Offence is the best defence!
As a 12-year-old, Ankit Fadia allegedly hacked the website of a magazine. That was when this ‘ethical hacker’ had just learnt to take baby steps in a cyberspace still at its nascent stages. After this ‘intelligent’ intrusion, and afraid of the probable fallout, Fadia went into damage control mode. Within a day, he sent an e-mail to the editor, suggesting preventive measures… and got himself a job.
Bowled over by Fadia’s intelligence, the editor hired him then and there. Twelve years later, Fadia has made a name for himself in ethical hacking and runs the programme ‘Ankit Fadia Certified Ethical Hacker’.
“We would need many ethical hackers to make the huge Indian IT industry secure,” says Fadia. “Those interested in making a career out of it can study ethical hacking and, with it, do a Master’s or Bachelor’s in computer applications.”
You will then have three career options. As a penetration tester, you will test the feasibility of firewalls (part of the network that blocks unauthorised access while permitting outward communication) created to protect web portals.
As a networking specialist, you will ensure the safety of an organisation’s computer network, which facilitates online links between staff for sharing data and interacting with each other. Even small gaps in this network security can sabotage the system.
The third job option that of an application security professional, involves preventing intrusions in the application software used by organisations. “The demand for penetration testers and network specialists is growing,” says Fadia. “BPOs, finance, banking and IT require ethical hackers. Firms like Reliance hire 100-150 of them.”
However, few institutes offer a course in hacking. This probably relates to fears that the training could be misused. In India, ethical hacking is still a new domain — but thanks to Fadia, at least the beginning has been made.
Author: Vimal Chander Joshi
Date: 23rd Sep., 2009
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