More Than a Crime: The Hidden World of Ethical Hacking When most people hear the word hacker, it often comes with a negative connotation attached with it. We picture a criminal sitting in the dark wearing a hoodie hunched over a keyboard, trying to steal credit card numbers. I get it. But what if I told you the truth is far more interesting, in fact, important than that? My own journey into the world of hacking did not start with a grand plan, but just with simple curiosity. My father owned a video studio in the 90s where I got access to the old 286, 386 computers with Windows 3.0 and DOS. Helping dad with animating gigs using DOS Animator Pro helped me grow my interest in computers and their mechanisms. Being a kid who loved fiddling with computers from as early as my school days, I had told my friends that I knew how to hack. Shocked by that, a kid from a neighbouring class accused me of being a fake until I hacked his computer to prove him wrong. That’s how our friendship story and my fame to being a mastermind of computers began. That little stint of mine didn’t cause any trouble but gave me a firsthand experience at knowing computers better. What It Means to Be a Hacker Hacking, according to me, is not a single act but a mindset. It requires one to use technology in creative ways. The main difference between a good hacker (‘White Hat’) and a bad one (‘Black Hat’) is not the skill, but the intention. Ethical or White Hat hackers use their skills to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses, not to exploit them, but to protect against the Black Hats. As a wise colleague of mine once said, “The only way to defeat a hacker is to think like one.” Black hat: Uses hacking skills for illegal or harmful purposes, such as stealing data or breaking into systems for personal gain. White hat: Uses the same skills for lawful and often beneficial purposes, such as finding vulnerabilities so they can be fixed. Gray hat: Operates in between, sometimes breaking rules or laws but without malicious intent. The skills of a hacker do not matter as much as their intentions. There is no such thing as a ‘black hat’ or a ‘white hat’ in real life. It all comes down to a choice: will you use your knowledge and skills to steal, or will you use it to protect? Understanding a Digital Attack First, let us understand what a digital attack is. It is as simple as you visiting a website, thus giving away a surprising amount of your information. Things like your operating system, browser, and even screen resolution can be collected without you ever realizing it. In the wrong hands, this data can be used for malicious purposes. What can hackers do? They can use your IP address to scan your computer for ports. Think of these like doors into your system. Every computer has some open doors to let software run, but a malicious hacker can use them to sneak in. Once they have control, they can track your webcam, record your audio, or more. This is just one way data is collected and exploited. Being a ‘White Hat’ When cyberattacks happen, cybersecurity is necessary, and we are the guardians of it. Wearing a white hat means we can think like a criminal but act with a moral compass. We put on our figurative white hats and use our skills to find vulnerabilities and fix them before the bad guys can exploit them. It’s a constant battle, but it’s one of the most rewarding careers out there. Methods, like social engineering, are a big part of the game. It’s not about being a tech whiz, but about understanding human psychology. For example, a hacker might call you pretending to be from your bank to get your password. Another tactic is something called a ‘man-in-the-middle’ attack, where a hacker intercepts your communication with a website to steal your data. But as a white hat, you learn to spot these tricks and build stronger defenses. Attack Cycle and The Defense Blueprint By understanding the blueprint of an attack, ethical hackers can defend better. A systematic process is followed to do so: Reconnaissance (or Footprinting) This is the intelligence-gathering phase. I once heard about a Black Hat who gained access to a company simply by posing as a pizza delivery guy and observing employee badges and desk setups. This is passive reconnaissance, collecting information without direct interaction. On the other hand, active reconnaissance involves probing the network directly to get a sense of its structure. My own experience has taught me that this is often the most critical phase. The more information you gather, the more effective your subsequent attacks will be. Scanning Once you have identified your target, you begin scanning. This is where we use specialized tools to look for open ports, running services, and other potential entry points. It’s like a burglar checking all the windows and doors of a house to see if any are unlocked. Gaining access This is where actual hacking happens. Based on the information gathered during scanning, hackers choose a specific exploit to gain entry. This could be anything from a known software vulnerability to a misconfigured system. Maintaining Access Hackers do not want to get in and then get locked out. This phase is about establishing a persistent presence. A hacker might install a backdoor or a rootkit where malicious software allows us to return to the system at any time, often undetected. Clearing Tracks The final step is to erase any evidence of the intrusion. This involves deleting or modifying logs and other system files. A skilled black hat hacker will leave no trace, making it incredibly difficult for a company’s security team to figure out what happened, how they got in, and what