Top 10 Skills Every Hacker Must Learn

A white-hat hacker has an interesting way to explore the security field. We have seen many movies illustrating a hacker as smart, efficient, and quick enough to breach the security of big organizations. Well, it might be easy to portray the character on the screen but most people are unaware of the hard work and dedication to reach this milestone.
The truth is, there is no shortcut or defined path but it definitely takes curiosity, consistent learning, and years of patience to achieve such an aim.

So, here is the list of 10 Skills that Every Hacker must Learn: –

1)Basic Computer Skills

Before walking on this path, one should have the basic knowledge of processing, operations, performance, and functions of the computer. MS Office, Spreadsheets, managing computer files are the basic expectations that one can have from any person interested in the IT sector. It is like learning the sword before you go into the war.

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2)Programming Skills

The knowledge about programming fundamentals gives an edge to an ethical hacker. A hacker will be able to crack the program if he/she is familiar with the coding and algorithms. To understand the functionality of a particular program or software, this skill can be useful for ethical hackers. HTML, XML, PHP, C++, Python, and JavaScript are some recommended languages for beginners and they are also being used by professionals in many companies.

3)Database Management skills

How data are managed, manipulated, and organized by the company and how they can be accessed by breaching the security, an ethical hacker should know about Database Management System. This skill does help in critical thinking and the ethical hacker can figure out a way to the information stored and contribute to the organization by alerting it about the security issues. MySQL, NoSQL, MongoDB are some quite popular DBMS that are widely used by different organizations.

4)Networking

A network is formed with a large number of computers that are connected physically or wirelessly such that they can share, manipulate and access the data between them. Understanding the interconnected systems in a network, an ethical hacker may be able to figure out the potential threats and how to handle them during the implementation of a particular network.

5)Knowledge about Wireless Technology

When the devices are connected through radio waves, they share data in the form of small packets which transfer from one device to another. It will be quite easier for a professional ethical hacker to access those raw data packets roaming in the air which even can be manipulated.

6)Linux Skills

The advantage of mastering this skill is that Linux is very secure that it doesn’t even require anti-virus software. Having a good command of Bash will help you in understanding the operating system in detail. However, most of the hacking tools are made in Linux OS because some of them cannot be developed in Windows OS.

7) Problem-Solving Skills

A dynamic problem-solver sees a problem from different angles and finds an effective solution for it. An ethical hacker should understand her shortcomings and take every difficult stage as a challenge. Scripting your strategy and successfully executing it further, is what makes hacking thrilling and interesting. To develop this skill, you have to practice a lot.

8) Basic Hardware Knowledge

Understanding the functionality of the components of the CPU such as, the arithmetic calculations and scheduling which are done by the processor, the necessity of graphic cards, GPU, ports of CPU, soundcards, motherboard, etc. helps a hacker to think out of the box. If you want to build a machine that can unauthorizedly access someone else’s system, this general knowledge of hardware can be the key to your goal.

9) Cryptography

It is the study of techniques to deal with the malicious protocols to prevent the third parties which are commonly known as advertisers. Its applications are also responsible for establishing reliable communication among them. An ethical hacker should take care of the details of communication such that the information doesn’t get leaked in the process.

10)Ethical Hacking Courses

Courses provide you with a suitable environment and allow you to explore more in the IT sector. Certificates give a bright impression and proof of knowledge of the candidate as well, in interview rounds. Here are some reputed Ethical Hacking Certifications that you should apply-

• Certified Ethical Hacking Certification
• GIAC Penetration Tester
• Offensive Security Certified Professional
• Certified Penetration Testing Consultant
• Certified Penetration Testing Engineer
• Conclusion

Both developers and hackers need knowledge of Information and Technology to rise in this field. The only difference which lies between them is their strategy to execute their tasks. For instance, a developer thinks, “How to build this program? “, but an ethical hacker thinks, “What can go wrong with this program?”.

A developer focuses on the creation of a system and implementing new updates to it where a hacker focuses on exposing files, bypassing the password, and manipulate the data or the program. In simple words, both positions require creativity and efficiency, only the way of dealing the things is different.