Cybersecurity is a leading issue for many multinational companies.
But, the field of cybersecurity also provides challenges and can be considered fun for those who can think out of the box and crack even the hardest of codes or deal with the sneakiest of bugs. Cybersecurity experts have many options career-wise, and one such option is to become an ethical hacker.
What Is Ethical Hacking?
While the term itself seems like a paradox, ethical hacking has been around for quite some time. The job requires the cyber security expert or the ethical hacker to hack into a system and point out the flaws in the firewall.
This way, the security of the system can be strengthened. In a way, ethical hacking is a preemptive measure to prevent thefts and loss of data due to black hat hacking.
Hacking can be done on any operating system and server. Even apps get hacked. In short, any place from which data can be secured for ill-intended use can be hacked. Hence, ethical hacking finds its uses in the following five categories:
- Web application hacking
- Social engineering
- System hacking
- Hacking wireless networks
- Web server hacking
Best Ethical Hacking YouTube Channels
Given the need for ethical hackers and the rising trend in preventing hacking from the beginning, many software developers and cybersecurity analysts become ethical hackers. The salary is good and the work can also be offered as a freelance consultancy service.
Many multinational companies that store and analyze Big Data hire ethical hackers for routine maintenance and updating the security game of the server and the overall storage system.
Hence, learning ethical hacking can be a plus to be added to the resume. Some of the best YouTube channels that provide free ethical hacking tutorials are:
1. The newboston
Considered to be one of the oldest cybersecurity channels on the video-sharing platform, the channel offers tutorials on ethical hacking and cybersecurity measures. Apart from these, the channel also provides various tutorials on programming languages and web frameworks.
If you are looking to brush up on your Django or Python skills, you can tune into this channel. The channel’s website also offers various projects and living whitepapers to help learners practice and understand the core concepts that are taught in the tutorial videos.
The website has recently launched Bitcoin options. You can submit app proposals and once your proposal gets accepted and you develop and submit the MVP, you will receive coins in return.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
- WiFi Wireless Security Tutorials Playlist
- Metasploit for Network Security Tutorials
- Nmap Tutorial for Beginners – 1 – What is Nmap?
Joined YouTube: February 2008
Active Subscribers: 2.63 Million
2. Hak5
Founded in 2005, Hak5 is another trustworthy and long-running channel that provides tutorials related to ethical hacking and cybersecurity. They have an inclusive community where they communicate through podcasts and newsletters about cybersecurity and all the tips and tricks that a proper and secure system should comply with.
Being a dedicated hacking channel, the topics covered by the tutorial videos range from basic hacking techniques to conducting penetration testing of the firewall.
Being a community for hackers, they have podcasts that also relay tips and ideations related to the latest news and payload of the cybersecurity world.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
- NMap 101: Scanning Networks For Open Ports To Access
- What Wi-Fi Hacking tools do hackers use?
- How Companies Catch Ransomware Hackers
Joined YouTube: September 2005
Active Subscribers: 802K
3. Hackersploit
Started in 2015, the channel is run by a team of professionals who understand the need to understand cybersecurity without having an advanced degree in software engineering. This channel is perfect for all students and professionals who are looking to learn cybersecurity and hacking from scratch. The channel primarily provides tutorials related to penetration testing or pentesting and detecting cyber threats.
The channel has a blogging website that offers detailed discussions on various cyber threats and the measures to be taken. They also focus on providing the know-how on malware analysis along with scripting and information gathering.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
- Wireshark playlist
- Web App Penetration Testing – Introduction To HTTP
- Complete Ethical Hacking Course – Become a Hacker Today – #1 Hacking Terminology
Joined YouTube: November 2015
Active Subscribers: 692K
4. Black Hat
While the YouTube channel is fairly new, Black Hat made its presence felt on the internet about twenty years ago. The channel provides all the conferences across the globe that discuss issues and preventive measures related to tech and cybersecurity.
