>"Want to start your career as an ethical hacker? In this blog, we have curated a list of top ethical hacking courses that are worth your investment and time."

According to the survey led by HackerOne, India ranks on top with over more than 23% of the world’s hackers.
The US stands second with 20% of hackers, Russia with 6%, the UK with 4%, and Pakistan with 4%.
Ethical Hackers are gaining popularity in organizations with an increase in vulnerabilities and threats.
Top companies like Facebook and Microsoft assist ethical hackers in gaining mainstream recognition.
If you want to start your career as an ethical hacker, then this article can help.
In this post, we have curated a list of top ethical hacking courses that are worth your investment and time.
Before we begin, let’s get an overview of what is ethical hacking and what are different skills one should acquire to become an ethical hacker.
What is ethical hacking?
Hacking is also known as penetration testing, which is said to be an act of intruding/penetrating into a system or network to observe vulnerabilities or threats in those systems which are affected for bad aspects.
Hacking is a part of the software industry since the last five decades and growing at a faster pace with the increase with computer threats and vulnerabilities.
The purpose of ethical hacking is to recover the security of the network by managing or fixing the threats.
It is the process in which hackers used the same tools similar to the black hat hackers, but the difference is they have to take the permission of the authorized person to perform the act.
Phases of ethical hacking
Planning and reconnaissance
Scanning
Gaining access
Maintaining access
Analysis
Types of ethical hacking
System hacking
Web application hacking
Web server hacking
Hacking wireless networks
Social engineering
Types of hackers
White hat hacker: Use their ability for good
Black hat hacker: Use it for malicious intents
Grey hat hacker: May sometimes violate ethical standards but does not have the malicious intent
Most common skills an ethical hacker should have
Basic knowledge of programming and scripting languages (Java, Python, C, C++)
Good knowledge of different levels of Cyber and Network Security
Understanding of security tools such as NMAP, Nessus, Metasploit, Wireshark, Burpsuite, Owasp-zap, Netsparker, etc
Understanding of code reviews, wired and wireless environment assessments, and social engineering
Knowledge of Sandbox Tools like Cuckoo
Additional knowledge on other platforms will be valued: iOS and Android
Pen testing and ethical hacking knowledge is a plus
Knowledge of other malware analysis tools
Should have excellent communication, strong interpersonal, organizational, and presentation skills, hard-working
Enthusiastic and positive attitude with a desire to progress
Top courses for ethical hacking
Practical Ethical Hacking-The Complete Course
Course description
In this course, you will learn the practical side of ethical hacking.
Explore tools and topics that will make you successful as an ethical hacker.
The course is incredibly hands-on and will cover many foundational topics such as a day in the life on an ethical hacker, What does an ethical hacker do on a day to day basis? How much can he or she make? What type of assessments might an ethical hacker perform?
These questions and more will be answered.
Course details
Rating: 4.7
Duration: 24.5 Hours
Skill level: Intermediate
Course content
Introduction
Note keeping
Networking refresher
Setting up our lab
Introduction to linux
Introduction to python
The ethical hacker methodology
Information gathering (Reconnaissance)
Scanning & enumeration
Additional scanning tools
Exploitation basics
Mid-course capstone
Introduction to exploit development (Buffer overflows)
Active directory overview
Active directory lab build
Attacking active directory: Initial attack vectors
Attacking active directory: Post-compromise enumeration
Attacking active directory: Post-compromise attacks
Post exploitation
Web application enumeration, revisited
Testing the top 10 web application vulnerabilities
Wireless penetration testing
Legal documents and report writing
Career advice
BONUS section
The Complete Ethical Hacking Course Bundle
Course description
This course is designed for candidates who want to learn website & web application hacking/penetration testing and how to secure websites & web applications from hackers.
This course is the most comprehensive ethical hacking course in the market.
It is a set of 5 different courses that will take you from beginner to expert, through easy to follow on-demand video lectures, articles, and other resources.
Learn everything about ethical hacking & penetration testing, and you will know how hackers hack and what you can do to stop them.
