Participating in Internshala’s Ethical Hacking Challenge – From the horse’s mouth!
About the Author: Shivam Shukla, a student of K.J. Somaiya Institute of Engineering & IT, shares insightful details about his experience of learning ethical hacking and talks about winning a whopping INR 10,000 in Internshala Trainings Ethical Hacking Challenge.
Right since I was a child, computers kept me glued in awe. Later in life, I comprehended the intricacy of the subject and plunged into the stream of computer science. Being a tech worm, I would spend hours in front of my laptop, scrolling through various platforms, hoping to learn something new. One fine day, as I sat down to do my usual research on the internet, I came across Internshala Trainings Ethical Hacking contest. Bingo! This made my adrenaline rush as ethical hacking was something I always wanted to learn, so I immediately enrolled in it. I found the format quite interesting – one has to undergo their ethical hacking training and then take a test after which top 50 students compete in the final round. Honestly, I was a bit scared in the beginning, but I chucked my normal uneasiness and moved forward.
During the training, I learnt the advanced concepts of web applications and their vulnerabilities by implementing penetration testing practically and learning about the exploits. Along with the fundamentals of servers and networking, I learnt the techniques used for hacking web applications and manual techniques of white hat hacking. The training also talked about using automated tools like Nmap, SQLMap, Burp Suite, Nikto, etc. I got to know how important it is to keep our data and applications secure from black hat hackers and how ethical hacking can maintain stability in the networking field. The best part of the training was the virtual hacking lab, which completely renovated the game of learning. As soon as I learnt a new concept of hacking a website, I would practice the technique on a real-time web application in the hacking lab until I perfected my knowledge of that particular hacking technique. As the training consisted of pre-recorded videos, it gave me the liberty to watch them at my own pace. I also downloaded the videos and watched them easily when I didn’t have a stable internet connection. One thing I really admired about the training was the concept of live chat with experts. I asked them whatever popped into my mind, and they replied immediately with an optimal solution to my queries.
This stern decision bore me fruit on the day when I got to know that I was one of the top 50 candidates who would compete in the final round. The final round involved hacking a web application, finding all the vulnerabilities and flaws, and documenting each of them in a PPT along with their exploits and proofs of concept. I revisited every chapter in the training and noted down every minute detail. I applied OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities into the web application, collected the data, and encapsulated it in the PPT. A few weeks later, they announced the results, and I was ecstatic to find out that out of hundreds of students who had enrolled in the training, I won the third prize – a whopping INR 10,000. This incident instilled in me the assurance that I can do anything if I face my fears and give my hundred percent.
Doesn’t Shivam’s review of Internshala’s Ethical Hacking Training sound exciting? Go ahead, participate in Internshala Trainings Ethical Hacking contest yourself and get a chance to win cash rewards worth INR 65K.
