Colleges offering Ethical Hacking Courses in India

‘Hacking’ is a term that needs no introduction. But, while one associates the act of hacking with all things bad, there’s one form of hacking that is legitimate and that’s ‘Ethical Hacking’ or what is more popularly known as ‘Penetration Testing’. Ethical hackers belong to the good category of nerds. They use the same methods and tools for breaking into a system or network as malicious hackers. In doing so, they are analysing its security vulnerabilities and susceptibility to a possible hacking or data breach. Therefore, ethical hackers deliberately hack into systems to avoid the possibilities of data thefts, cyberwarfare, identity thefts, and other cybercrimes.

An ethical hacking degree programme focuses on the array of methods used to protect data and information systems. Students receive training in technical and business skills such as database applications, system administration and data recovery. Coursework combines Ethical Hacking, Website Hacking & Security, and Mobile & Wireless Security to provide a complete perspective in IT security.

India is home to prestigious institutes like National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) - Srinagar, Jetking Infotrain Ltd - Mumbai, Institute of Advance Network Technology (IANT)- Ahmedabad, Impact Institute of Management Studies (IIMS) - Bengaluru, National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Chandigarh, etc., to pursue an Ethical Hacking course.

Technical skills necessary for pursuing Ethical Hacking are:

• Extensive experience in the area of network security.

• Working knowledge of various operating systems.

• Sound working knowledge of Microsoft and Linux servers, Cisco network switches, virtualization, Citrix and Microsoft Exchange.

• Sound working knowledge of the latest penetration software.

Ethical Hacking Eligibility Criteria

Candidates are required to fulfil the following basic eligibility criteria to pursue Ethical Hacking:

• Candidates must have passed Bachelors degree (BSc, BTech, BE or BCA) in Information Technology or Computer Science from a recognised university/institute.

• Candidates with an advanced diploma in network security or relevant technology can also apply for an Ethical Hacking course.

There are a total of 160 colleges in India that offer Ethical Hacking in full-time, part-time and online mode of study, out of these 28 colleges are private and 4 are government. Around 160 colleges offer different credentials in Ethical Hacking, i.e. degree, diploma and certificate courses. There are several Ethical Hacking colleges in major cities across the country such as Delhi/ NCR, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, etc.

Here is the list of some of the top private and public Ethical Hacking colleges in India:

Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview:

What are the study options after Ethical Hacking?

There are also a variety of certifications that can be earned by Ethical Hacking professionals. Choosing the most effective depends on an individual's specific interests/goals and job requirements. The list below outlines a small number of popular professional international certifications among ethical hacking personnels:

• Certified Ethical Hacker (EC-Council)

• Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator (EC-Council)

• GIAC Certified Penetration Tester (GPEN) by SAN and GIAC

• Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA) can further improve the job prospects

Ethical Hacking Placement Trends

As the Internet grows, so does cybercrime. Luckily for ethical hackers, this generates great demand for jobs. The growing cases of intrusion into the computer systems have forced big companies, financial institutions and government organisations to recruit ethical hackers into their IT teams. With their help, the organisations check vulnerabilities and possible security leaks of their computer systems to protect them from any potential threat.

There are hundreds of job titles in Ethical Hacking, but some of the top positions include:

• Security Executive

• Web Security Manager/Administrator

• Network Security Administrator

• Network Security Systems Manager

Some of the top recruiters of Ethical Hacking professionals are:

• Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Tech Mahindra, IBM, etc.

• Law enforcement agencies, military, defence organizations, forensic science laboratories, detective companies, investigative services, etc.

Top Recruiters for Ethical Hacking Students

Once a specialty only associated with government agencies and defence contractors, ethical hacking has now entered the mainstream. Industries such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing and retail all hire ethical hackers professionals to protect valuable information from cyber breaches. The demand of specialists in the field is high. A fresher Ethical Hacker can expect to get Rs 4.8 LPA. However, candidates with higher academic qualification and work experience draw up to Rs 30 LPA. Below is the list of few top companies that recruit Ethical Hacking students:

Ethical Hacking Modes of Study

Ethical Hacking courses can be pursued from various colleges through different modes such as full-time, part-time and online. There are 86 colleges in India that offer full-time course and rest of the colleges offer part-time and online mode. Some of these colleges are tabulated below:

Full-time Mode of Study

Some of the popular colleges that offer full-time Ethical Hacking courses include:

 Part-time Mode of Study 

Some of the popular colleges that offer part-time Ethical Hacking courses include:

 Online Mode of Study 

Some of the popular colleges that offer online Ethical Hacking courses include:

Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview:

How affordable is studying Ethical Hacking in India?

Based on the below pie chart, it can be estimated that pursuing Ethical Hacking in India is economical as 98% of the colleges have annual fees of less than Rs 1 lakh. Some of these colleges are:

• NIELIT, Srinagar
• NIELIT, Chandigarh
• ACTS CDAC, Software Training and Development Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
• Lucideus Tech Pvt. Ltd., Delhi
• S.S. Jain Subodh Pg College, Jaipur

Only one college has fee structure within Rs 1-2 lakh. The college is Bascom Bridge Education, Ahmedabad.

Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview of the segregation of Ethical Hacking Colleges in India based on fee: