How to Become a Penetration Tester by ECPI University

How to Become a Penetration Tester

Are you looking for a fast-growing field of study which is predicted to become more in-demand in the years ahead? Are you interested in being on the cutting-edge of cyber security? If so, a career as a penetration tester (or pen tester) might be exactly what you're looking for.

This fast-growing field is already in high demand, with a greater need for it becoming apparent every day. With cyber-crime increasing every year, both in frequency and damage done, the need for testers with high-level computer skills is increasing alongside.

A Rise in Crimes That Very Few Can Deter

These days, it's becoming difficult to go more than a week or two without another high-profile cyber-crime making the headlines. From massive data breaches that expose the personal data of millions, to electronic monetary theft, to "trojan" style device hijacking, to the increasingly sophisticated use of online resources by terrorists groups like ISIS, there's seemingly no end to the ways online criminals can exploit the Internet to their advantage.

It's a problem that's only getting worse. The cost of electronic breaches to private companies continues to go up, with an average of 3.79 million US dollars in damages per attack in 2015. By 2019, the total cost of cybercrime is estimated to become over two trillion dollars annually.

On a smaller scale, the problem of crucial evidence being locked away on encrypted private devices continues to stymie investigators. This became headline news around the world earlier this year, in the infamous San Bernardino shooting case and the question of who, if anyone, could decrypt the shooter's iPhone.

As long as such crimes are on the rise, the need for those capable of finding electronic evidence will continue to rise as well.

Penetration Testers Help to Prevent Cyber Crimes

When your job is testing computer networks and systems to ensure they're safe, you're going to need a lot of skills. Here are just a few you will have to hone to in order to help businesses operate safely and securely.

  • Deep understanding of encryption/decryption processes, either in direct real-world application or research into better encryption-cracking processes.
  • Metadata analysis, finding bits of vital information hidden within files that criminals may not know is there.
  • Cross-drive analysis, attempting to correlate similar pieces of data across multiple storage formats to demonstrate common ownership.
  • Deleted files recovery, and advancing the science of recovering such files to produce usable evidence.
  • Steganography, the process of hiding and uncovering data which has been hidden inside seemingly-innocuous files of other types.
  • Stochastic analysis, finding "footprints" indicating digital intrusion based on the non-random data left in the wake of such attacks.
  • Properly copying and saving volatile data, such as information stored in a device's short-term RAM, without powering off the device or overwriting the information while trying to retrieve it.

Entirely new kinds of crime require entirely new techniques to combat it, which is why cybe security is such an exciting and rapidly-changing field. New advances and techniques are being discovered all the time, making it an excellent choice for those who enjoy staying on the cutting edge of research.

Nor will such efforts go unappreciated or unrewarded! According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for information security experts is $90,120 per year, making it one of the most lucrative of all computer science fields. They also chart the field as growing "much faster than average," with a BLS predicted 18% growth over the next decade. This, again, is even higher than most other computer-related fields.

What is Cyber Forensics?

No matter what company you work for, large or small, you will be helping keep the business and customers safe from dangerous data hacks. Penetration testing is a high-demand field with a lot of potential to truly make a difference to the world of the future.

The World Needs Penetration Testers More Than Ever

There's a new electronic wild west out there and it desperately needs online marshals able to deal with the most clever and innovative in cyber-criminal activity. If you're up for the challenge, and looking to make a difference in the online world, contact ECPI University today for more information about obtaining your own Master of Science in Cybersecurity.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

Learn more about ECPI's College of Technology TODAY!

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Gainful Employment Information – Cybersecurity - Master’s
 

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