Hello dear readers, today we will examine in detail the White Hat Hacker, which is a very popular area lately. When we say hacker, we always think of the bad guy image. Yes, it is true, in this period when the virtual world is a building block in every aspect of our lives, it is an inevitable fact that there are malicious people, but there are also well-intentioned hackers who protect data by using data with the techniques and methods of malicious people. The White hat hacker definition that most people see in movies and likens to a superhero is pretty simple, ‘good guys’… White hat hacker tools are the same as malicious hackers, to put it briefly, it is to fight against malicious hackers using their weapons.
What is the role of the white hat hacker?
Internet, technology and networks now serve as a keystone in every aspect of life. Sometimes malicious hackers attack data of great importance, such as social networks, business data, private documents, and bank accounts. Wouldn’t it be terrible if a private photo of you, your bank accounts or your business data was hacked by someone else? At this point, White Hat Hacker steps in, learns how strong the firewalls of the systems are by organizing fake attacks and helps to detect and eliminate the vulnerabilities of the system.
White hat hacker tools are almost exactly the same as malicious hackers. They try to break into systems using all the techniques they use. In this way, they determine how secure the system is in a real attack.
When we compile all these, we can say the following for the White hat hacker definition; They are bona fides hackers who make fake attacks by imitating malicious attacks in order to test the security of the system against the attacks of malicious hackers and fix the vulnerabilities by determining the security level of the system. When it comes to White Hat Hacker, it can only be thought of as someone who works in software at the computer, but white hat hackers are also very knowledgeable about hardware issues. They have a lot of knowledge about the use of devices such as computers, tablets and phones.
There are many words that can be used instead of white hat hacker, some of them can be listed as follows;
- Ethical hacker
- IT security engineer
- Penetration tester
- Cyber security analyst
White Hat Hacker is thought to provide cyber security only at the desk, but white hat hackers also have the necessary hardware information for cyber security. It should not be forgotten that cyber security cannot be provided only in software, preventing strangers from seeing the device when entering the passwords and not allowing outsiders to use the device are also parts of the security.
Is the need for white hat hackers mandatory?
Today, where internet and technology are indispensable elements of life such as food and water; There are approximately 4.54 billion active internet users. In simple math, active internet users are expected to be around 6 million by 2030, which means we will need larger, more advanced networks and technologies. The concept of e-commerce shows us that people now mostly use their mobile phones or computers to shop, or that we can easily transact through mobile banking systems instead of waiting in line at the bank for banking transactions.
As we have stated, in the age of technology, our best friend will be the phones in our pocket or our personal computer, and a professional is needed so that the secrets we give to our best friend are not heard by others. Although a very adventurous life that we watch in movies comes to mind when White Hat Hacker is mentioned, the task of a White Hat Hacker is very serious and important in real life. Damage to personal information can cause problems, but cyber criminals can cause much bigger problems. For example, many national and international problems will arise as a result of breaking through the firewall of a country’s central bank and entering the system. If we specify the seriousness of the issue with another example, it is possible to create chaos in the society after a provocative behavior by hackers called hacktivists by entering a government’s system. When all this is taken into account, we understand how important and necessary white hat hackers are.
What it takes to become a white hat hacker
While making the white hat hacker definition, we clearly talked about their duties and purposes. Being a white hat hacker, which is a very popular concept today, is the dream of most people. In order to be a white hat hacker, it is necessary to know almost all the computer’s software and hardware (networks, computer parts, basic information to protect from viruses). After acquiring the basic skills, you need to enroll in a course where you can learn White hat hacker tools and learn the necessary knowledge and skills there, the higher the quality of the training institution, the higher your success rate.
The most important thing you need to do after all the training and courses is to get a white hat certificate. This certificate will show that you are competent in this subject in recruitment and will register your work. There are many certificates that you can get in addition to your white hat certificate in order to rise on the road to professionalism, these certificates certify your professionalism. Some of them are;
- Licensed Penetration Tester
- Certified Information Systems Auditor
- Certified Information Security Manager
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional
You must also be wondering about the financial gain of a white hat hacker. Considering the seriousness and importance of the white hat hacker’s work, he earns a commensurate financial gain. Their financial gains vary by country; A hacker who earns 68 thousand Canadian dollars annually in Canada earns 100 thousand Australian dollars when he works in Australia. This figure is 476 thousand rupees per year in India.
Further Reading
Cyber Security
Adhar Dhaval is experienced portfolio, program and project leader with demonstrated leadership in all phases of sales and service delivery of diverse technology solutions. He is a speaker sharing advice and industry perspective on emerging best practices in project leadership, program management, leadership and strategy. He is working for the Chair Leadership Co.