3 Steps to build a career in ethical hacking

Ethical hackers are those professional hacks into computer networks to test or evaluate its security. Their purpose of doing so is to benefit others. This blog is a guide for people who are either having a basic knowledge of ethical hacking or have limited experience and are looking for an opportunity in ethical hacking. With this blog, I aim at driving through your hacking knowledge as a beginner to an acquiring stage.

Here are some steps that can help you kick start your career in Ethical hacking.

Step 1 — Develop Understanding for Ethical Hacking: In simple terms, ethical hacking is an approach to defend the system and network attacks of an organization. This is more or less done by eliminating the vulnerabilities and weaknesses and strengthening them in an appropriate manner. Thus, an individual can start with getting themselves enrolled at an ethical training center. A training center will help you in not just identifying the vulnerabilities but will also allow you in developing a hacker’s instinct in you.

Step 2 — Get the basic skill: Although ethical hacking is one course that doesn’t demand you have a specific skill set or an x number of experience in the industry. However, to understand the concept you must develop a command over programming languages like HTML, JSP, ASP, C/C++, Java, Python, etc. Researches have confirmed that candidates having a piece of knowledge are in demand. Here some examples

1. 25% of job vacancies are subjected to candidates with the knowledge of programming languages

2. 70% job vacancies look for candidates holding accredited certifications

2. 22% of job vacancies are meant for those candidates who can security check

Employers look for professionals having soft skills like confidence, passion, communication skills, flexibility, and innovative nature of a candidate before hiring him/her as an ethical hacker.

Step 3 — Adapt the required skill: One can acquire the required skill in these three following certifications:-

Certified Network Defender: Ethical hackers requires extensive knowledge about network security. For this one needs to have a thorough understanding of how the network operates, protocols, topologies, vulnerability scanning of a network, various network security controls, intricate nature of network traffic, firewall configuration, and more. Develop such a skill it is imperative that one has a deep understanding of networking.
Certified Ethical Hacker: Gradually builds various concepts like network scanning, footprint, system hacking, etc. This program always gets updated as per the market demand of the contemporary world. For instance, our updated C|EH program includes IoT hacking, cloud computing, vulnerability analysis, and much more. With that, to adapt professional ethical hacking skills, you will be exposed to real-time scenarios in a virtual environment.
CEH Practical: It is a program designed to test your ethical hacking skills on every possible level. It is a 6-h practical exam which tests your ethical hacking techniques. This credential ensures that you have a detailed understanding of all the major aspects of ethical hacking

Tips to crack CISSP Exam

No matter the industry, cybersecurity is one of the most important elements for every big or small organization operating across industries. This is one thing that all organizations crave to have, however, most of the organizations are facing a constant struggle in maintaining it as well. The most alarming fact is that there are countless organizations which have faced a hack or data breach.

Adding to this a recent security research has revealed that most companies have unprotected data and poor cybersecurity. Which has made them vulnerable and led to data loss in the end. This can be seen in the kind of attacks that have taken place lately. In our recent blogs, we have shared that lack of cybersecurity has got countless organizations helpless.

One thing every student would agree is that no matter how much you study before the exam you’re always hungry to learn and practice more. Thus, when a person sits for the CISSP exam he prefers to have answers to all his possible questions and Tips to crack for CISSP exam is one of them.

There are various books available in the market which are good enough to prepare for the CISSP exam. Amongst these books try to study through the official books written by Sybex book or Shon Harris AIO. Books written by Shon Harris AIO are the best books you’ll ever find since he’s explained the concepts in the most sophisticated and subtle manner which is easy to grasp.
Watching videos for a given concept can be of huge help, psychologists have proven that images and video referencing is some that allow humans in memorizing a concept faster and better which stays in our subconscious mind.
On social media platforms like Facebook you’ll find various groups where you can get a variety of study material which is perfect for you to practice more and get better. Even LinkedIn has various groups that are so personalized that’s operational through your What’s App accounts, in these groups, you will not only find questions, but it also has certified trainers who can facilitate you with solutions of problems which you have been struggling with.
To ease your learning on the web you will also find various internet-based institutes like Mercury Solutions which can train you in all the possible angles this course covers. Here you can also raise doubt and a trainer will answer back to the query you’ve raised.
The ISC2 has PrepAre4test for you to attempt that enables you to point-out your area of expertise and shortcomings.

