If you’ve got the technical skills and enjoy a high-pressure job, white-hat hacking could be for you. White hat hackers, sometimes known as ethical hackers, are responsible for carrying out penetration testing: testing a company’s security on all their computer systems and networks. You’ll need to be an expert in coding and encryption and have good judgment.
All businesses rely on trade secrets to a certain degree, some far more than others. Sensitive information needs protecting from cyber-attacks. Your job will be to attempt all the hacking methods of criminal hackers to expose any weak links in a client’s system. Your clients need to be able to trust you – it can seem alarmingly counter-intuitive to pay somebody to breach your company’s firewalls. One way to build the trust of prospective clients is to complete an Ethical Hacking course through EC-Council or itgovernance.co.uk and gain certification.
Due to the specialist skillset required, white hat hacking is both high in demand and well-paid. Although you can carry out the job entirely remotely, it is a good idea to have a face-to-face first meeting with clients to build their trust before you begin.