Introduction:
1、The No-Fluff Roadmap to Becoming an Ethical Hacker [2025]

2、How To Become an Ethical Hacker: 2025 Career Guide
The No-Fluff Roadmap to Becoming an Ethical Hacker [2025] ♂
There’s no stopping cybersecurity attacks and cybercriminal activities with the increasing dependency on the cloud and online services by individuals and organizations.
With the booming digitization and major services, eCommerce products, and financial transactions happening online, hackers are always looking for security loopholes and vulnerabilities to find an opportunity to breach a company’s network and systems and perform malicious activities.
A hacking attack happening every 39 seconds and around 300,000 malware created every day—has increased the importance of online security and skilled individuals who can help minimize cybersecurity risks and the chances of online breaches.
This is where the importance of an ethical hacker shines. An ethical hacker ensures an organization’s online cybersecurity by finding and fixing security loopholes before hackers can exploit them.
If you’re interested in becoming an ethical hacker and would like to explore and learn more about this field, this is the perfect article. In this article, we’ll see what an ethical hacker does, key skills required and responsibilities, career opportunities, and a step-by-step guide to becoming an ethical hacker to build a lucrative career.
Ethical hacking, also known as white-hat hacking, is where an ethical hacker uses different hacking techniques, tools, and programming skills to test and improve a network’s or system’s security.
The role of an ethical hacker is to identify and address system vulnerabilities and weaknesses that a hacker might exploit to gain unauthorized access for malicious purposes, such as data breaches and harming an organization’s reputation and brand image.
Thus, an ethical hacker helps organizations find security vulnerabilities and fix them before being exploited by a hacker. This is a win-win situation for both parties—as organizations can ensure the utmost cybersecurity, and hackers get paid for the same.
Ethical hackers can either work as in-house security professionals, simulated offensive cybersecurity specialists, or independent contractors.
Unlike cybercriminals or malicious hackers, ethical hackers work with companies and organizations to find vulnerabilities using efficient programming skills and tools and provide solutions to fix them before hackers discover them.
Given the increasing security threats and the importance of ensuring security and mitigating risks—ethical hacking is one of the most lucrative and high-in-demand professions in today’s age.
With excellent skills and good qualifications, you can earn a salary of six figures and above as an ethical hacker. In fact, according to Glassdoor, the average salary of an ethical hacker is $117,752 per year, with an additional pay of $9,418 per year.
Your salary as an ethical hacker is determined by multiple factors, such as your knowledge of cybersecurity, networks, programming, and more, as well as your overall experience and certifications.
While it may feel challenging at first when starting your career as an entry-level ethical hacker, with consistent efforts, quality experience, and good certifications, you can grow and build a lucrative career for yourself.
To stand out in your career as an ethical hacker, you need to develop essential skill sets. Here are the top skills you must master to become a professional, ethical hacker:
Thus, ethical hacking requires both hard skills and soft skills and consistent learning to keep yourself updated on the latest trends, tools, and technologies—to build a rock-solid foundation and grow in your career as an ethical hacker.
To excel in ethical hacking, ethical hackers must undergo formal training, the Certified Ethical Hacking (CEH v11) from reputed training institutes.
Individuals are taught several skills and tools and made aware of the critical responsibilities they will need to take care of as ethical hackers.
Here are the key responsibilities of an ethical hacker:
These are just a few of the many responsibilities of an ethical hacker. Of course, different organizations devise multiple responsibilities for ethical hackers based on their requirements.
Before choosing and hopping on to the career of an ethical hacker, many wonder about the prerequisite skills or knowledge required and whether one needs a degree to become an ethical hacker.
While having a professional degree in ethical hacking isn’t a necessity, it’s definitely an added bonus—making you more dependable, reliable, and trustworthy. Becoming an ethical hacker requires obtaining critical skills, as mentioned above, and without a formal degree, one needs to be highly experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled to land a good job as an ethical hacker.
