethical hackers use this process to find loopholes and give solutions for better security infrastructure.

With the advancement of technology, the demand for ethical hackers is increasing every day. Anybody interested can pursue this sector as a career choice. It is not mandatory to be a CS student as non-CS students can learn this process also. 

Throughout the article, I will be guiding you to know all the important things to learn about ethical hacking. Hopefully, at the end of the article, you will have a good idea of systematically learning ethical hacking.

Knowing How To program To Learn Ethical Hacking 

The first thing you need to understand to learn ethical hacking is knowing how to program, Learning how to code is the stepping stone to being a good hacker. Many experts suggest mastering coding to become a better ethical hacker. 

Although it is not mandatory to be a coding expert, there are plenty of master hackers who are not coders. However, if you know more about the coding concept, you will grasp and conceptualize the problem. It gives you a better understanding to think about the hacking procedure and utilizes the system’s loopholes.

Do you want to know about the responsibilities of ethical hackers, then read this article – What’s The Responsibilities Of Being An Ethical Hacker?

Knowing Networking To Learn Ethical Hacking

Knowing both the hardware and software of a device to learn ethical hacking is a must. It is important to understand the basics of networking and how routing and switching are done. 

Understanding the OSI layer is essential as it describes the functions of a network system.

The OSI layer is divided into seven parts, and knowing each part is important if you want to be a good ethical hacker. The seven layers are as follows-

  1. Physical layer 
  2. Data Link Layer 
  3. Network Layer 
  4. Transport Layer
  5. Session Layer 
  6. Presentation Layer 
  7. Application Layer 

Knowing Database To Learn Ethical Hacking

A system consists of a database. A database is a place where all the information is stored. After you make a request or query, the server sends you the data. If you are familiar with the database, then you can hack ethically to gain the information.

Understanding Different Operating Systems To Learn Ethical Hacking  

Not all security systems are unified by one single operating system. When you learn to hack ethically, you will come across Linus, Mac, Windows, and other operating systems. You might also be assigned to conduct tasks on mobile operating systems. 

So it’s necessary to be versatile in learning operating systems to be comfortable flexing your hacking muscles. This makes you efficient, and you will instantly strategize a solution if you are familiar with the operating system.

Reading Books About Hacking And Programming To Learn Ethical Hacking 

Books never disappoint you in pursuit of knowledge. This is true in learning ethical hacking too. 

Here I will be recommending a few of the best books that will improve your learning of hacking. 

  1. Hacking for Dummies: This book helps the learner to understand the concept and tools of ethical hacking.
  2. Hacking, The Art of Exploitation: This book is widely popular among the white hat hackers community. The depth goes to make you understand the contents will amaze you. 
  3. CEHv10 Study Guide by SYBEX: This book explains the ethical hacking methodology along with the phrases it. Each phase is explained with the detail of the concept with fine margin and practice on the tools. 

Taking Online Courses To Learn Ethical Hacking

If you are not a reading type, then taking online courses is a better alternative. Various online sites give quality online courses with free materials also. The courses are broken down from beginner to advanced level. You can choose the courses according to your preference. Some of the best online courses are as follows-

  1. Udemy 
  2. PentesterLab
  3. Pentester Academy 

Subscribing To Youtube Channel For Learning Ethical Hacking 

To make your life easier, many YouTubers created channels to teach Ethical hacking. The channels consist of hands-on introductory tutorials to almost all the important tools and skills. 

These channels also include tutorials on programming, graphic design, app development, database, etc. The materials don’t end here. It has more content like bug bounty hunting tips, programming tutorials, malware analysis tutorials, steganography tutorials, etc. And the best part is the videos are completely free. The videos are categorized into individual sections so viewers can easily understand which video to see. Here are some of the well-known youtube channels- 

  1. JackkTutorials
  2. Thenewboston 
  3. HackerSpoilt

Websites and Blogs For Learning Ethical Hacking 

Language and coding get updated from time to time. Websites and blogs are important to get all the latest updates about recent findings, get quick references, understand advanced concepts, and so on. Here are some of the recommended websites and blogs are given below-

  1. PortSwigger’s Blog 
  2. TheHackerNews
  3. HackerOne Hacktivity(disclosed vulnerability reports)

Before clearing facts about what you need to know to learn ethical hacking, you have to commit yourself to this. To be an ethical hacker takes years of learning and practice. You have to spend hours before the computer and solve the problems. This might seem easy, but it takes a lot of dedication and ambition. So even if you are stuck at mid-level along the journey, you have to learn and practice more. Only hours of practice can make you reach the elite of ethical hacking.