they took. Ethical Hacking and Its Demand The global demand of cybersecurity positions is about 3.5 million in 2025. This has seen a 68% jump from 2020 thus emerging as an in-demand field for growth opportunities across industries. The career progression path for a cybersecurity specialist can look like: The top hiring sectors include: Skills Required for a Career in Cybersecurity Certifications CEH Certification: The Certified Ethical Hacker credential by EC-Council is globally recognized as the standard for ethical hacking. OSCP Certification: The Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) is one of the most respected and challenging penetration testing certifications in cybersecurity. Tools and platforms What Your Career Could Look Like Cybersecurity is an evolving field that is always presenting new challenges. The constant battle between offense and defense means there is no room for complacency. Events like the geopolitical conflicts we see today highlight just how critical our work is. A skilled cybersecurity professional is one of the most valuable assets a company or even a nation can have. For those serious about this path, an online program can provide the structured learning you need. For example, the MCA from Online Manipal is designed to equip you with the expertise needed to excel. The curriculum includes key concepts like ethical hacking, network security, and cryptography, giving you a comprehensive education to protect digital infrastructures and become a valuable asset in this critical field.
Essential AI Tools to Boost Your BCA & MCA Learning Journey Imagine you are a fresh graduate out there in the job market, and you have received your first offer. How cool would it be if you were already acquainted with the tools the team uses? It will lead to less training and cut down the awkward sessions of getting to know a tool. So, learners, if you’re seeking AI tools for BCA students and AI tools for MCA students that give you a serious head start, you’re in the perfect place. This blog will help you understand the tools geared toward advanced tech roles, as AI is the future. These tools make learning easier, coding smarter, and projects more impressive, all while helping you build real-world skills employers love. Let’s jump into understanding the best AI tools for students that help them study, create, and code. Give this a read: Is it worth doing an MCA after a BCA? AI Coding & Development Tools Coding something always leaves the recipient feeling very complicated. Like they have to stare at an error for hours, wherein it would just be a semicolon (;) that got missed. And remembering the syntax is very hard. This is where AI can be a great help. Say hello to the AI coding tools for students that guide you while you learn. Read this: Top 20 coding questions you should know GitHub Copilot GitHub Copilot is one of the best AI coding tools. It suggests the entire line of code as you type. Further, it plays a major role in helping debug errors. Further, it teaches users to apply smart logic through examples. It is often perfect for programming languages like Java, Python, and probably for web development assignments. Play around here: https://github.com/features/copilot Replit + Ghostwriter If you are looking for an application to help you bring your app/website idea to life, Replit is your perfect solution. It gives the feel of having a fully professional, functional development team at your beck and call. It is an online coding application and hence, a separate installation is not required. Further, it provides real-time AI suggestions, helping improve the code. It is a great fit for student group projects. Try it here: https://replit.com/signup Tabnine In a time when no data is safe, Tabnine is the kind of AI code assistant that helps simplify software development by ensuring code is private, secure, and compliant. Its unique feature is its ability to intelligently predict entire lines or blocks of code based on context, not just the next word or symbol. It integrates with many programming languages, enabling cleaner, faster code without compromising standards. This makes it one of the AI coding tools for students, helping them to boost their technical confidence and speed. Have a look at it here: https://www.tabnine.com/ AI Tools for Machine Learning Planning on being a data scientist, ML engineer, or an AI developer? The tools below are a great addition to your knowledge hub, as they help you master machine learning coding. An interesting find: How does BCA help IT professionals with diplomas? TensorFlow and PyTorch Being two of the most powerful deep learning frameworks, students use TensorFlow and PyTorch to assist in training neural networks, performing computer vision tasks, and exploring AI research. They are widely used in the industry and a major plus for future careers. Take a look at it here: TensorFlow: https://www.tensorflow.org/ PyTorch: https://pytorch.org/ Scikit-learn Are you looking for a free and open-source library that will help you teach supervised and unsupervised learning in machine learning? Then Scikit-learn is the best application to get started with your skills. It is a beginner-friendly machine learning library that supports classification, clustering, and predictive analytics. It’s a perfect tool for students to build their first ML models with real-world datasets. Have a look at it https://scikit-learn.org/stable/ Jupyter Notebooks Imagine if there was a place where students could write and test the code along with being able to visualize data, then that place would be Jupyter Notebooks. This allows learners to write and test code, visualize