What is Penetration Testing?    

Penetration testing is one of the central activities of an ethical hacker that involves finding the faultlines of your business ecosystem. Also known as a pen test, the process can be defined as an authorized attack stimulated to expose the vulnerabilities of a network system and its impact on business processes. Penetration testers deploy the same tools and techniques as hackers and usually involve an entire team of cybersecurity professionals who exploit your system's weaknesses to break into your company's network or cloud system. However, the entire process takes place within a controlled and secure environment, and depending on the requirements, one can perform pen tests of varying effects and intensities.

Why is Penetration Testing Important?

A 2020 Interpol report ranked phishing scams as the highest contributor to online fraud rackets, which have increased by 600 percent since the pandemic. With companies undertaking drastic workforce changes and digitalization, systems vulnerability has been a persistent issue among organizations. Therefore, they test their applications, network services, wireless connections, and every other web counterpart integral to the smooth running of the businesses. As hackers get more technologically sophisticated, pen testing has become a go-to security measure that tests the impact of potential malicious entities in real time. Finding control measures and simulating these attacks is one of the most practical ways to prevent, respond and recover from the most intricate and complex cybercrimes. Moreover, pen testing also helps companies to ascertain the following:

• Risk management of financial decisions
• Impact of company regulations and compliances
• Regulating competition and rivalry

Can I Learn About Penetration Testing Online?    

It is possible to learn pen testing online. But any academic course from a reputed institution will furnish industrial details, news on the most recent attacks, and the latest technological updates. If mitigating threats and facing innovative challenges interest you, the portfolio of a pen tester is tailored to suit your career goals. It requires a background in coding to become eligible for ethical hacking and pen testing courses online. A typical hacking course entails the following:

• Basics of ethical hacking
• Vulnerability assessment
• Basics of penetration testing
• Identifying patch security gaps across IT systems
• Advanced scanning techniques such as TCP SYN and TCP Window Scan
• Application threats and vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection

What Kind of Career Can I Get with a Background in Penetration Testing?

The future of pen testing shows immense potential as AI in the near future would integrate with cyber-defense systems to perform better assessments of different security measures. A BLS report claims that jobs in the cybersecurity domain will increase by 33 per cent between 2020 and 2030, denoting a high demand for pen testers. After a considerable experience of over three years, pen testers are qualified enough to lead teams. Another couple of years of experience will make them cybersecurity analysts and managers before they get promoted to executive roles. As a pen tester, it is common to acquire freelance testing projects for various clients.

Why Take an Online Course at Emeritus?

Each Emeritus online course is designed keeping key learning outcomes in mind by a team of experts. We use the backward design methodology to develop instruction for learners of all ages. This enables us to craft unique, interactive, learning experiences that include a combination of assessments, hands-on activities, skill applications, and more.

Emeritus also collaborates with the best universities and faculty around the world to curate the course curriculum that can effectively tackle present challenges in the industry, while preparing you for the trends and risks in the future. Our courses consist of assignments, exams, capstone projects, networking opportunities, a fine balance of practical and theoretical concepts, and the opportunity to learn from top minds in the industry. This adds to the holistic experience we try to provide for each learner.

We are also focused on providing courses that are standardized in quality. This is done by adhering to standards set by a global organization called Quality Matters which is focused on providing quality standards for online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments. The rigorous criteria ensure all our learners invest in quality education that is easily accessible and affordable.