How to become an ethical hacker

An essential guide to
becoming an ethical hacker
I often get a number of people ask for
guidance about how they can become an
ethical hacker. I also receive even more
requests about how to become a black hat
hacker. The latter requests are ignored. below
is a definition of an ethical hacker
Ethical hacker
noun
1. a person who hacks into a computer
network in order to test or evaluate its
security, rather than with malicious or
criminal intent.
So if you want to be an ethical hacker the
truth is there is no easy method to become a
skilled hacker …… it’s easy to be a script kiddie
and load up Armitage or Fast-track and fire
every exploit known to man at a target. But
what’s the point at firing Linux exploits at a
Windows box!.
You need essential prerequisite knowledge
If you want to get into the IT  security world
as a white hat you must be competent in the
following areas:
Networking
Programming
Databases
Once you have a fairly good knowledge of the
above points THEN it would a good idea to
learn about hacking. So now you have a good
understanding of the fundamentals of IT, you
can now understand how to break some of the
underlying vulnerabilities within computer
architecture. The following activities should
help you with this:
Read books about hacking (Here are some
good examples of some) -
Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd
Edition
The Basics of Hacking and Penetration
Testing: Ethical Hacking and Penetration
Testing Made Easy (Syngress Basics Series)
Metasploit: The Penetration Tester’s Guide
BackTrack 5 Wireless Penetration Testing
Beginner’s Guide
CEH Certified Ethical Hacker All-in-One
Exam Guide
Google Hacking for Penetration Testers
The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook:
Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws
Undertake various online courses
CEH
OSCP
SANS SEC560
Communicate and follow other fellow IT
security enthusiasts through the following
mediums
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/
pages/Hacking-News-
Tutorials/252350961471136 )
Google+
Twitter
Self learn by reading and watching online
tutorials
www.video.latesthackingnews.com
www.securitytube.net
youtube.com
Download practice environments to practice
and hone newly learned skills
DVWA (Dam Vulnerable Web Application)
Metasploitable
Samurai WTF
Final note: Hacking is something that takes A
LOT of your time!, be prepared to sacrifice
friendships, relationships and that awesome
social life you used to have!