data, and create shareable project reports bringing all in one place. Machine Learning enthusiasts dpepend on it for structured and interactive learning. Try it here: https://jupyter.org/ IBM Studio IBM Watson Studio provides a complete AI project environment that helps students build, train, and deploy machine learning models with drag-and-drop ease. It’s also great for teamwork in academic projects. Play around here: https://www.ibm.com/products/watson-studio Google Cloud AI Google Cloud AI provides access to ready-made ML tools like Vision AI, natural language processing, and AutoML. Learners can test enterprise-level AI solutions and build scalable applications just like tech pros. Look at it here: https://cloud.google.com/ai H2O.ai It is a leading open-source platform for automated machine learning. Learners can come up with high-accuracy models without wanting deep mathematical expertise, which makes it ideal for beginners. Play around here: https://h2o.ai/ Research and Learning Tools There is no end to learning. It is a continuous arc that keeps going at every stage of your career. And in this AI age, it is very helpful to know that there are several tools that can put information at your fingertips. ChatGPT There is no need to explain ChatGPT. ChatGPT helps learners to simplify concepts, take charge of the ideation process for projects, and even make the best use of its information during interviews. When used responsibly, it becomes a powerful learning accelerator for BCA and MCA grads, among others. Use it here: https://chatgpt.com/ Also read: OpenAI’s study mode and Gemini student plan Mindgrasp AI There comes a time when you might need to convert lectures into PDFs, or maybe need a quick summary about a YouTube video. All this can be easily converted with the Mindgrasp AI. This saves hours of reading time, which can be a huge lifesaver for learners when they need to prepare for a presentation or during exam times. Play with it here: https://www.mindgrasp.ai/ LanguageTool This is one such tool that supports multi-language grammar checks and is great for those who prefer open-source alternatives. It also ensures originality and professionalism in every academic document. Give it a try here: https://languagetool.org/ Creative & UI/UX Tools Listed below are some of the most sort after AI tools that will bring out the creative angle in everyone who are interested. With no formal design knowledge but with utmost creativity, these tools can be mastered. Canva AI Canva AI is a valuable tool for students to create polished presentations, striking posters, and engaging project visuals using innovative design suggestions. Its templates make creativity efficient and accessible for beginners. Try it here: https://www.canva.com/en_in/ Figma with AI Plugins Figma has made a bug name to itself when it comes to creating intuitive websites. It automates UI layout creation, prototyping, and asset generation, making it way easier for learners to build app interfaces even without advanced design skills. Try it here: https://www.figma.com/community/design-tools Runway ML Runway ML enables AI-powered video editing and visual effects that look extremely professional. Learners working on media or final-year projects love how fast creativity transforms into output. Have a look here: https://runwayml.com/ Productivity & Collaboration Tools Getting work done and in the right way is of the utmost importance for every working professional. Below are some of the tools that help to crack productivity at peak work hours. Notion AI Meetings are non-negotiable while working, and there will be a ton to attend. But how will one remember every word that was said in every meeting? This is where Notion AI can be used to the best effect. It helps organize lecture notes, automate tasks, and create smart knowledge hubs for every subject. It’s a digital study assistant that boosts productivity effortlessly. Try it here: https://www.notion.com/product/ai Trello with AI features With so many tasks piling up, it is very important to organize them based on the completed, pending, important, backlogged, and so on. Hence, Trello with AI features helps in automating project planning by suggesting task priorities and timelines. It’s especially useful for managing mini-projects and group assignments. Try it here: https://trello.com/ Otter.ai Otter.ai is the best tool that transcribes lectures and meetings, allowing students to focus on understanding instead of constantly note-taking. Perfect for revision and accessibility. Try it here: https://otter.ai/ Conclusion The era of AI is rapidly transforming how students learn and apply technology. For BCA and MCA students, having real-time experience with the best AI tools for students is no longer optional—it’s a necessity to stay ahead in today’s digital landscape. These tools not only boost technical proficiency but also nurture problem-solving, analytical, and innovative thinking. At Online Manipal, students get the perfect blend of theory and practical exposure. Through an advanced course structure, expert faculty, and real-world learning opportunities, professionals can explore how AI tools for BCA students and AI tools for MCA students drive smarter solutions in coding, analytics, and automation. It’s more than just learning as it’s about building future-ready tech professionals who can lead the AI revolution with confidence.
The 85% Rule: Networking for Real Career Growth You’ve updated your resume, polished your portfolio, and scrolled through hundreds of job listings this week. But let me tell you a crucial truth about the modern job market: sending out those applications is only giving you a 15% chance of success. The uncomfortable reality is that 85% of jobs are filled through networking and networking only. If you are still relying on an ‘apply and pray’ strategy, you’re missing out on the vast majority of career opportunities. Redefining Professional Networking Many people think networking is a formal way of asking for a job, but that is a transactional approach. And frankly, it’s pushy. True networking is about mutual growth. It is building professional connections in the digital world that ultimately help both parties. Think about the human connection in your personal life. Why do you make friends? It’s so you have someone to be there when you need a shoulder to cry on. But that connection requires effort on your part, too; you have to consistently show up for them. A network works exactly the same way. If your conversation with a connection is always ‘I-based’ – always asking what they can give you: it’s not a conversation; it’s a one-way street. You must always ask yourself: What value do I bring to the table? The Career Multiplier Effect: Accessing Hidden Opportunities I am perhaps the biggest ambassador for the Career Multiplier Effect because it has defined my entire journey. Every significant career step I’ve taken, my first internship, my part-time jobs, and my first full-time offer, came directly from my network. I actually received my first offer letter when I still had about 20 days of college left, all because someone I knew was leaving their job and offered a referral. In fact, the reason I am sharing this information with you today is because of a network connection I built six years ago. Here is how the Career Multiplier Effect works to accelerate your career advancement: Hidden Opportunities are Unlocked: Many jobs are never formally advertised. Especially in fields like media, where I work, a lot of roles exist in ‘hush-hush offices.’ Companies, particularly large ones, often lack the energy to sort through 200 different job applications. If I have a trusted connection who has worked with me for five years telling me someone is perfect for a role, why would I listen to 200 unknown resumes? Word of mouth really works well. Social Capital Outpaces Skill Capital: Because you are networking online, you are present across multiple spaces, in groups, post comments, or even carousel posts where people tag you. This continuous visibility builds your social capital. Your social capital grows faster than your skill capital. It’s what proves you have a lot of people to vouch for you and gets you a seat at the tables where real opportunities are being discussed. Insider Insights into Industry Trends: A strong network offers a huge advantage: insider insights into industries and trends before they become public. For instance, by speaking to the right people, I got early information on the Indian wig market being the ‘next big thing’. This is vital for my work in the media industry. If you have a network base out of the US or UK that keeps you updated on global social media trends (like those on TikTok), you gain an immediate competitive advantage for your local marketing strategy. How to Build a Flourishing Network To build a flourishing network that serves you over the long term, you must commit to three simple, yet critical, rules. These are the pillars of all my professional development: Be Visible: You must keep showing up. Consistent presence is key. This means being seen across your chosen professional platforms. Be Valuable: You must add value to your connections’ lives. This could be as simple as the ‘two-minute favor’ like appreciating their posts, or sending them a free resource, like a link to a webinar that aligns with their professional goals. They are people too, and you need to put in effort for them. Be Memorable: You have to bring value in a way that truly matters. If your contribution matters, it will stick in their minds. Remember: your goal is to turn initial conversations into collaborations. Sustaining Your Professional Development: The Analogy This process requires a long-term mindset. I want you to look at networking through the planting seed analogy. You don’t plant a potato seed when you’re suddenly hungry for aloo paratha. You plant the seed today, and you consistently nurture it over a period of time with water and sunlight. Only then will you be able to reap what you’ve sown. You cannot go out networking when you are desperately in need of something, because that desperation will make the interaction feel transactional and not mutual. Plant the seed today, nurture it over time, and see where it takes you. For those of you who want to combine a strategic networking approach with the high-level acumen needed to be truly valuable to your professional circle, I encourage you to explore Online MBA at Manipal Academy of Higher Education. These courses provide the rigorous framework and strategic insights necessary for transforming ambiguity into clear strategy, positioning you perfectly for maximum career advancement.
Digital Marketing: The Data-Driven Roadmap to Growth Have you ever tried to nail down a single, perfect definition for Marketing? In my experience, it’s not about one action, but the strategic planning of every action. Here’s the simplest way I can explain the difference between the components of marketing: If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying, “Circus coming to the showground Saturday,” that’s Advertising. If you put that sign on the back of an elephant and walk it through the town, that’s Promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed and the local newspaper writes a story about it, that’s Publicity. If you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s Public Relations. But if you plan the whole thing? That’s Marketing. In today’s world, though, that definition has evolved. Now, there is a critical element of performance attached to it, that’s what we call Performance Marketing. Read more: MBA in Marketing or MBA in Digital Marketing: Which Should You Pursue? The Core Strategy: Data, Creativity, and MarTech For years, I have worked at the intersection of sharp technical knowledge and a strong grasp of digital marketing channels. I believe data is the backbone of every successful strategy, helping to balance great execution with real results. When you’re making marketing decisions, they must be calculated and driven by a clear data perspective. However, I want to give you one clear byline: do not let data kill your creativity. You need both! What powers this entire high-performance approach? Marketing Tech, or MarTech Stack. This is simply a combination of tools that help you execute your performance marketing activities efficiently. It’s all about having connected systems that talk to each other to help you perform better in your campaigns and targeting initiatives. The fundamental technological pieces you must understand are: Google Tag Manager (GTM): This is a container where you can deploy all your codes (tags) from different platforms like Meta and GA4 onto your website using a single code. Meta Pixel (or Facebook Pixel): This code, found in your Meta Business Manager, allows you to track conversions and build audiences on the Meta platform. GA4 (Google Analytics 4): This is your core tool for understanding website behavior and generating valuable second-party audience segments. Read about Mastering the 7Ps of marketing mix: Comprehensive guide to get successful Decoding Your Customer: Buyer Personas One of the most important things you should keep in mind when starting your work is understanding the Buyer Persona. You need to define who you are talking to. Let me give you a personal anecdote that proves this point. When I was part of the founding e-commerce team at Godrej Nature’s Basket, the monthly online revenue was only about 20-25 thousand rupees with 10 to 15 transactions. After 18 months of work, the online revenue increased to 6 lakhs and monthly transactions hit 465! How did we achieve that huge jump? We started truly understanding the consumer profile. Here are some tips to achieve such results: Go beyond basics: When capturing customer information, you must go beyond just name, email, and phone number. You need to capture attributes like what category or specific products that person buys more. Define unknown consumers: For ad targeting, we target the unknown universe by creating fictional profiles. For example: a “25-year-old woman interested in Formula 1, watches Netflix, and is a big anime fan“. This allows you to select specific interest and behavior categories on platforms like Meta or Google to target them better. Create three personas: At any given point, I recommend you have at least three buyer persona definitions for your business to cover three different target audiences effectively. The Foundational Formula for Performance and Attribution When you are asked to prepare a campaign or run ads, there is a fundamental formula I always use for identifying the right audiences: First-party data (the low-hanging fruit): This is your own data, the phone numbers and email IDs of your existing customers (say, 5,000 consumers in the last year). Website visitor data: Audiences generated from systems like your GA4 or Meta Pixel implementation. Lookalike audiences: Audiences created on Meta or Google that are lookalikes of your first-party data or website visitors. Saved/in-market audiences: Starting from scratch on a platform to do interest and behavior targeting (Meta) or using custom data segments and in-market/affinity segments (Google). Also read: BBA in Digital Marketing: Course Guide The Attribution Mandate If you want to be a successful performance marketing professional, having the Attribution Mechanism in place is extremely critical. Attribution defined: Attribution is simply knowing which ad set, which campaign, and which platform gave you that particular inquiry, sale, or transaction. Go deep: You need to be able to go beyond the campaign level and know exactly which specific ad in that ad set gave you the transaction. Avoid disaster: Even at a CMO level, if you don’t know your attribution mechanism, you don’t know where your money is being spent. You are setting yourself up for disaster. Finally, be objectively clear about your campaign goals. You cannot run a reach and frequency awareness campaign and then expect leads from it. Fundamentally, that is wrong. The Path Ahead: Turning Knowledge into Career Growth The digital world is rewarding for those who speak the language of data, strategy, and technology. Everything we’ve discussed, from building a robust MarTech Stack to developing precise Buyer Personas and implementing rigorous Attribution, is essential for success. If you are a fresher or in middle management, you need to develop this attitude right now to succeed in senior management later. You might be interested in The future of digital marketing careers in India for 2025 The first step in transforming your career is formalizing this knowledge. By mastering these data-driven strategies, you are laying the groundwork for a successful career in the field, and a dedicated program, like Online MBA in Digital Marketing offered by Manipal University Jaipur, can provide the deep dive necessary to achieve professional excellence in Digital Marketing.
