Top 6 Ethical Hacking Courses to Take in 2025

People and organizations today depend on a digitally connected environment that provides various essential benefits. But such dependence comes at the risk of data loss, misuse, and service denial attacks by hackers and cybercriminals. According to Govt. of India data, cyber-attacks have increased by nearly 300% in 2021. The country saw more than 50,000 documented cases of cybercrime in 2020-21. In such a scenario, cyber security plays a critical role in ensuring people and organizations use IT systems and gadgets that are secure and dependable. Businesses and national governments have cyber security protocols that guide actions to ensure data security and national security, respectively.

Ethical hackers perform authorized actions to detect and fix possible computer, network, and security systems vulnerabilities, protecting against potential cyber-attacks. The net result – is the growing demand for competent and experienced ethical hackers who are usually offered high remunerative packages. Ethical hacking is a fast-growing and highly rewarding career in India and internationally. The IT training industry offers well-designed and some of the top ethical hacking courses. This article will facilitate IT professionals and aspiring students to make a smart choice on the best Ethical Hacking course for appropriate skills leading to a fulfilling career.

Who Is an Ethical Hacker?

An ethical hacker is a hacker who performs authorized actions of detecting vulnerabilities in an Application/Program, Computer and Network Systems, or Organization’s security infrastructure, with the explicit purpose of identifying and fixing potential data breaches and network threats. 

Ethical hackers are smart IT professionals with the technical understanding and brilliance to investigate and detect potential weak points and vulnerabilities that malicious hackers may be exploiting or can exploit in the future. Such proactive interventions help deal with cyber-attacks better or deflect them and improve overall security. 

What makes an ethical hacker proficient – a prelude to making smart decisions in ethical hacking training

Before undergoing training in ethical hacking, aspiring students and professionals must understand the key technical aspects, pre-requisite qualifications, skills, best courses available, and career prospects to make well-informed training decisions.

a) Malicious Hacking and Ethical Hacking – Key differences

Hacking is the process of gaining unauthorized access to computer systems for performing malicious activities. It may involve deleting system files or stealing sensitive information. Such actions can result in emptying bank accounts, using sensitive information for blackmailing attempts or sharing sensitive data with business competitors or hostile countries, causing huge losses or security threats.

Whereas a certified ethical hacker usually carries out ethical hacking with prior permission to detect and resolve vulnerabilities in computer and security systems. 

b) Ethical hacking course and pre-requisite knowledge

The role of ethical hackers or White Hat hackers typically involves ‘Penetration testing’ to penetrate Computer systems and networks to find potential loopholes, vulnerabilities or weaknesses and resolve them. A background in Information technology - knowledge and skills in Networking, hardware, and basic coding are some of the required skills to understand and learn ethical hacking.

c) Compensation Packages

Although ethical hackers’ roles have existed for some years now, their demand has soared during the last decade, spurred by the growing IT industry, a surge in cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities, and the limited availability of good talent. With hackers adopting innovative and intricate tactics, organizations need competent ethical hackers to counter them effectively. Hence, excellent salary packages are often offered to ethical hackers. The annual salary usually ranges from ₹ 2 lakhs for freshers to more than ₹ 50 lakhs for those with 5-7 years of experience, besides bonus and shared profits- depending upon hiring companies. All in all, salary packages vary as per experience, skills, company, and location. 

d) Roles

Ethical hacking is part of the Cyber Security division in most companies. Typical roles and portfolios assigned include: 

• Ethical Hacker 
• Network Administrator 
• Penetration Tester 
• Cyber Security Analyst 
• Network Security Engineer 
• Security Architect 
• Chief Information Officer 

List of Best Ethical Hacking Courses

1) CEH-Certified Ethical Hacking v10

The CEH certification training course provides enrolled candidates with a practical learning experience on methods cybercriminals use to breach network systems to help strengthen their understanding of hacking. It is considered amongst the best cyber security training course, consistent with EC- Council’s CEH v11.

This ethical hacking certification validates the skills necessary to succeed in Information Security. Several IT companies have made CEH certification mandatory for positions providing cyber security. Nearly 80% of CEH-certified ethical hacker experts attribute faster performance, higher engagement, and better work outcomes as benefits of certification – as per a Skillsoft survey.

• This training course has two options - Online Bootcamp and Corporate Training. 
• Skills covered in the course include Trojan backdoors and defensive measures, IDS routers and botnets, powerful hacking conceptual frameworks, data packet assessment, mobile and desktop advancements, and enhanced security logs. 
• CEH certification is awarded after passing the CEH exam at an authorized testing facility.
• Training provided by institutions.
• Approximate Course Fees: ₹ 40,000.

2) Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking Course

Cybrary’s digital ethical hacking course exposes students to cyber-attack methods like password cracking, DDoS, SQL injection, session hijacking, social engineering, and other hacking strategies. The study program also includes an overview of ethical hacking ideas, including accessing network services and Internet applications. Additionally, laboratories help students develop practical hacking abilities required to achieve professional success. 