Follow this step-by-step and detailed ethical hacking roadmap to pave your path to becoming an ethical hacker.
As an ethical hacker, getting well-versed in the LINUX and UNIX operating systems is crucial, as LINUX is one of the most widely used and popular operating systems for hacking.
LINUX comes with an intuitive user interface, provides several tools for hackers, and ensures higher security for computer systems. Some popular Linux distributions include Ubuntu, Red Hat Linux, BackTrack Linux, and more, along with Kali Linux—specifically customized for the purpose of hacking.
The C programming language is one of the earliest and most primitive programming languages of all, which also forms a base for learning LINUX/UNIX as it’s completely written in C.
Thus, to utilize the Linux OS and evaluate and deconstruct codes with ease, mastering C provides an upper hand to ethical hackers. At the same time, you can also learn other top programming languages, like Python, PHP, Javascript, and SQL, to become a proficient ethical hacker.
Hiding your online identity and leaving no trace of evidence is one of the most critical skills of an ethical hacker, which helps ensure that no one can track the route you follow to penetrate through or hack down a system.
Proxychains, Anonsurf, and MacChanger are the best tools for ensuring anonymity and safeguarding your online identity.
Otherwise, black hat hackers and cybercriminals can take undue advantage if they discover the process you followed to hack a system—resulting in data breaches, malware infection, and other cybersecurity risks. Hence, ensuring anonymity is of the utmost importance.
Understanding and learning network concepts and protocols helps an ethical hacker exploit vulnerabilities and navigate through networking challenges, especially with in-depth knowledge about tools like Nmap, Burp Suite, Wireshark, Metasploit, etc.
Some of the critical networking concepts you must learn include subnetting, TCP/IP network, Domain Name Service (DNS), server message block, Bluetooth networks, wireless networks, networks masks and CIDR, automobile networks, SCADA networks, and simple network management protocol.
As an ethical hacker, accessing the hidden and dark web of the internet, which is typically not visible in search engines, is crucial to prevent criminal activities and unauthorized access.
You can use Tor, an anonymizing browser, to access the dark web, as the dark web requires special authorization or software to access it. While not every aspect of the dark web or everything present in it is illegal, knowing the ins and outs of it and ensuring how you can keep cyber criminals away is critical for an ethical hacker.
Learning the art of encryption and decryption with cryptography or secret writing is a crucial skill to master for an ethical hacker.
Organizations and businesses encrypt a lot of valuable and sensitive data on networks using techniques like authentication and authorization.
Understanding these security concepts like confidentiality and data integrity and learning how to identify data encryption and breakthrough it is one of the most crucial learnings for a skilled, ethical hacker.
Once you master your skills in the above-mentioned fields and topics, diving deep into ethical hacking and learning concepts like SQL injection and prevention, vulnerability assessment, and penetration testing is essential.
At the same time, it’s crucial to stay updated on the latest security tools, news, and trends to discover new hacking techniques and ensure further network and system security.
Learning the skill of scanning networks and identifying network loopholes and vulnerabilities is a skill many proficient ethical hackers wish to master. Besides finding vulnerabilities, ethical hackers are also free to create and test out their own vulnerabilities to hack a system.
Some of the critical vulnerability identification tools by Kali Linux include Nessus Vulnerability Scanner, Nikto Vulnerability Scanner, Nmap Vulnerability Scanner, OpenVAS Vulnerability Scanner, and Wapiti Vulnerability Scanner.
While learning the skills mentioned above and consistent practice is important, attending discussions and webinars, joining hacking forums and communities, meeting expert hackers, and building strong relations are also a crucial part of the career of an ethical hacker.
Creating and participating in such communities and discussions helps foster and share more knowledge and collaboration. You can join hacking communities on multiple social platforms, like Facebook, Discord, Telegram, and more.
Like any other job profile, a career in ethical hacking needs to be built gradually with quality skills and experience before becoming an expert ethical hacker.
Here are the stages and career opportunities you can get in your ethical hacking career.
