Certified ethical hackers practice the same techniques as criminal hackers to identify weak spots in an organizations’ computer system. They then correct these vulnerabilities along with work to secure the existing system to avoid an outside security breach. Ethical hackers are mostly certified through EC-Council’s CEH certification. Some universities, colleges, and computer schools also offer degrees and courses that agree with the EC-Council CEH syllabus and ready applicants for the CEH exam. Certified Ethical Hacker salary is some of the highest payouts annually along with bonus packages.
Which Jobs Roles are Associated with CEH Certification?
CEH certification is a launching pad to the following job profiles:
- Penetration Tester/Ethical Hacker
- Information Security Analyst
- Vulnerability Assessor
- Security Consultant
- Security/Cybersecurity/Network Analyst
- Computer Forensics Analyst
- Security/Cybersecurity Engineer
- Information Security Manager
Read: CEH Certification: Learn to Manage Cyber security in the Information Age
Although more experience and certification are vital to proceed further into ethical hacking, the CEH is perfect for entry-level jobs in vulnerability assessment and penetration testing. It is also a good start in framing the hacker mindset so important in the current cybersecurity threatscape.
Certified Ethical Hacker Salary
Certified ethical hackers receive an average yearly income of $99,000, as reported by Indeed.com. Salary information is narrative as a formal salary study has yet to arise. According to EC-Council senior director Steven Graham, the average starting certified ethical hacker salary is $95,000. The founder of NoWiresSecurity, Eric Geier, calculates a more stable $50,000 to $100,000 per year in the first years of work, based upon your experience, company, and education. Those with a few years of experience can stretch $120,000 and above per year, especially those who work as freelance consultants.
Defense Jobs
Ethical hackers are hired by defense agencies like the National Security Agency and the Department of Defense. They give security allowances for personnel and contractors that have authorized access to sensible information. Again, salary information is mostly anecdotal. The salary for a cybersecurity specialist is approximately $74,000 to $175,000.
Cybersecurity
Ethical hackers work within the huge umbrella of cybersecurity. This industry gives an average of $116,000 per annum. However, salary diversifies based on geography, experience, and education. A worker with less than a year’s experience, without ethical hacking certification, and an associate degree can expect to receive $91,124.90 approximately. A mid-level manager with a bachelor’s degree, ethical hacking certifications, and around five to nine years of experience can earn $119,529.10 on average. A chief information officer with 15 to 19 years of experience can pull $149,826.30.
Penetration Tester
Penetration testers are a category of ethical hackers that primarily runs tests on computer systems and software to find out weak spots that could be hacked by malicious hackers. Working in information technology will give you approximately $55,000 to $89,000 a year to initiate with. Freelancing will fetch around the same salary for ethical hackers. Defense work salaries are almost $52,000 to $87,000. Working with financial services, companies like accounting firms or banks pay around the same salaries to start — $55,000 to $88,000. The average overall salary for a penetration tester is $96,000.