Course details
Rating: 4.5
Duration: 20.5 Hours
Skill level: Beginner
Course content
Course 1: Learn ethical hacking from scratch
Course 2: Learn website hacking / penetration testing from scratch
Course 3: Learn hacking using android from scratch
Course 4: Learn network hacking from scratch (WiFi & Wired)
Course 5: Learn social engineering from scratch
Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking
Course description
In this course, learn the objectives of cybersecurity including Intrusion Detection, Policy Creation, reconnaissance with Social Engineering and Google, DDoS Attacks, Buffer Overflows and Virus Creation.
Explore the tools required for the development and application of an effective vulnerability prevention strategy to prevent the attackers from entering key systems.
Learn how to protect users from cyber attackers by becoming an ethical hacker and learning to exploit networks yourself.
Course details
Rating: 4.6
Duration: 24 Hours
Skill Level: Intermediate
Course content
Module 1: Introduction
Module 2: Footprinting
Module 3: Scanning and enumeration
Module 4: System hacking
Module 5: Malware
Module 6: Sniffing
Module 7: Social engineering
Module 8: Denial of service
Module 9: Session hijacking
Module 10: Web servers and apps
Module 11: SQL injection
Module 12: Hacking wiFi and bluetooth
Module 13: Mobile hacking and security
Module 14: IDS, firewalls, and honeypots
Module 15: IoT
Module 16: Cloud
Module 17: Cryptography
Module 18: Reports
Module 19: Review
Hacking in Practice: Certified Ethical Hacking MEGA Course
Course Description
This course is ideal for everyone, regardless of their skills and expertise.
It helps candidates with introducing concepts and the real-world tactics that hackers use so that you can protect yourself and your network.
The arrangement and presentation of learning resources will let both novices and more advanced students broaden their knowledge of IT security, ethical hacking and penetration testing.
Course details
Rating: 4.6
Duration: 24 Hours
Skill level: Intermediate
Course content
Let's start
Application security
Introduction to cyber threats
Popular IT security myths
IT security trends
Data security
Computer network security
Designing secure computer networks
Network administration
Wireless networks security
Operating systems security
Access control
Windows security
Security policies
Risk management
Defence in depth
Disaster recovery
Application security - Configuration and management
Cryptography
Public key infrastructure
Prepare for the examination
Certificate
Rootkits and stealth apps: Creating and revealing v2.0 (course preview)
BONUS section
The Complete Ethical Hacking Course: Beginner to Advanced
Course Description
You can begin this course with any level of knowledge and quickly start advancing your skills like information technology and security expert anywhere in the world.
Gain the ability to do ethical hacking and penetration testing by taking this course.
Get answers from an experienced IT expert to every single question you have related to the learning you do in this course including,
Installing Kali Linux
Using VirtualBox
Basics of Linux
Tor
Proxychains
VPN
Macchanger
Nmap
Cracking WiFi
Aircrack
DoS attacks
SLL strip
Known vulnerabilities
SQL injections
Cracking linux passwords
and many more topics that are added every month.
Course details
Rating: 4.6
Duration: 25 Hours
Skill level: beginner
Course Content
Prerequisites for getting started with this course
Basic hacking terms you will want to know getting started
Build your hacking environment!
Set up instructions for Mac users ONLY
How to create a bootable USB of Kali Linux (optional)
Updates: How to install VirtualBox on Fedora 22 + Kali Sana VM (OPTIONAL)
Linux terminal including basic functionalities and CLI.
What is Tor? How can you use it to protect your anonymity online?
ProxyChains for using proxy servers, hiding your ip, and obtaining access
What is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and how you can stay anonymous with VPN?
What is a macchanger? How can you use it to change your mac address?
Footprinting with Nmap and external resources
Attacking wireless networks
Overview of the tools
Breaking WPA/WPA2 encryption
WiFi hacking and WiFi hacker training
Signal jamming and denial of service
SSL strips
Let's have a bit of fun!
Evil twin method! Clone wireless access points to steal data.
Attacking routers to give you free reign over the entire network!
DNS setting hacking to redirect users with post-authentication exploitation
Website attacks with SQL injections
Brute-forcing methods for cracking passwords
Denial of Service (DoS) attacks demonstrated and explained
Reverse shells
Gain remote control of any device!
Make your own Keylogger in C++
Retired
Ethical Hacking: Hacking Web Servers
Course description
In this course, we'll look at various attack vectors in web servers.
These include exploiting misconfigured servers, leveraging weaknesses in unpatched environments, compromising weak SSL implementations and much, much more.