Typically, ethical hackers start out their careers by obtaining a degree in computer science or applying for ethical hacking courses and certifications, like CompTIA.
You must achieve A+ certification and clear two separate exams when you take up this course to expect an average salary of $44,000 per year at the beginning. Moreover, you are also required to gain foundational knowledge of networks and applications with the Network+ and CCNA qualifications.
Once you gain foundational knowledge and qualifications, the next stage of your ethical hacking career is working in network support—where you will be expected to undertake tasks like network updating and monitoring, testing for vulnerabilities, and installing security programs.
Post gaining enough experience in network support, you can start applying for and securing a reputed job as a network engineer, where you’ll be responsible for planning and designing networks with an average salary of $60,000-$65,000.
Here, your role will be to examine the network and system security and deal with cybersecurity risks and breaches—enforcing robust security measures. At this stage, you must obtain security certifications like Security+, TICSA, CISSP, etc.
Working in information security is one of the most critical stages in the career of an ethical hacker, where you can work with an average salary of $69,000.
As an information security analyst, you will primarily concentrate on penetration testing for hands-on experience with security tools and software.
At this stage, you must also focus on gaining a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certificate from the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (the EIC Council) to promote yourself as a professional, ethical hacker.
To a point, ethical hackers and penetration testers share a similar goal—ensuring system security; however, the specific roles of both differ significantly.
Ethical hackers try to figure out and anticipate hackers’ behavior to expose system vulnerabilities to fix them and the loopholes before they become huge problems. Ethical hackers require a wide range of knowledge and also have a more comprehensive range of interests.
On the other hand, penetration testers focus on specific methods and systems to ensure network compliance and security. Penetration testing is a technique that involves breaching a specific information system without any malicious purpose to fix security loopholes.
Penetration testers simulate an attack on a particular system and are specifically interested in network penetration. At the same time, ethical hackers employ several techniques and can do anything to access a system.
Penetration testers only require access to a particular information system that they will use for pen testing. On the other hand, ethical hackers will need access to a wider range of computer and information systems throughout the IT infrastructure to find and fix security vulnerabilities.
Thus, while penetration testers have specific goals and target systems, ethical hackers have a much broader role, requiring more time, effort, skills, and knowledge.
I have enlisted a few of the best online books and resources to kickstart your learning and journey toward becoming an ethical hacker.
This hands-on guide by Daniel G. Graham consists of hacking computer systems from the grounds, right from capturing traffic to crafting sneaky trojans.
It’s an excellent beginner guide to acquiring ethical hacking skills for aspiring security researchers, penetration testers, and malware analysts. You’ll also learn to use different penetration testing tools and tools that help you write code in Python.
This comprehensive ethical hacking handbook provides the latest and up-to-date strategies for preventing the latest and most malicious network cybersecurity attacks.
It consists of actionable planning and analysis strategies and practical steps to identify and combat cybersecurity attacks. Moreover, it also provides complete coverage of IoT, malware analysis, and mobile and cloud security with penetration testing, ransomware, and reverse engineering techniques.
Thus, it’s a perfect book if you want to dive deeper into the concept of hacker’s devious weapons, tactics, and skills and find remedies and testing labs to combat cybersecurity attacks.
This complete ethical hacking beginner’s guide provides a complete roadmap to identify and combat malware and social engineering attacks and find unexpected computer vulnerabilities before hackers can find and exploit them for malicious purposes.
In addition, it also comprises a step-by-step detailed process of hacking into a Windows operating system, and the author, Elijah Lewis, provides effective and actionable tips and tricks an ethical hacker must apply to become proficient at their jobs.
Here are some commonly asked questions regarding ethical hacking.
Ethical hacking is a lucrative career option in this digital age, and organizations and global enterprises highly value efficient and skilled ethical hackers to strengthen their network and system security.
So, suppose you’re a cybersecurity buff looking to pave your path into ethical hacking. In that case, we hope this article helped you understand where you can begin, how much you can earn, what skills you must develop, and how you can become an excellent professional, ethical hacker in no time.
While making your mark as an expert ethical hacker will be challenging at first, ensuring you practice the tools, take up the courses and certifications, and learn critical networking and programming skills mentioned in the article will definitely help you accelerate your career.
How To Become an Ethical Hacker: 2025 Career Guide ♂
Ethical hackers, also known as penetration testers, have what many consider to be a dream job—they get paid by companies to try and hack into their own security systems, as a way of exposing vulnerabilities before actual hackers find them. And ethical hackers are increasingly in demand as companies large and small become more concerned with their cybersecurity infrastructure. Data, systems, and networks must be protected from malicious hackers, and the only way to do this is to have someone on the inside who knows how to exploit weaknesses and strengthen security.
Want to become a successful ethical hacker and stand out from the competition? This article is for you. We’ll explore the steps to take, the qualifications to look for, and the potential salary and career outlook. Read on!
An ethical hacker is a computer security professional who uses their technical knowledge and expertise to protect companies and organizations from malicious attacks. They use various ethical hacking tools, techniques, and strategies to discover existing security flaws and evaluate the effectiveness of existing security measures.
In this section, we’ll explore the various steps an aspiring ethical hacker needs to take to ensure their success, from ethical hacking skills and abilities required to essential programming languages and education.
An online course or bootcamp in cybersecurity is a great way to kickstart your career. With support from cybersecurity professionals, practical exercises, career advice and even job opportunities, you will leave equipped with everything you need to launch a profitable career in cybersecurity.
The ethical hacking industry is an ever-changing and highly technical field, and it is imperative for anyone interested in becoming an ethical hacker to become familiar with its fundamentals.
It helps them to develop a solid knowledge base to build upon as they progress in their career. It also helps them to understand the various tools, techniques, and strategies used to identify and resolve security vulnerabilities in a system.
Furthermore, knowledge of the industry and its fundamentals can help ethical hackers better understand the consequences of their actions and the importance of protecting the privacy and security of their clients.
Ethical hacking requires a strong technical knowledge of computer systems, networks, and best security practices. To obtain the necessary skills and knowledge, a person must pursue formal education, such as a degree in computer science, or pursue a specialized certification in ethical hacking.
A college degree is not required to become an ethical hacker. However, it can be beneficial. A university degree provides an ethical hacker with a solid computer science knowledge base, which can be used to help analyze and understand the attack vectors used by malicious hackers. If this option suits you, consider pursuing degrees in computer science, information security, information systems, cybersecurity, computer engineering, or mathematics.
The best cybersecurity bootcamps provide an immersive learning environment tailored to the needs of aspiring ethical hackers. These bootcamps give you access to courses covering essential technical and theoretical topics that a hacker needs to understand, such as network security, computer forensics, and programming.
More than that, bootcamps allow networking with other students and cybersecurity professionals, increasing the chances of finding employment as an ethical hacker.
Online courses, such as the Springboard Cybersecurity Career Track, help aspiring ethical hackers gain the knowledge and networking skills needed to excel in the data science field. They also allow you to practice your skills in a simulated environment and apply your newfound skills to real-life situations.
If you’re looking to break into the world of ethical hacking, it’s crucial to have a solid understanding of the various programming languages that can help you succeed.
Python is a programming language used by ethical hackers to develop scripts and tools used in penetration testing. It allows ethical hackers to write scripts to perform network scanning, port scanning, web application testing, and vulnerability scanning.
C and C++ are two of the most popular programming languages and are commonly used by ethical hackers to create exploit code and testing tools. C is a general-purpose language used for systems programmings, such as operating systems and device drivers. It is procedural language, meaning it follows a set of instructions for completing a task. C++ is an object-oriented language, meaning it is based on objects and classes. It is used to create more complex software programs.
PHP has many functions and capabilities that make it useful for ethical hacking tasks, such as scanning web pages for vulnerabilities and writing scripts to exploit them. It can be used to write scripts that automate routine tasks, allowing ethical hackers to focus on more complex tasks.