Cybrary’s course is considered one of the best free ethical hacking courses online with a certificate: 

• It has an intermediate level of difficulty 
• The free version provides limited access to courses, training, and assessments 
• After completing the Ethical Hacking course (or any ethical hacking boot camps), one can choose/pursue a certification formally recognizing their skills and expertise 

3) Ethical Hacking Course by ISOEH (Indian School of Ethical Hacking)

It is one of the most popular online certification courses on ethical hacking. It starts with the basics of ethical hacking and further explores the depth of the type of attacks and penetration tools. 

It is the highest-rated course and runs 40 hours, with the option of attending two weekly classes. Required study materials are provided as well as assistance for completing the course.

• The course fee is approx. ₹14,500 for both classroom and online training sessions 
• Pre-requisite or pre-training knowledge includes basic knowledge of databases, Server-side Programming (PHP or JSP or ASP.net), and Basic knowledge of Networking 

It is rated as one of the best ethical hacking courses online. Alternatively, for those lacking the above prior knowledge, one can take the “Industry Ready” course to learn about all these basics and be eligible to take up the ethical hacking course.

4) M.S. in Cyber Security, New York Institute of Technology

This master's course in cyber security is best for aspiring students/professionals with an undergraduate engineering or computer science background. The course will equip students to design, implement and maintain software tools to support network security in multiple operating systems environments. With this training, one can also develop the resources to manage an organization's information lifecycle, from planning, acquisition, and implementation.

Topics Covered: 

• Operating system security 
• Algorithm concepts 
• Computer security risk management and legal issues 
• Intrusion detection and hacker exploits 
• Cryptography 

Key Features of the Course 

• Hands-on projects and research, enabling to put classroom theoretical study into practice. 
• Get to interact and learn from faculty working alongside on innovations in topics like biometrics, conceptual modeling, cryptography, cyber behavioral authentication, swarm intelligence, mobile security, cyber security, and genomic computation.

Fees & Assistance

• Along with application - $50 
• College Fees: $ 2400; Room and boarding:$ 16085 (estimated for year 2022-24) 
• Qualified candidates can avail themselves of Fellowships and teaching assistantships.

5. Master of Science in Cyber Security, George Washington University

Washington University offers its students a Master of Science in Cybersecurity in Computer Science. It is a master's course designed to equip students with knowledge and skills to meet the fast-growing need for technical cyber security experts in national and international organizations, both in the public and private sectors. Strategically located in the U.S. capital, students can expect to acquire up-to-date skills in protecting computer systems from cyber-attacks, with simultaneous learning of policy implications of using such techniques. 

Key Features of the Course: 

• Students usually take a combination of core courses focusing on the design and analysis of algorithms, computer architectures, and advanced software paradigms. 
• Based on the student's interests, they can be combined with courses on security like Computer Network Defense and applied cryptography. 
• The university is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence for Information Assurance by the Department of Homeland and National Security Agency, USA. This recognition provides added weightage to students for internships, scholarships, and job opportunities with the U.S. government in the cyber security field. 

Duration: 2 years for full-time or 3 years (part-time) 

Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in any field 

Minimum GPA of 3.0 (out of 4.0) or equivalent in an undergraduate course 

Students with programming experience preferred 

Scholarship Opportunities 

Scholarships are available for U.S. applicants under the University's PISCES program (Partnership in Securing Cyberspace Through Education and Service) 

6. Cyber Security for Managers: A Playbook (Management Executive Education-by MIT)

Cyber Security is not just a concern for IT departments or firms but also a matter of deep interest for organizations across their operations. The course is specially designed for Managers and Entrepreneurs to enable them to keep their data safe and manage their teams. The study program, deemed one of the best courses for ethical hacking, extensively uses real-life industry examples to provide insights into better management of cyber security risks.

Key Takeaways: 

• A verified digital certificate from MIT Sloan School of Management 
• Learn cyber security jargon for easy communication 
• Skills in cyber security framework for better risk management 
• Knowledge of cyber security framework for easy adoption by company executives and decision-makers 

Requirement: Designed specifically for managers and company decision-makers. 

Topics covered:  

• Cyber security framework of National Institute of Standards and Technology 
• Defense-in-Depth mechanisms
• Cyber security framework for risk management. 

Duration: 6 weeks 

Fees: $2800 

Conclusion

The rising demand for ethical hackers is very apparent. The increase in cybercrimes and cyber-attacks has caused a loss of reputation and resources while driving some to insolvency. Businesses are looking for competent ethical hackers who can help secure against cyber-attacks. An ethical hacking-certified course is crucial to explore openings available and land a Cyber security job role that provides a good career pathway. Aspiring students/professionals can choose from several options available for the ethical hacking best courses, especially KnowledgeHut’s best course for Ethical Hacking - rated very high by industry experts.