Rest your hard work and your dedication will pay back to you in the end, so just stay focused and good luck!

Most Trending Cybersecurity Trends

Cybersecurity is something that is crucial for organizations operating across industries no matter the size of an organization. No organization can survive without Cybersecurity. Statistics have confirmed that by the end of 2019 only 32% of the organization at the global level was secured from cybercriminals. In fact, in India, the statistics were only 24%.

This is something that has hampered in various industries. At the moment there is no industry that cybercriminals have not exploited. Here some of the most unexpected examples one could have ever thought of:-

Messenger industry has been attacked by cybercriminals: It has been seen that messengers like WhatsApp, Zoom, Facebook Messenger and more are being exploited by cybercriminals. This has led organizations and even consumers in losing their money. (Continue reading)
Government agencies are also not safe: Ransomware attack on the Department of Information Resources (DIR Texas). This attack was made by a ransomware attacker named ‘Robinhood’ who got the DIR on their feet and helpless that they had no other option but to pay $18 million (USD) for the data that originally was for only $80,000. (Continue reading)
The aviation industry has also been attacked: had undergone a cyber-attack. I know that is the least expected place to undergo any attack and a cyber-attack can be horrifying. On 13th December 2019, New York’s airport had undergone a malware attack where the airport authorities had no other option but to pay bitcoin under six figures and within two hours. (Continue reading)
In fact, employes could also act as a phishing source: It has been seen that cyber attackers now just study the web using the pattern of the employees of a given organization to exploit the organization’s data. Which shared that there were only 10% of users that use MFA every month in their enterprises. (Continue reading)
Even the financial sector is at risk: Where it was seen that the account of Akamai Technologies(is an American content delivery network, cybersecurity, and cloud service provider) was attacked. The attack had 85.4 billion malicious attempts to break their account”s vault. Know what was more to the story. (Continue reading)

Amongst all such things, there are some trends that we have not paid attention to. In this blog, we aim at sharing with you those elements that are not just disrupting the cybersecurity as an industry but even are bringing a change in the industry to a great extent. Here some of such trends.

Security integration with data science: When you look at two organizations who are into the same business it is actually the data of those two organizations that actually make them different in giving competitive edge. However, now the data scientists are also supposed to leverage AI algorithms that are available on open source. Now the interesting thing is that AI is used by the organization for task allocation but for data scientists quality of data plays a huge role. Thus, to process good quality data requires Algorithms and handling of personal data will need to become more perceptive. In fact, this will even make things get more cautious in terms of handling the data. So when the data is being processed you must understand that you are using the right software and tool to process your data from because there are various fake tools that can take your data away from you. And this why data processing is considered riskier than data collection.
Rise in ransomware: Ransomware had caught various industries last year as well where at the top of the list was Texas’s DIR. In fact, ransomware operators have taken encryption to another level. Where they use the stole data to threaten the public or sell it to the competitors.
Infusion of machine learning by the vendors: Cybersecurity is one place where the slightest of human error can cost the loss of millions of money. This is why vendors these days have started infusing machine learning in their services. In 2020 the Security industry is trying to solve problems that weren’t solved previously, thus, cybersecurity is slowly becoming more and more versatile.
Service providers are in more risk: Organizations that are into goods based industry tend to circulate less of information on the web as compared to the organizations which are into services. In 2019 there were massive cyber breaches that were only caused by ransomware attacks. Amongst those cases, there was one such case where customers were also impacted. In fact, there was one such case where 400 customers were impacted too. Cybercriminals have targeted service providers because they can easily study the pattern of the employees of the organization to extract the data.

Best tips for cracking CEH certification

Looking for the best options to learn CEH? I know it’s a vague feeling to start with. However, the best way to study for the CEH exam is something that’s most looked by the CEH aspirants over the web. CEH certification is one certification that gives us the liberty to apply for it without any work experience and in my case, this liberty made things even more ambiguous. However, cracking it is something within a single attempt can either make or break our dreams. Hence, it is imperative that we know how we plan to study for this certification.

