The Average Income Of An Ethical Hacker Will Make You Pause

Hackers have largely received a bad reputation as people who illegally access information — via a computer — to use in unethical ways, disrupting systems in order to personally benefit, usually financially. While it's true that many hackers do exactly that, the term hacker can also refer to those with expertise in solving computer-related problems, including uncovering and fixing software vulnerabilities — in other words, ethical hackers. They can find work with either government agencies or private companies. 

In December 2023, CareerAddicts reported potential earnings of $107,000 when referring to jobs in the cybersecurity field. Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median pay of $124,910 for information security analysts in 2024. They also project a 33% growth in the field from 2023 to 2033, which falls into their category of much faster than average growth. The information security analyst role also ranked at No. 6 for best jobs, according to U.S. News & World Report. They estimated a median salary of $120,360 with only a 0.5% unemployment rate. The role also ranked No. 3 for best technology job and No. 5 for best STEM job. 

Although the term of white hat hacker (as well as gray or black hat hacker) is not unique to the cyber technology world, how people define white hat hackers can vary — with some considering only people who test vulnerabilities with explicit exploratory permission as white hat hackers and those who find and report vulnerabilities as gray hat hackers. This type of hacking is more common in the crypto industry. In fact, according to a 2024 report from Blockworks, ethical hackers who reported found vulnerabilities collectively earned more than $640,000 in rewards from crypto-related firms.

The crypto exchange, Coinbase, even publishes a reward structure for ethical hackers on the HackerOne AI security site. Rewards given to people reporting low severity vulnerabilities equal $200, whereas medium vulnerability is worth $2,000, and high vulnerability can pay out $15,000. The most significant critical vulnerabilities that are found and reported can earn an ethical hacker anywhere from $50,000 to a whopping $1 million. White hat hackers who submit reports to Coinbase are listed on the HackerOne site with reputation scores indicating the success of their ethical reporting activities, which can help to establish them in the industry and make them more in demand for other paying opportunities.

In order to qualify for an ethical hacker position, employers may require a bachelor's or master's degree in fields like information technology, cybersecurity, computer science, or engineering. Certifications from the Computing Technology Industry Association are also available, or you might consider earning a Certified Ethical Hacker and Offensive Security Certified Professional certificate. Although some may degrees, freelance ethical hacking work can be one of the many different kinds of high-paying jobs that don't require a degree. Working as a freelance consultants for contracted projects, instead of for a specific employer, can also provide more flexibility both in where you live and your work-life balance. With that said, whether freestyling or working at a company or agency, being an ethical hacker could qualify as a gray-collar job – one that qualifies as a white-collar job while requiring the hands-on tech skills generally reminiscent of blue-collar roles. 

Ethical hacking is also an example of a job that younger generations, in particular, might embrace throughout the many different jobs they are projected to have in their career. As technologies evolve, creators will only continue to strengthen the security around new applications, softwares, and sites — especially as black hat hackers continue to become even more sophisticated in their attempts to break through security measures. Pursuing the skills necessary to be an effective ethical hacker, and staying up to date with evolving technologies and their potential vulnerabilities, can serve job seekers both now and in the future.