Course details
Rating: 4.2
Duration: 2.25 Hours
Skill Level: Beginner
Course content
Understanding how web servers are hacked
Discovering risks in web servers
Web server misconfiguration
Managing and hardening web servers
Other attacks against web servers
Ethical Hacking: Evading IDS, Firewalls, and Honeypots
Course description
In this course, learn how to find various attack vectors in web servers.
These include exploiting misconfigured servers, leveraging weaknesses in unpatched environments, compromising weak SSL implementations and much, much more.
Course details
Rating: 4.2
Duration: 3 Hours
Skill level: Beginner
Course content
Understanding organizational defenses
Firewalls
Intrusion detection systems
Honeypots
NetworkHacking Continued - Intermediate to Advanced
Course description
This course is designed for anybody who wants to learn website & web application hacking/penetration testing, bug bounty hunter.
This course is highly practical, but it will not neglect the theory.
Since this is an advanced course it will be divided into its smaller components and understand how each of these components work.
Therefore by the end of the course you will be able to mix these attacks and adapt them to suit different situations and different scenarios.
You will also be able to write your own man in the middle scripts to implement your own attacks.
Course details
Rating: 4.5
Duration: 10 Hours
Skill level: Beginner
Learn Website Hacking Penetration Testing From Scratch
Course description
Basic IT Skills, No Linux, programming or hacking knowledge required.
This course is highly practical, but it won't neglect the theory.
Learn how to install the needed software (on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X) and then explore websites basics, the different components that make a website, the technologies used, and then dive into website hacking straight away.
Learn everything by example, by discovering vulnerabilities and exploiting them to hack into websites.
Course details
Rating: 4.6
Duration: 9 Hours
Skill level: Beginner
Website Hacking / Penetration Testing & Bug Bounty Hunting
Course description
If you are interested in learning website & web application hacking/penetration testing, this course is for you.
Learn how to install the needed software (on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X) and then explore websites basics, the different components that make a website, the technologies used, and then we'll dive into website hacking straight away.
Learn everything by example, by discovering vulnerabilities and exploiting them to hack into websites, so we'll never have any dry, boring theoretical lectures.
Learn how to gather comprehensive information about the target website.
Then, the course is divided into a number of sections, each section covers how to discover, exploit and mitigate a common web application vulnerability.
For each vulnerability you will first learn the basic exploitation, then you will learn advanced techniques to bypass security, escalate your privileges, access the database, and even use the hacked websites to hack into other websites on the same server.
Course details
Rating: 4.5
Duration: 9 Hours
Skill level: Beginner
Learn Network Hacking From Scratch (WiFi and Wired)
Course description
In this course, you will start as a beginner with no previous knowledge about penetration testing or hacking.
By the end of it you'll be at an intermediate level being able to hack into networks and connected devices like black-hat hackers and secure them like security experts.
This course is focused on the practical side of penetration testing without neglecting the theory.
Before jumping into hacking, you will first learn how to set up a lab and install needed software (works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux).
Course details
Rating: 4.6
Duration: 8 Hours
Skill level: Beginner
Course content
Introduction & course outline
Preparation - Setting up the lab
Network basics
Pre-connection attacks
Gaining access
Gaining access - WEP cracking
Gaining access - WPA/WPA2 cracking
Gaining access - Security & mitigation
Post connection attacks
Post connection attacks - Information gathering
Post connections attacks - Man in the middle attacks (MITM)
Post connection attacks - Gaining full control over devices on the same network
ARP poisoning detection & security
Bonus section
Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator Certification
Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator Certification
Course description
The CHFI program is designed for all IT professionals involved with information system security, computer forensics, and incident response.
Computer hacking forensic investigation is the process of detecting hacking attacks, and properly extracting evidence to report the crime and conduct audits to prevent future attacks.
Course details
Rating: 4.6
Duration: 4 Hours
Skill level: Intermediate
Course content
Computer forensics in today's world
Computer forensics investigation process
Understanding hard disks and file systems
Operating system forensics
Defeating anti-Forensics techniques
Data acquisition and duplication
Network forensics
Investigating web attacks
Database forensics
Cloud forensics
Malware forensics
Investigating email crimes
Mobile forensics
Investigative reports
All the best!