Ideally taking up an exam prep training is a huge help for any aspirant, however, it may not fit all pockets. Hence, I have some tips that are applicable for both kinds of people who are open joining an exam prep training as well as for those who cannot afford an exam prep training. Aspirants who are looking for study material without having to join an institute can do the following: –

1. Checklist: A checklist will help you in keeping tabs on what have you covered and what is the next thing lined up for you in the process, in the process try ensuring that you prepare a checklist on the basis of CEH Blueprint. This will help in covering the right areas in the smoothest manner possible.

2. Study Plan: Your checklist with CEH Blueprint will help you in identifying what all do you need to cover. However, the most challenging thing in this process for you will be managing both professional and personal life since you’ll get back home tired and then spending time with your books can get a huge challenge. So, I’d recommend you divide your day in at least three halves which includes your time at work, a break for half an hour or 45 minutes in which you can have your dinner to revitalize yourself and one where you can spend time with your books. In case if you get to work at 9 and get back 5 then you have ample of time in the evening to study. However, somebody who goes to his/ her office later that time will return late so studying early can really help you move towards your exam goals better and faster.

3. Use Live Examples To Study: It is extremely important that you take live and real examples that have happened in the industry. This will help you in knowing the loopholes and will also make you ready for applying your theories when in need. In fact, this will help in creating a virtual lab environment even when at home which you can use to practice some of the crucial techniques.

4. Take Up Practice Tests: Whenever you feel that you are ready to take up the exam just go for a mock test that will show where you stand and will also motivate you to do better for your certification exam.

5. Get Involved With The CEH Community: Look for blogs shared by various professionals who have taken up CEH exam. This will help in getting a fair idea about what kind of questions come in the exam and will equip you with the questions you should have answers to.

6. Enroll in the Virtual CEH Community: On social media platforms like LinkedIn & Facebook you’d find various groups that are filled with various certified professionals and trainers. So, in case you cannot afford to enroll at a CEH training institute you can at least get some insightful information that can help you in achieving your goals.

7. Join an exam CEH training institute: Getting an institute will help you in identifying where your preparations reached and where are you heading every single day. This will help you in ticking off your checklist on a regular basis. This will also make you feel confident about your preparation. Getting trained from certified professionals can help you grasp the needed theories and concepts faster. This even helps in memorizing the study in a better manner. As far as finding a good CEH training institute is concerned you can get yourself enrolled at Mercury Solution. This is one institute that is apt for all kinds of learners, right from somebody who likes getting learned from a trainer to somebody who prefers self-learn just need good quality books to excel in life even that is taken care of for you at this institution.

The beauty about joining an institution like Mercury Solutions is that it specializes in CEH training you for the subject. You can always go back to your trainers in case if you get stuck with the matter in the latter stage of your preparations. This is where Mercury Solutions has been exceptional. This is one institute that has come up with a course module in different formats that are apt for all kinds of learners. It probably is the only institution that gives a cybersecurity aspirant the liberty to opt for their course amongst a wide range of delivery modes.

Here you will get access to the LMS having recorded videos for you to the concepts after a class LMS will also show how far the course has been covered. You’d also get some referral information from the institute to memorize concepts. You will also get a chance to interact with your trainers during or by the end of the session based on your training mode. This means you can raise the query on the portal and in some time your trainer will get back to you on it.

Career scope of cloud computing

In recent years, cloud computing is one technology that has been in humongous demand. And no matter the age of an individual every other individual is lately taking either an AWS or Azure certification to be cloud-ready.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud Computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer. This is one tool that allows organizations to adopt this tool to enhance their operating speed by boosting the operations into the servers, enhancing the storage, widening the databases, strengthening networks and software, using analytics, and intelligence over the cloud.

Cloud Computing as a service

First things first cloud is a service, that is majorly a bunch of huge private data centres that leases the computer resources to the clients (the organization using this cloud). Some of those clients also include random users who visit once in a blue moon like you are here reading my opinion.