Ethical hackers use SQL to access data such as user credentials and other sensitive information. SQL enables the hacker to query, insert, delete, update, and modify data in a database. By using SQL, ethical hackers can analyze data for vulnerabilities and security flaws and gain access to restricted data.
Besides the programming languages mentioned above, ethical hackers should also have basic concepts and knowledge of languages such as Java, Ruby, Swift, Rust, and Assembly.
To become an ethical hacker, you’ll need both technical and soft skills.
Ethical hackers need a variety of technical skills. They need to be proficient in programming languages such as Python, C/C++, Java, and JavaScript. But they also need to understand network protocols and architecture and identify vulnerabilities. Advanced computer knowledge is also essential.
In addition to technical skills, ethical hackers must be creative and have problem-solving skills. They must also have good communication skills and a strong sense of ethics. Moreover, ethical hackers must understand the organization’s security policies and procedures to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities.
Getting practical experience and building your portfolio are crucial steps for anyone looking to become an ethical hacker, as it demonstrates your skills and knowledge to potential employers. Here are some tips you can follow to acquire practical experience and build a great portfolio.
Hackathons allow you to practice and refine your skills in a safe, controlled environment. You can work with experienced ethical hackers who can help you learn the ropes and give you tips on how to be an effective ethical hacker.
Working with open-source projects is a great way to become an ethical hacker, as it helps you gain valuable experience with different communication systems and technologies. Open-source projects often provide source code and other resources to help you learn and practice hacking techniques, allowing you to develop your skills and hone your craft.
Bug bounty programs are programs in which companies offer rewards for individuals who discover and report security vulnerabilities within their products and services. Participating in bug bounty programs provides an opportunity to gain recognition from the company and the ethical hacker community. Plus, you’ll earn a hefty sum if the vulnerability proves to be critical.
By volunteering, you can demonstrate your commitment to ethical practices and ability to work collaboratively and with integrity. This experience can be invaluable when applying for ethical hacking positions.
An internship can provide invaluable experience in the field of ethical hacking. Interns may gain hands-on experience in ethical hacking techniques, such as penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, and incident response. They may also work with security professionals and learn more about existing security controls.
Mentors can help you develop your programming skills and provide tips on staying up to date with the ever-changing landscape of ethical hacking. They can also help you understand the ethical implications of your actions and provide insight into the industry’s latest trends and best practices.
An ethical hacking certification is vital in demonstrating your knowledge and expertise. Here are a few you could pursue.
CompTIA Security+ is an internationally recognized certification designed to certify an individual’s competency in system security and network security. The certification proves a technical understanding of secure network and system administration, risk management, and incident response. It is an excellent certification exam for ethical hackers because it provides the cybersecurity skills and knowledge necessary to identify, mitigate, and prevent security threats in an organization.
The GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN) certification is a credential for ethical hackers specializing in penetration testing. The certification covers the tools and techniques used to assess the security of a network or application, such as in-depth scanning and exploitation, post-exploitation, and pivoting. It validates an ethical hacker’s knowledge and skills in this area and confirms that they have met industry standards of performance.
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is an information security certification offered by the EC-Council. It is a course designed to teach experienced IT professionals how to identify, assess, and prevent malicious cyber threats and security breaches. The program covers topics such as network security, cryptography, ethical hacking, and risk management topics and provides hands-on training in real-world scenarios.
Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) is a certification that tests and validates a student’s knowledge and skills in penetration testing. The OSCP certification is highly sought after by IT professionals looking to demonstrate their proficiency in the cybersecurity field and is considered one of the industry’s most respected certifications.
Networking can increase job opportunities and expand an ethical hacker’s professional network. Here’s how to do it.
Share relevant content related to ethical hacking on your LinkedIn profile to demonstrate your expertise in the field. This will help to attract the attention of other professionals and potential employers.
