Ethical Hacker Salary India in 2024 [Freshers and Experienced]

Cyber-attacks and hacking risks are increasing day by day. Do you ever think about which security organizations combat cyber-attacks? Ethical hackers are the solution, so we’ll discuss the ethical hacker salary in India. Unlike evil hackers, who infringe on digital security systems to get data to extort money, ethical hackers review digital security systems to boost their strength.

Although the work of ethical hackers has been in the market for some years, the demand for ethical hackers has recently been at an all-time high. So due to a substantial rise in cyber-attacks over the years. This has also magnified the urgency for a certified ethical hacker course recently.

Who are Ethical Hackers?

An Ethical Hacker is a certified and experienced professional employed in an organisation. They can predict potential threats and bugs in the system that hackers can destroy. An Ethical Hacker has official permission to enter the system but obeys the organisation’s rules.

The Ethical Hacker’s intention is not to crash the system but to provide remedies to fix the system’s possible exposures before a hacker benefits them.

Ethical Hacker Salary in India 

Ethical hackers confirm that a company remains secure from any data breach. They install and involve the appropriate protection infrastructure, measures, and technologies to stop system breaches or defying.

According to the survey, cyber attacks in India increased by 300% in 2020. Nobody is safe from evil hackers, whether startups, large companies, or government agencies. Concerning national security issues, the Indian government has to pay particular scrutiny to fortify the cybersecurity infrastructure.

Since cybersecurity is a complicated and highly specialised field, the ethical hacker salary in India is pretty high. Another reason ethical hackers’ salary is high is due to the lack of talent in this domain. Even though there’s a vast demand for ethical hackers and cybersecurity professionals in India, the supply is insufficient. Hence, companies pay a hefty amount for these responsibilities to attract the best talent. 

Moreover,  government organisations such as CBI and ICERT, hire cyber security experts. In such a way, one can get a trustworthy source of income, and in such cases, a mid-level ethical hacker’s monthly salary in India may range anywhere from 45K to 70K. Hacker jobs in CBI salary can be assessed near this figure as little is known about it. However, reviewing the importance of this role, Hacker jobs in CBI salary would be significantly higher than generic hacker jobs. 

Ethical Hacking Career Options and Salaries

Ethical hacker salary in India starts from INR two lakh per annum and is highest at INR 40 lakh per annum. The bonus for this position ranges from INR 5,000 to INR two lakh, whereas shared profits go up to INR six lakh. 

The certified ethical hacker salary in India ranges because it leans on many factors, like experience, company, skills, location, pay structure, etc. 

Many ethical hackers select to become self-employed and start their businesses. This is the best pathway for those who want to freelance. You can begin your cybersecurity firm if you wish to become an entrepreneur. However, advancing field experience before launching your business would be best. 

The salary of ethical hackers largely relies on their skills and understanding of the field. As per Glassdoor, the pay of an ethical hacker at Google is around INR 5 lakhs!

Factors Exciting Ethical Hacker Salary in India

In most cases where candidates work freelance, guessing the ethical hacker’s salary per month becomes tricky. The cause why the salary range of ethical hackers in India varies is due to multiple factors. However, out of those myriad factors, the most marked ones are:

• The location.
• Candidate’s experience.
• skills 
• The job role of the individual
• Company

Location

Your workplace decides how much you’ll get as an ethical hacker. Salary varies from city to city because of states’ cost of living changes. Living in a metro city would be more costly than living in a non-metro city. Moreover, a city’s work environment and culture control the average pay.

Cities like Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Jaipur offer the best pay to ethical hackers in India. In contrast, some cities like Pune and Bangalore offer below-average income to ethical hackers in India. 

Experience

Another notable factor influencing ethical hacker salary in India is the years of professional experience. Generally, the payment will be higher if an individual gains more field experience. As fresher,s ethical hackers earn two per cent and five per cent less than the average, whereas late-career ethical hackers gain 47 per cent more than the average.

Ethical hackers with six months of experience earn INR 4.93 lakh per annum in India. Those with four to nine years of professional experience in this field make INR eight lakh per annum on average. On the other hand, ethical hackers with ten to nineteen years of professional expertise earn INR 30 lakh per annum. 

Skills

Your master’s in this field, and technical expertise will significantly support you attract higher pay as an ethical hacker. Creating the most in-demand skills is the best way to command a high salary as a professional. 

You should aim to review which skills are popular in this field and which skills provide the best pay. The most popular crafts among ethical hackers are cybersecurity, Linux, network security management, and IT security & infrastructure. 

The most financially profitable skill for ethical hackers is network management, which gives 59% higher than average pay. Other skills that provide above-average income to ethical hackers are computer security and IT security & infrastructure. Typically each offers 10% higher than average pay. 