The resources that are leased here are completely dependent upon what you are trying to accomplish, hence, the services are defined depending upon what you plan to do day in and day out. Thus cloud is offered in the following categories:-

Infrastructure as a Service — IaaS
Platform as a Service — PaaS
Software as a Service — SaaS

Why are organizations continuing to invest in cloud computing?

No matter the cloud provider you are thinking of getting on board or have already brought on board they are either one of the three services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) providers then no matter which combination you opt for.

Organizations owning cloud computing tools with them don’t have to pay rent, property taxes, or utilities on buildings that house data centres. They further do not need to invest in racks or the equipment that sits in them. This allows them to stay relaxed about any repairs or maintenance or even replacement in the equipment for that matter.

In fact, the need for hiring engineers to design intricate networks is also not required since there is no need to build programs while using cloud computing tools. to keep the systems up and running.

All this reduces an organization’s cost by 35% annually. This allows a company to focus its IT efforts on creating code that is essential to improving processes and delivering products or services to customers. It is the 21st-century version of the “make or buy” decision, creating huge cost savings, and representing a compelling shift in IT spending.

Cloud computing further helps an organization in the following ways:-

Effective business focus: Engagement in cloud computing, allows organizations in staying relaxed about the fact that all its services will get executed using the internet without bothering about the day-to-day technical problems like backup or storage issues. Providing enterprises with more time to focus effectively on the business.
Enhances business performance: Companies adopting cloud computing will be getting reliable performance across the globe. The biggest advantage of cloud computing is the ability to update applications and services automatically.
High level of data security: Highest security to protect your data against unauthorized accessibility, loss of data or any form of change is the biggest benefit for an organization using cloud computing.
Highly Flexible: Even when there is a technical glitch, a partial segment of the cloud computing stop working, there is no need to fear as the other segments continue to work without any cause for complaint till the problem gets resolved.

Scope of Cloud Computing

If you look at the cloud computing industry a bit closely you’d find that :-

At the end of 2016, it was found that cloud computing is the hottest skill an IT professional could have.
In the final quarter of that year it was seen that the revenues of AWS and Azure clouds had risen up by 93% & 47% respectively.
By 2017, it was found that 18 million jobs were generated in cloud computing. In fact, in the last year (2019) AWS cloud was the market leader with a market share of 32% whereas Microsoft Azure had a market share of 29%.
This off late has made AWS has the most demanded certifications followed by Azure certification in the cloud computing industry.
Now about 75% of businesses across industries that have moved on to the cloud.

What is the Ethical Hacking

Ethical Hacking is the legal way of bypassing security systems to identify and eliminate potential network threats and data breaches. An Ethical Hacker thus is under the jurisdiction to perform activities that test the defences of the systems at a given organization. As an ethical hacker, a professional would be taking into account the weak points that are present in the systems of the organization which otherwise can be exploited by the malicious/ Black Hat hackers.

BlackHat Hackers are only concerned about the data that is possessed by any organization so, for such people breaking through an organization’s security system is not a big deal. Such hackers often violate the security restriction and use illegal techniques that can compromise the system or even can destroy the information. These hackers don’t ask for permission before getting in any system.

Hands down the intentions of both the ethical and black hat hackers would just be opposite from one another. Where black hat hackers are concerned only take charge of one’s data that can possibly be harassing for them. An ethical hacker thus has some techniques that differentiate them from black hat hackers. These include factors and elements like:-

Used techniques: Ethical hacker generally follow the footsteps of a hacker from the same door they had walked into the organization. Hence, ethical hackers duplicate the techniques and methods which were taken or adopted by malicious hackers. This helps Ethical hackers in identifying the faulty system along with how this system was attacked. In case there was a flaw or weakness in the entry system they fix it.
Legality: Both ethical and black hat hacker breaks into the server or network, however, it is an only ethical hack who has the legal authority to do this, despite when both these professionals have used the same techniques.
Ownership: Ethical hackers are always appointed by organizations to penetrate their systems and detect security issues. However, black hat hackers don’t bother about all of that.

