Cybercrime as a career

Demand for ethical computer hackers is increasing, said Lara Green, senior branch manager of Network Recruitment's IT division, and the more experience these IT experts have in breaching corporate security systems and finding exploitable weaknesses, the better.

"Whilst computer hacking is commonly associated with malicious intent and criminal activity, this growing demand is for ethical hackers who are employed to protect an organisation's IT systems from dangerous intrusions. These highly skilled computer and network technicians deliberately attack a company's IT systems to identify vulnerabilities and recommend solutions," she said.

According to Green, cybercrime isn't limited to the financial services industry. "More and more public and private organisations across all industry sectors are employing ethical hackers as they realise they need to do more to combat what has become a very real - and escalating - threat."

Obtain qualifications

Anyone considering a career in the field of ethical hacking (also known as penetration testing, intrusion testing and red teaming) should obtain a professional qualification, such as the CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) and CHFI (Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator) programmes certified by the EC-Council.

A strong background in network security is an advantage, said Green, and hackers are advised to specialise in either hardware or software - but not both. Candidates should also be well-versed in UNIX, Windows and Mac OS with programming knowledge such as C or Java.

"Our clients that have employed ethical hackers recently include large corporates, banks and other financial institutions, government departments, educational institutions, technology companies, the military and other private and public sector organisations," Green continued, "with most placements fitting the typical profile of a 'white hat' (as an ethical hacker is known) - creative yet analytical, intuitive yet systematic, patient and responsible.

"Of course, the Post Bank's R42 million cyber-heist loss last year was a big wake-up call and the reality is that cybercrime is a real, and possibly imminent, threat to many organisations. IT experts who choose to go into this field - for honest reasons - will undoubtedly become highly sought-after and valued employees."