Table 1Transition record

ethical hackertodigital forensics expert

A ethical hacker already meets 49% of what the digital forensics expert role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.

From ethical hacker

49%

Overlap1

To digital forensics expert

39 Skills carried over

21 Required, not held

65.7 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 65.7

This move: 65.7 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the digital forensics expert role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the ethical hacker profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 39 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A digital forensics expert role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a ethical hacker background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held Aircrack (penetration testing tool) information and communication technologies (icts)
already held Backbox (penetration testing tool) information and communication technologies (icts)
already held BlackArch information and communication technologies (icts)
already held Cain and Abel (penetration testing tool) information and communication technologies (icts)
already held John The Ripper (penetration testing tool) information and communication technologies (icts)
already held Kali Linux information and communication technologies (icts)

All 39 carried skills, including the 19 the digital forensics expert role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 38 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 working with computers 5 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held perform forensic preservations of digital devices required
required, not held apply reverse engineering required
required, not held digital data processing required
required, not held implement ICT network diagnostic tools required
required, not held use software for data preservation required

optional, not held analyse network configuration and performance optional
optional, not held perform data mining optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held provide ICT consulting advice required
required, not held educate on data confidentiality required
required, not held present evidence required

optional, not held design computer network optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional

03 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 required, 11 supplementary

required, not held query languages required
required, not held resource description framework query language required

optional, not held LDAP optional
optional, not held LINQ optional
optional, not held MDX optional
optional, not held N1QL optional
optional, not held SPARQL optional
optional, not held THC Hydra optional
optional, not held XQuery optional
optional, not held cloud technologies optional
optional, not held data storage optional
optional, not held hardware platforms optional
optional, not held information architecture optional

04 information skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held gather data for forensic purposes required
required, not held manage data for legal matters required

optional, not held collect cyber defence data optional

05 assisting and caring 2 required

required, not held develop information security strategy required
required, not held secure sensitive customer's information required

06 business, administration and law 2 required

required, not held GDPR required
required, not held audit techniques required

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a digital forensics expert role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 39 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held ICT infrastructure knowledge
already held ICT network security risks knowledge
already held ICT security legislation knowledge
already held ICT security standards knowledge
already held attack vectors knowledge
already held computer forensics knowledge
already held cyber attack counter-measures knowledge
already held cyber security knowledge
already held identify ICT security risks skill
already held identify ICT system weaknesses skill
already held information confidentiality knowledge
already held levels of software testing knowledge
already held manage IT security compliances skill
already held operating systems knowledge
already held penetration testing tool knowledge
already held perform ICT security testing skill
already held security engineering knowledge
already held tools for ICT test automation knowledge
already held use scripting programming skill
already held Aircrack (penetration testing tool) knowledge
already held Backbox (penetration testing tool) knowledge
already held BlackArch knowledge
already held Cain and Abel (penetration testing tool) knowledge
already held ICT encryption knowledge
already held John The Ripper (penetration testing tool) knowledge
already held Kali Linux knowledge
already held Maltego knowledge
already held Metasploit knowledge
already held Nessus knowledge
already held Nexpose knowledge
already held OWASP ZAP knowledge
already held Parrot Security OS knowledge
already held Samurai Web Testing Framework knowledge
already held WhiteHat Sentinel knowledge
already held Wireshark knowledge
already held implement ICT security policies skill
already held information security strategy knowledge
already held legal requirements of ICT products knowledge
already held manage cloud data and storage skill

The 5 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 services 2 required

required, not held forensic intelligence required
required, not held security threats required

08 management skills 1 required

required, not held establish an ICT security prevention plan required

09 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required

required, not held check methods required

10 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required

required, not held use technology for forensics required

11 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary

optional, not held hardware architectures optional

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held LDAP optional
optional, not held LINQ optional
optional, not held MDX optional
optional, not held N1QL optional
optional, not held SPARQL optional
optional, not held THC Hydra optional
optional, not held XQuery optional
optional, not held analyse network configuration and performance optional
optional, not held cloud technologies optional
optional, not held collect cyber defence data optional
optional, not held data storage optional
optional, not held design computer network optional
optional, not held hardware architectures optional
optional, not held hardware platforms optional
optional, not held information architecture optional
optional, not held perform data mining optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional

35 held skills the digital forensics expert role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role ICT safety skill
not needed by the target role ICT system integration knowledge
not needed by the target role Internet of Things knowledge
not needed by the target role Open source model knowledge
not needed by the target role Outsourcing model knowledge
not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
not needed by the target role analyse the context of an organisation skill
not needed by the target role building systems monitoring technology knowledge
not needed by the target role communicate with stakeholders skill
not needed by the target role computer programming knowledge
not needed by the target role conduct ICT code review skill
not needed by the target role define security policies skill
not needed by the target role develop code exploits skill
not needed by the target role engage with stakeholders skill
not needed by the target role ethical hacking principles knowledge
not needed by the target role ethics knowledge
not needed by the target role execute ICT audits skill
not needed by the target role execute social engineering tests skill
not needed by the target role execute software tests skill
not needed by the target role hybrid model knowledge
not needed by the target role implement ICT risk management skill
not needed by the target role implement a firewall skill
not needed by the target role internet governance knowledge
not needed by the target role maintain ICT server skill
not needed by the target role manage system security skill
not needed by the target role monitor system performance skill
not needed by the target role organisational resilience knowledge
not needed by the target role perform project management skill
not needed by the target role proxy servers knowledge
not needed by the target role remove computer virus or malware from a computer skill
not needed by the target role service-oriented modelling knowledge
not needed by the target role set up cybersecurity training programmes skill
not needed by the target role software anomalies knowledge
not needed by the target role solve ICT system problems skill
not needed by the target role web application security threats knowledge

19 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held GDPR required
required, not held query languages required
required, not held resource description framework query language required
required, not held audit techniques required
required, not held check methods required
required, not held forensic intelligence required
required, not held security threats required
optional, not held LDAP optional
optional, not held LINQ optional
optional, not held MDX optional
optional, not held N1QL optional
optional, not held SPARQL optional
optional, not held THC Hydra optional
optional, not held XQuery optional
optional, not held cloud technologies optional
optional, not held data storage optional
optional, not held hardware architectures optional
optional, not held hardware platforms optional
optional, not held information architecture optional

Index

Other moves recorded from ethical hacker

Full index of moves from ethical hacker

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.