5 Best Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity Courses in 2024
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Ethical hacking, a subset of cybersecurity, is gaining popularity in our technologically advanced society as a defense against cyber-attacks. As penetration testers or white-hat hackers, ethical hackers protect digital systems against data breaches and illegal access.
The rise in technology dependency across businesses has increased the need for qualified experts capable of creating safe systems and performing thorough security testing. Ethical hackers are problem solvers with unique technological knowledge and ethical considerations. As an ethical hacker, your goal is not to inflict harm but to proactively discover flaws and provide fixes.
“Amateurs hack systems; professionals hack people.”
Enrolling in suitable courses is essential for those interested in becoming ethical hackers. These courses cover network security, cryptography, ethical hacking approaches, penetration testing techniques, and so much more. Certification programs taught by trustworthy organizations will give you the skills, information, and practical experience required for ethical hacking and cybersecurity positions.
Ethical hacking is more than just uncovering vulnerabilities; it's a proactive commitment to developing solid defenses against an ever-changing world of cyber threats.
Is Ethical Hacking Worth It in 2024?
Absolutely! Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a 600% increase in phishing attacks, and the World Economic Forum (WEF) reported a 50.1% increase in cyber-attacks.
The demand for cybersecurity experts is surging due to the rise of cybercrime and the cybersecurity talent shortage. As organizations grapple with the growing threat of cyber-attacks, the cybersecurity workforce gap has reached a historic high — 4 million professionals are needed to protect digital assets.
Salary Expectations
The following is the average base salary for ethical hackers in the United States as of September 2023:
What Are the Best Ethical Hacking Courses?
In this article, we carefully curated a list of ethical hacking and cybersecurity courses. We continuously evaluate and update our list as the industry evolves and courses get updated.
There are a few things we look out for when we make recommendations:
- Teachers with practical experience in the field.
- Comprehensive courses for fundamental and advanced techniques.
- Trainers and partner credibility for knowledge sharing.
- Reviews from previous and current students.
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1.Ethical Hacking Essentials
Ethical Hacking Essentials is an introductory cybersecurity course that covers ethical hacking and penetration testing fundamentals. It covers computer and network security concepts, threats, vulnerabilities, password cracking, web application attacks, IoT attacks, cloud computing, and penetration testing.
EHE-certified learners gain formal recognition, improving their prospects for employment advancement, higher salaries, and job satisfaction.
What you’ll learn:
- Basics of information security and ethical hacking.
- Information security risks and vulnerabilities, malware kinds, and vulnerability assessments.
- Network-level assaults, including sniffer, denial-of-service, session hijacking, and associated remedies.
- Application-level assaults, including web server exploitation, OWASP Top 10 attacks, SQL injection, and countermeasures.
Instructor
EC-Council
The International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) is the largest global technical certification body for cybersecurity, operating in 145 countries. They offer programs like Certified Ethical Hacker, Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator, Certified Security Analyst, and License Penetration Testing, training over 200,000 professionals globally.
Lessons
2.IBM Cybersecurity Analyst
IBM Cybersecurity Analyst is a professional certificate program that prepares you with the technical skills to become a cyber professional. The program covers network security, endpoint protection, incident response, threat intelligence, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessment. By the end of the program, you’ll have completed a hands-on, real-world security breach project and applied concepts through industry tool virtual labs.
The program is ACE® approved, and FIBAA recommended, offering up to 10 college credits and 4 ECTS credits.
What you’ll learn:
- An understanding of cybersecurity analyst tools such as data protection, endpoint protection, SIEM, and system and network foundations.
- Significant compliance and threat intelligence issues in today’s cybersecurity environment.
- Real-world cybersecurity case studies to help you improve your incident response and forensic abilities.
- Hands-on experience developing skills using industry-specific and open-source security tools.
Instructor
IMB Skills Network Team
IBM Skills Network is a network of top-tier content creators, authors, and educators teaching the world about cutting-edge technologies.
Lessons
3.Introduction To Ethical Hacking
Introduction To Ethical Hacking is an introductory course with articles, tutorials, and quiz-based learning that teaches you everything from fundamental ideas to cloud computing. You’ll learn defensive and evasive strategies and observe an ethical hacker’s daily operations.
Instructor
Jonathan Chery
Jonathan Chery, a Curriculum Developer at Codecademy, holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Computer Science from York College and Northeastern University.
Lessons
4.Learn Ethical Hacking from Scratch
Learn Ethical Hacking from Scratch is a complete ethical hacking course designed for those without prior knowledge. The course teaches you to hack and secure systems like black-hat hackers as security experts. You’ll learn through examples and hands-on practicals, analyzing and exploiting systems like networks, cloud servers, clients, and websites. By the end of the course, you’ll have a strong foundation in most hacking or penetration testing fields and the ability to detect, prevent, and secure systems and themselves from attacks.
What you’ll learn:
- Discover & exploit web application vulnerabilities to hack websites.
- Discover and exploit flaws to hack into servers.
- Sniff and analyze network traffic to collect essential information, including passwords, cookies, URLs, videos, and photos.
- Install a hacking lab and the necessary Windows, macOS, and Linux software.
- Much more...
Instructor
Zaid Sabih
Zaid Sabih is a professional and ethical hacker, computer scientist, and the founder and CEO of zSecurity & Bug-Bounty. He has helped over 1 million students worldwide understand ethical hacking.
Lessons
5.Complete Ethical Hacking Bootcamp
Complete Ethical Hacking Bootcamp caters to beginners, students, and programmers interested in ethical hacking, computer system security, and website security. It also offers Python programming from scratch for those who wish to create hacking and penetration testing tools.
What you’ll learn:
- Setting up your hacking lab – Kali Linux and virtual machines (works with Windows, Mac, and Linux).
- Create trojans, viruses, and keyloggers for ethical hacking.
- Python from scratch to create your own tools for ethical hacking.
- How to manipulate people into opening your software (social engineering).
- Much more...
Instructors
Andrei Neagoie
Andrei, a renowned instructor and founder of ZTM Academy, offers high-rated programming courses on Udemy. His graduates have worked for major tech companies like Google, Apple, and Tesla and are now dedicated to teaching valuable software development skills.
Aleksa Tamburkovski
Aleksa is a hacker and cybersecurity expert who believes online privacy and security are crucial but often undervalued. He has worked with companies, governments, and freelancers to discover and secure vulnerabilities. He aims to teach ethical hacking and cybersecurity to anyone interested in pursuing a career or learning to protect themselves online.