Cyber security is one of the fastest-growing fields in computer science. In the digital world, interconnected devices (IoT), and smartphones have become information powerhouses.  According to a Cisco report, 500 billion devices are expected to be connected to the internet by 2030, Cisco’s Annual Visual Networking Index report also predicts an increase in the global IP traffic from 122 exabytes to 396 exabytes a month from 2017 to 2022—that’s an increase of more than 300 percent! 

As more and more systems connect to cyberspace, they become vulnerable to attacks from all corners of the world. Every organization and business needs to protect its assets and data against any such attacks. This increased need unlocks many job prospects for computer engineers looking for jobs in a cutting-edge and fast-growing field of cybersecurity. Ethical hacking is an example of an excellent opportunity to improve the security of the network and systems, specifically by testing for such vulnerabilities.

Ethical hacking uses similar methods that illegal hackers employ to infiltrate systems in a structured manner. The main difference is that the ethical hacker has all of the relevant permissions from the authorized personnel to try and break the system to improve the security from real attacks. Juniper Research data estimates cybercrime to cost businesses over $2 trillion in 2019. Moreover, extremist organizations also fund cybercriminals to compromise a nation’s security or extort massive data by injecting malware or spyware.