These conferences also act like training videos with theoretical and practical approaches toward ethical hacking and other cybersecurity concerns.
The topics that are mostly covered in these conferences are related to malware, code injection, cloud security, etc.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
- GOD MODE UNLOCKED – Hardware Backdoors in x86 CPUs
- Mobile Espionage in the Wild: Pegasus and Nation-State Level Attacks
- Cracking the Lens: Targeting HTTP’s Hidden Attack-Surface
Joined YouTube: August 2013
Active Subscribers: 190K
5. The PC security
Justifying its tagline of being the go-to place for everything related to cybersecurity, the PC security channel offers solutions and tutorials in a manner that makes the concepts easy to grasp and memorize. The primary focus of this channel is everything related to PC security be it antivirus testing or videos related to threat demonstration and analysis.
The website of this channel provides businesses with cybersecurity solutions. The training videos cover the basics of cybersecurity and the measures required.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
Joined YouTube: October 2011
Active Subscribers: 247K
6. Bitten tech
One of the most popular ethical hacking channels on YouTube, these courses and tutorials are given in Hindi for ease of understanding. Created by Ansh Bhawnani, the channel focuses on bringing the basics of ethical hacking and cybersecurity and its related issues in a way that anyone can master.
The YouTube channel covers topics like SQL injection, system hacking, website hacking, DNS denial of service, cryptography, etc.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
Joined YouTube: August 2013
Active Subscribers: 224K
7. Seytonic
Founded by Jhonti Todd-Simpson who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Seytonic deals with everything related to cybersecurity and hacking. The channel aims to convert all the technical jargon of the cybersecurity world into easy-to-understand content.
The videos cover tutorials and news about the cybersecurity world. Most of the videos are related to hacking into complex software, projects related to DIY hack tools and scripts, Arduino hacks, etc.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
Joined YouTube: September 2013
Active Subscribers: 312K
8. Pentester Academy TV
Focusing on providing solutions and tutorials on cybersecurity, the Pentester Academy channel presents the material to be taught in a comprehensible manner. Apart from cybersecurity, the channel also provides tutorials on Python and Javascript.
The common cybersecurity and ethical hacking topics covered by this channel are Linux forensics, Windows API exploitation, PowerShell for pentesting, etc.
The website of the same channel provides Bootcamps and paid courses for various topics.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
Joined YouTube: December 2011
Active Subscribers: 58.8K
9. Network chuck
One of the biggest channels on cybersecurity, Network Chuck was founded to help engineers and IT enthusiasts learn about cybersecurity and ethical hacking.
The main focus of this channel is on cybersecurity certifications and the videos and tutorials offer in-depth knowledge on topics like CCNA, Cisco routing, CompTIA A+, etc. All the videos are created keeping in mind that people from all levels of expertise and even novices will be looking through the content.
For people looking to get professional courses related to Linux hacking, learning Python, API security tests, etc.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
Joined YouTube: April 2014
Active Subscribers: 2.26 Million
10. The cyber mentor
Founded by an ethical hacker, the videos in this channel focus primarily on pentesting and network security breaches and measures to implement. Apart from covering topics like Linux for beginners, Buffer Overflows, Web Application Pentesting, etc. the channel founder also talks about what questions to expect when applying for ethical hacking jobs.
The videos of the tutorials are short and the content is easily comprehensible for all types of information technology learners.
Some of their popular YouTube videos and playlists are:
Joined YouTube: April 2018
Active Subscribers: 349K
Final Thoughts
Ethical hacking is a trend that will keep on rising in terms of providing better job options along with competitive salaries. However, the concept of ethical hacking is still frowned upon given the negative connotation the term ‘hacking’ has garnered over the years.
Most of these channels focus on not only teaching students and professionals the basics of hacking but also on debunking all the myths associated with both hacking and ethical hacking.
You would also love our list of some of the best YouTube channels for online learning.