Ethical Hackers ask for the organization’s approval.

Ethical Hackers’ Job

An ethical hacker is entitled to look for the weak links that can mess around with the organization. These professionals conduct a thorough investigation of their systems and network to spot a weak point which otherwise can be exploited by BlackHat Hackers. It is imperative that an ethical hacker keeps the account of the organizational guideline so that they are operating in a legal manner. Ethical hacker are bound to follow the following rules while hacking:-

Cannot hack into the facility without being authorized from the organization which owns the systems. As hackers, they must obtain a full assessment of the system or network.
Must determine the scope of their assessment inform the organization about its goals.
With a discovery of any security breaches and vulnerabilities, they must report it to the organization
Must keep their discoveries confidential so that the organization is unbreachable.
Eliminate all traces of the hack once the system and vulnerabilities are found this keeps malicious hackers off the organization even if there’s a loophole.

An ethical hacker is thus entitled to keep a track on the key vulnerabilities that are not limited to:-

Changes in security settings
Infection attacks
Exposure of sensitive data
Components used in the system or network that may be used as access points
Breach in authentication protocols

Though it isn’t difficult to become a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) at least in terms of qualifications. Anyone after their school can enroll for CEH and get their certification however, some basic skills can change your whole game of getting cleared within a single attempt. This includes:-

Knowledge of programing: All hackers are it ethical or black hat they fidget with the programming, hence, having basic knowledge about programming can change the game. Also, the professionals working in the field of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and application security have a huge chance for the same.
Script knowledge: Typically professionals who are or are meant to deal with attacks as their job roles. Such professionals are meant to be working/ dealing with network-based attacks and host-based attacks.
Networking skills: This is an important skill since most threats originate from the networks, so, having the knowledge of what all devices are connected to the network, how are they connected and how should you identify about any one of them in case they have been compromised.
In case if you don’t have any of that don’t worry a good CEH training institute can also help you with that. Mercury Solutions is one of the best CEH training institute you’d ever across for CEH training.

Professionals taking up CEH Certification know that black hat hackers are the community of highly innovative since they always have a way to break through your systems to exploit the information on it. These tech-savvy people are always proactively looking for vulnerabilities on your systems. Since they are always finding ways to extract information from your systems without getting trapped.

Hence, CEH professionals have to be extra cautious and this is why they use highly sophisticated equipment, skills, and techniques to spot the system vulnerabilities and filling these needful gaps. These professionals are such an integral part of an organization’s system that they are offered an average salary of $150 000. This is one of the few courses that professionals can take up after the 12th. It is perhaps the perfect course in IT if you are looking for IT courses online for beginners.

Prospects after CISSP? I passed CISSP this week. I have close to 9 years of work experience and an MS degree in communications and computer security. What kind of job profiles (in terms of seniority levels) can I target with my current profile?

Upon you gain CISSP certification and you already have a certain experience of say 5-7 years in similar profile, you are always more employable and open wide career avenues. Some of the highly paid jobs in IT biggies such as – Accenture, Dell, Microsoft, Infosys, IBM, HCL and others are:

Security Architectures
VAPT Consultant
Senior Manager- Risk & Control Governance (IT)
Cyber Risk Consultant
Security Strategy & Planning Director
Project Manager- Compliance
Software Senior Principal Security Engineer
Information Security Manager
Information Security Analyst
Security Consultant, (Computing / Networking / Information Technology)
Security Architect, IT
Senior Security Consultant
Information Security Specialist
Chief Information Security Officer

Having known this, attaining CISSP certification is not always a cakewalk. You must practice and pursue an Intensive training program. Good to know that you have achieved your aim. There are always 900-1000 jobs available at a time in top-rated job portals. You can choose from any one of the above-mentioned profiles. All the best to you!

For the rest of us, there are many good training providers to help you achieve the CISSP exam. You need an intensive program with lecture sessions, Study material, labs-access, LMS video recordings, Exam Simulators practice and more for passing the CISSP exam in the first attempt. Mercury Solutions has a very high passing rate and it is among one of the popular training companies among IT professionals. You can always seek for their free advice one chat/ call or drop a query for a callback.