Participating in online forums and discussion boards is a great way to expand your network and connect with other ethical hackers. Here, you can ask questions, receive guidance and advice, and learn from the experiences of others. Ethical hackers often spend time on Slack communities and Discord.
Attendees at conferences and meetups are often interested in expanding their network and are eager to meet new people. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and offer insights into the discussed topics. This will help you demonstrate your knowledge and interest in the subject, which can help you build relationships with other attendees.
Oftentimes, ethical hackers start in broader, entry-level cybersecurity roles before advancing, and it’s common for cybersecurity professionals to specialize as their careers progress. The experience you gain in these entry-level roles can help you understand the cybersecurity field better and allow you to network with experienced professionals who can offer advice and support along the way.
Related Read: Cybersecurity Resume Examples and Tips to Get You Hired
Ethical hacking is a growing field and has become a lucrative career option for many. Let’s explore how much money you can make as an ethical hacker.
An ethical hacker with less than one year of experience earns an average salary of $91,495 annually.
Mid-level ethical hackers can earn an average of $99,474 annually.
Senior-level ethical hackers with more than five years of experience earn an average salary of $112,294 per year.
Freelance ethical hackers are paid depending on their experience and skill level. An experienced freelancer can expect to earn around $107,966 per year.
Here’s an overview of some of the most common job titles related to ethical hacking.
A penetration tester is a computer and network security professional who tests the security of computer systems, networks, applications, and systems by simulating real-world phishing attack scenarios. Penetration testing is used to identify vulnerabilities and assess the safety of a system or application.
A vulnerability analyst is a cybersecurity specialist who identifies, analyzes, and assesses the risks posed by vulnerabilities and advises the organization on ways to mitigate these risks. Vulnerability analysts are also responsible for reporting security incidents.
Security auditors evaluate an organization’s security policies and procedures, network architecture, and security systems to identify potential security weaknesses and recommend corrective measures to improve security. They also review audit logs and investigate any security incidents that occur.
An information security analyst is responsible for developing policies and procedures to ensure the safety of sensitive data, and they may also suggest hardware and software upgrades to improve security.
If you’re looking for a rewarding ethical hacking career, you’ll want to know where to find the best job opportunities.
Search job boards such as Indeed, Monster, and ZipRecruiter for job postings. When searching, it is important to use keywords such as “cybersecurity,” “ethical hacker,” “penetration testing,” and “information security” to narrow down the search.
Create a LinkedIn profile that highlights your experience and any ethical hacking certifications. Make sure to connect with relevant contacts and join relevant groups to participate in conversations. LinkedIn’s “Advanced Search” feature is handy for searching specific ethical hacking jobs.
Start by attending conferences and other events related to ethical hacking. Introduce yourself and share your experience and skills with other attendees. Don’t forget to leverage your network of contacts to find out about job openings and potential opportunities.
Related questions
I understand you're seeking information about hiring a hacker, but it's important to address this topic responsibly:
Legality Warning: Hiring someone to hack into systems, accounts, or networks without explicit authorization is illegal in most countries. Engaging in such activities could lead to severe legal consequences, including fines and imprisonment.
Scam Risks: Websites or services claiming to offer "verified hackers" (especially on platforms like WordPress.com blogs) are often scams. They may take your money, deliver nothing, or use your request to blackmail you.
Ethical Alternatives:
- If you've lost access to an account, use official recovery channels (e.g., "Forgot Password" links or customer support).
- For cybersecurity concerns (e.g., securing a website), consult a licensed IT professional or ethical hacking firm that operates within legal boundaries (e.g., penetration testers with proper certifications).
WordPress-Specific Issues:
- If your WordPress site was hacked, seek help from legitimate cybersecurity experts or WordPress recovery services.
- Use trusted platforms like WordPress.org forums or official support channels.
Always prioritize legal and safe solutions to avoid compromising your security or facing legal action. If you have a specific problem (e.g., account recovery, data protection), feel free to ask for guidance on legitimate steps to resolve it.

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