Top Programming Languages Required For Ethical Hacking in 2024

Is coding required for Ethical Hacking? What are the top programming languages required for Ethical Hacking?

Every 14 seconds, a ransomware attack happens somewhere around the world! No! I don’t mean to scare you with that! The intention is to inform you that as long as you share information via networks, security will remain crucial! And with the increasing social media presence, these cyber attacks are just a cakewalk for cybercriminals.

That said, there is a growing demand for Ethical Hackers who can secure and improve the cyber existence of organizations. These Ethical Hackers provide an essential service to organizations by scanning for vulnerabilities that can lead to security breaches.

Is Ethical Hacking in demand?

Oh Yes! It is! Bureau of Labor Statistics foresees growth of 31% in cybersecurity jobs by 2029. This growth is seven times faster than the national average job growth. Yes, this never-going-to-die job trend in Ethical Hacking is the main reason you should be opting for a career as an Ethical Hacker!

If you want to begin with Ethical Hacking & Cybersecurity through a self-paced course, try GUVI’s Cyber Security and Ethical Hacking – Beginner course.

What do Ethical Hackers do? 

Think like Black-Hat Hackers! Oh, yes! That can help an Ethical Hacker break out from the weirdest of frauds. Knowing the worst of what your enemies can build for you can help you counteract and stay safe in secure corners. 

The role of ethical hacking is to inspect a system or network security and uncover any vulnerabilities. By going around system security, an ethical hacker can expose any susceptibilities that a malicious hacker could exploit. Thereby safeguarding the organization by avoiding potential threats on the computer or network!

An Ethical Hackers tasks include 

1. Investigation & Surveillance
2. Scanning
3. Gaining Access
4. Maintaining Access
5. Clearing Tracks

Wish to explore more about what Ethical Hackers do? Read this.

Skills Required for an Ethical Hacker

Are you investigative at heart? Because Ethical hackers are! Moreover, Ethical Hacking demands one to be intellectual and analytical. A few other skills that you would need as an Ethical Hacker are as follows:

1. Hands-on with Ethical Hacking tools
2. Computer Networking Skills
3. Expertise on Linux
4. Programming Languages
5. SQL & Database knowledge
6. Basic hardware knowledge
7. Reverse Engineering
8. Cryptography skills
9. Database skills
10. Problem-solving skills
11. Communication
12. Research
13. Strong foundation in Mathematics 

As point number 4 goes, programming language happens to be an integral skill required to be an Ethical Hacker. Then what programming languages are required for Ethical Hacking?

Read more about the skills required to become an Ethical Hacker here!

Do Ethical Hackers need to learn programming languages? If Yes, what are the top programming languages required for ethical hacking?

Programming Languages required for Ethical Hacking

Python:

Python, as we all know, is a beginner-friendly programming language. Python’s super powerful yet easy-to-use libraries make its usability the best! But how many of us know that Python is the first preference for an Ethical Hacker too?

Starting from testing the authenticity of corporate servers and detecting impending threats, Ethical Hackers can work it all out with Python. Even Python is essential for automating the hacking process. Therefore, Python has emerged as a go-to language for ethical hackers.

Master Python with IIT-MCEE Certification and stand out from the rest of the Python programmers, Check here!

HTML

Do you know when you dig deeper into any webpage, the code that the user or a hacker sees first on the page is HTML? And that code might carry links to the server associated with it. The hacker can use these links to gain access to the server. HTML governs the appearance and organization of the web page.

So, if you wish to be an Ethical Hacker, you must consider mastering HTML!

Prepare for your HTML Interviews with the help of this!

JavaScript

JavaScript, one of the most in-demand programming languages, is another language required for Ethical Hacking. JavaScript can update and change both HTML and CSS. It can calculate, manipulate and validate data. And then? Then what? You can do almost anything to web pages, say, change the way the pages look altogether. You can even make your AJAX calls behind the scene and gain access to the web servers. And, if you gain access to the web server, you can access the entire network! Isn’t that fantastic? That will lead you to endless possibilities, you see!

In short, we use JavaScript to secure web applications. In fact, Ethical Hackers can hack complex web applications using JavaScript. That is because JavaScript can manipulate front-end web components as well as their back-end counterparts.

Preparing for JavaScript interviews? This might help!

Ruby

Exploiting corporate systems is one of the prime tasks on Ethical Hackers’ plates. Ruby, another web-focused programming language, is among the top languages for hacking multi-purpose corporate systems.

With the help of Ruby, experts can automate programs. Ruby presents flexibility for writing scripts that we can use in hacking. It adds value to the Ethical Hacking processes by providing ease in writing functional codes and chain commands.

Wonder which is better Ruby or Python? Find out here!

PERL

Another prime programming language rather than a scripting language, PERL, holds value in the hacker community for exploit writing. System Administrators and Network Programmers use PERL to handle a wide range of functionalities, especially network routing operations.

If you wish to manipulate Linux text files, then PERL is the best choice for you can opt. PERL also helps in creating tools and exploits.

Bash

Bash is the default command shell for Unix and Linux distributions. Hence, it is crucial for Ethical Hackers. Attaining access to a system, navigating through the different directories, and performing configurations to elevate the security privileges of the network are some of the tasks you can perform using Bash.

PHP

If you screen through websites on the internet, most of them stand on CMSs like WordPress or Drupal. The best way to identify the compromising networks is by integrating PHP on these websites.

So, if you wish to create server hacking programs, then you should understand and learn to deploy this hacking programming language.

Learning PHP helps you fight against malicious attackers. Moreover, understanding PHP will help hackers understand web hacking techniques better.

C & C++

When it comes to low-level hardware components such as the RAM, the low-level nature of C provides an edge over other programming languages. Also, C presents the ability to write exponentially fast socket programming scripts, benefitting the penetration testers. Forging the library hijacking attack is another use of C, which is of great aid to security professionals.

On the same note, C++ is the best programming language for hacking corporate software. C++ provides a low level of access necessary to analyze the machine code and neglects such bypass schemes. If you wish to interpret any industry software or produce an efficient hacking program for individual professional purposes, then you should probably master C++ programming.

Java

Java’s write once runs anywhere functionality allows the development of state-of-the-art Ethical hacking programs. It helps in reverse engineering paid software. Furthermore, professional pen-testers can use Java to curate scalable servers for delivering payloads.
Java is the best programming language for hacking PC, mobile devices, and web servers.

SQL

Heard of SQL injections?

A SQL injection is a cyber attack. The attacker sends a specially crafted SQL query (statement) to a database server and modifies the database as desired. Okay, so without an in-depth understanding of SQL, professionals will not be able to counteract database attacks. 

Conclusion

So, we have tried to cover up most of the programming languages required for Ethical Hacking. There are a few more programming languages like CSharp, Visual Basics, etc., that are required for Ethical Hacking.

Ethical hacking is one of the most in-demand career fields that keeps pockets the happiest. If you’re looking for a self-paced course that comprehensively covers ethical hacking, then go for GUVI’s Cyber Security and Ethical Hacking – Beginner course.

Any suggestions or queries? Why don’t you drop them in the comment section below?

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