All the best! Go for your goal.

What is the best resource to get a CISSP (or similar) certification that can help get the certification AND help you with job placement?

Cyber Security is immensely popular domains of these times and upon attaining CISSP certification you gain a boost in your career profile [so much so that you won’t require any placement assistance]. Hiring managers are head-hunting for just credentials in the industry. And CISSP besides improving your career avenues also validate your skills and knowledge of information security domain which speaks for itself.

However, attaining CISSP certification is not a child’s play, you need to go through intensive and rigorous training and support from certified instructors.

Self-study looks alluring; however, it is not very lucrative. I know many professionals who have their luck, in the beginning, giving CISSP exam only by some self-study, however, wasted money and time.

It is important that we understand that CISSP takes right study approach, engaging study material, Mock tests on Exam Simulators, lectures sessions from certified trainers and more for thorough preparation and enroll in a training program without wasting time and resources.

There are many good training providers in the industry who provide hands-on labs practice and mock tests support besides the above-mentioned features in their training program. They have a high passing rate and hence it is very popular among IT professionals. Try to get in touch with them for the latest deals and info on upcoming training batches. They deliver in multiple training modes both in Classroom and Interactive Live Online. Or simply drop a query for a callback. All the best. Invest in something that will give you returns. DO not waste your resources, for the simple reason that CISSP is intended for qualified and experienced professionals and hence is a tough nut to crack.

Go for your goals.

All the best!

To What Extent CISSP Certification Help?

CISSP is one of the most popular Cybersecurity credentials for those who are already experienced in this field and want to take their career further ahead and earn more. CISSP being for someone with 5 years of experience in infosec role, is among the top-rated and elite list of credentials, attaining which is not a child’s play.

Benefits that you get upon CISSP certification:

Validate your Information Security SKills and credentials
Add more authority to your profile
You become more searchable on LinkedIn and other job sites
Become more employable among hiring managers
Earn a rewarding career opportunity.
Future-proof your profile and career
Global exposure through community access

Having said that CISSP certification is not an easy one to attain, you have to go through a strategic training program from certified instructors and follow an intensive routine, with engaging study material and mock tests. Figuring out good training companies is a cumbersome process. To help you with that, one of the most recognized and popular ones is Mercury Solutions, due to its high passing rates and feature-rich program. They provide lecture sessions [certified instructors], study material, LMS access [class recordings], Mock tests, exam simulators, Labs practice and more.
To get more info on their offers and deals you can drop a query and get a callback, also you may chat online with their training consultants for free guidance. Go for it, your efforts are worthy.

All the best!

What is the best cyber security certification?

Owing to the popularity of Cyber-Security domain, many courses and training programs have cropped up. However, not all these courses are going to offer you a lucrative and rewarding career option. There are very few good Information Security training and certification programs such as – CEH, ECSA, CHFI [From EC-COuncil] then ISc2 offer CISSP training which is among the best of the lot.

The objective of the CISSP training and certification exam is to impart and test your technical skills, such as implementing and maintaining a security program, or any other tasks that would be performed by a security auditor, systems engineer, CISO, or security architect.

You get the best salaries in the industry and are future-proofed as Cyber Security careers are blooming and the domains are here to stay due to the rate of information security breaches with ever evolutionary aspect in IT domains.

Exam pattern of CISSP: The CISSP exam contains a minimum of 100 questions and a maximum of 150 questions. Candidates have three hours to complete the exam.

PASSING SCORE: The passing standard for the CAT version of the CISSP exam is identical to the old linear version, which is 700 out of 1000 points.

STUDY & PREPARATION: Candidates must rely not only on their study preparations for this certification but also on their work experience. It is important that you opt for a recognized training exam-prep course.

Mercury Solutions is one such training provider who provides all of the above mentioned and more Cyber-security courses. I am quoting them today as they have a very high passing rate and very popular among the IT professionals. You may contact them by calling them, chatting online with the experts or simply dropping a query on their website for a callback. Look for their great deals and upcoming batch dates.

Well, everything boils down to one thing, practice and hard work. So, all the best with that!