Company

Different companies offer different salaries to ethical hackers. Companies that offer some of the best wages to ethical hackers are HCL Technologies and Tata Consultancy Services. The pay of ethical hackers at Tata Consultancy Services ranges from INR six lakh per annum to INR seven lakh per annum. You should pick your employer correctly in this field. It is best to thoroughly research different industries before selecting a particular company. 

Job Roles

1. Ethical Hacker

An ethical hacker tests the digital security operating of an organisation to locate its weaknesses and suggest development accordingly. They are experts who can access networks to find security sensitivity. Evil hackers destroy these vulnerabilities to breach an organisation’s cybersecurity system. Hence, ethical hackers routinely check the company’s network security systems to discover and fix vulnerable areas.

They also train the company’s staff about the best security practices and standards. The average ethical hacking salary in India is INR six lakh per annum. Pay in this field can rise to INR 40 lakh per annum based on your experience, skills, and other factors. 

2. Network Security Engineer

A network security engineer handles and prepares the overall technology stack of a company. Network security engineers provide, deploy, configure, and supervise a company’s various network and security-related hardware and software. 

They retain firewalls, web security programs, virtual private networks, etc. They also hold the code environment to safeguard switches, servers, and the organisation’s IT infrastructure. 

India’s network security engineer remuneration is INR 5.34 lakh per annum. Pay for this role starts from INR 2.47 lakh per annum and rises to INR ten lakh per annum. 

3. Cyber Security Analyst

A cybersecurity analyst is accountable for safeguarding an organisation from cyber threats. They use various processes and technologies that detect and prevent these threats. 

Cybersecurity analysts are responsible for testing their organisation’s security implementations to determine how well they perform against real threats. They work with other cybersecurity professionals to strengthen their company’s defences opposing hackers and malware.

A cybersecurity analyst in India makes money an average salary of INR seven lakh per annum. Their pay begins from INR three lakh per annum and goes up to INR ten lakh per year, based on their experience and expertise.

4. Penetration tester

A penetration tester is a person who enacts simulated cyberattacks on a company’s computer systems and networks to confirm the effectiveness of its firewalls and other cyber security systems. With the help of a pen tester, the companies can identify the potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses before actual hackers try to breach in. 

A pen tester is responsible for this. 

• Executing tests on applications 
• Guiding simulated social engineering attacks
• Researching various types of attacks, 
• Reverse engineering malware spam, 
• Writing technical and executive reports, 
• Automating continuous tests

 Compared to the ethical hacker salary in Google per month, the penetration tester salary might be slightly lower, but the job role is pretty lucrative. India’s average penetration tester salary is around INR 6 Lakh per annum. However, the pay may also rise to 20 lakh per annum for various reasons.

5. Information security manager

An information security manager oversees and controls a business’s computer-related security aspects. The managerial role demands the individual to plan and carry out security measures to protect the company from any sort of data breach and malware attacks or even unauthorised access. 

Besides, their duties include advancing the existing security systems, testing different security products, fostering stimulated breaches and locating weaknesses, drafting technical documentation, preparing disaster recovery plans, etc. The average salary of an information security manager in India is around INR 16 lakh per annum and rapidly grows to INR 30 lakh per annum.

6. Cyber security engineer

A cyber security engineer supports a company in designing and executing methodologies that protect the company’s cyberspace. The primary roles and responsibilities include planning, implementing, monitoring, and upgrading the security measures, troubleshooting the network bugs, ensuring the protection of the organisation’s data and infrastructure, testing and detecting the network and system vulnerabilities, analysing the company’s security requirements, etc. 

The two essential abilities necessary for the job are good problem-solving skills and in-depth knowledge of computer science. A cyber security engineer in India errands an average of INR 6.5 lakhs per annum. However, it may range between 2.8  to 20 lakh per annum for various reasons.

7. Security Consultant

Security consultants may post under any agency or deliver individual services. In both cases, their job is to contact the clients, learn about their security needs, and offer them scope solutions that save their computer networks and digital assets. So, Security consultants may also develop and implement plans to improve organizational cybersecurity. 

On average, a security consultant in India can obtain around INR 8.4 lakhs per annum; however, in varied circumstances, the rate may range anywhere between three to twenty lakhs per annum. 

Conclusion

Career opportunities in ethical hacking are appealing, particularly given its expanding reach. As the demand for cybersecurity rises by the minute, so will the craving for career opportunities for ethical hackers. You require the qualifications and proficiency to land an advantageous position in ethical hacking with a well-known firm. Therefore, with Henry Harvin’s certified ethical hacker course, you can boost your chances of getting into ethical hacking.

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