A Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), also known as ‘White Hat Hacker’, is a skilled professional who uses the same methods and tools as a malicious hacker to find and fix computer and network security vulnerabilities.
Ever since the internet came into existence, network security has been a serious concern, and bad actors have used their advanced skills to exploit any network vulnerability that they can find. On the flip side, security professionals that choose to pursue the ethical hacking roadmap are the good guys who work to expose weaknesses in IT systems and remediate them before a real breach occurs.
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CEH is one of the most popular and sought after security certifications provided by the EC Council. IBM Vice President John Patrick coined the term “ethical hacking” in 1995. Let’s look at a rough outline of the ethical hacking roadmap and how to navigate it.
CEH V10 as a Certification
CEH Certification
The EC Council’s CEH, now in version 10, is an industry-standard for credentialing security professionals in the practice of ethical hacking. It focuses on the latest security threats, advanced attack vendors, and the practical, real-life application of the latest hacking techniques, methodologies, tools, techniques, and security measures. By now, most companies have already made the CEH Cert a requirement for security-related positions.
In today’s landscape, IT security and web professionals should consider following the ethical hacking roadmap to advance in their careers. Among many others, one good reason is that CEH-certified professionals typically earn 44 percent more than their non-certified peers.
Accreditation Body
The International Council of E-Commerce Consultants, or EC Council, is a member-supported organization that provides professional certification in the IT security field. Best known for its CEH certification, EC Council is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with training centers all over the world.
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Eligibility Requirements and Process
There are two routes to take on the EC Council's Ethical Hacking Roadmap and CEH career path.
1. Take official EC Council courses at either an Accredited Training Center, online through the iClass platform, or at an approved academic institution. Requirements include:
- Purchase CEH courseware found here: https://store.eccouncil.org/product/cehv10-courseware/
- Provide a non-refundable CEH cert eligibility application fee of $100
- Complete CEH exam eligibility application found here: https://cert.eccouncil.org/Exam-Eligibility-Form.html
- Purchase exam voucher from https://store.eccouncil.org/
2. Pursue the CEH certification path through self-study. Requirements include:
- Show proof of at least two years of work experience in an information security-related field
- Provide a non-refundable CEH cert eligibility application fee of $100
- Complete CEH exam eligibility application found here: https://cert.eccouncil.org/Exam-Eligibility-Form.html
- Purchase exam voucher from https://store.eccouncil.org/
CEH Certification Path - More Details
- The eligibility application takes five working days to process and post. Applicants can contact the EC Council if they haven’t received any notification.
- The application is valid for 60 days.
- The EC Council will contact the applicant’s boss or department head to verify the experience.
- Applicants have three months to take the exam after purchasing the voucher.
CEH V10 Exam Format
The CEH exam consists of 125 multiple-choice questions. The duration of the exam is four hours, and the applicant must score a minimum of 70 percent to receive the CEH cert. Contenders can schedule the test through a web portal called Prometric Prime, where they can find an official VUE Testing Center. The CEH Exam code varies at different testing centers for both web-based and VUE testing centers.
All candidates must answer questions related to information security, various hacking tools, and techniques, and will be required to decipher exploit codes, study log files, and be able to communicate output.
Retake Policy
If a candidate fails to pass the exam in the first attempt, he/she can retake it at any time it is offered again, and with no restrictions on the number of attempts. Each time, the candidate must request an Eligibility Voucher at an Authorized Certified Prometric Testing Center (APTC), and send an email to [email protected] with a scanned copy of the previous exam score. Applicants must also pay a CEH exam retake cost of $499.
Receiving the Certification
The candidate will receive the certification and a welcome kit within eight weeks of successfully passing the exam. A candidate needs to answer questions related to security, hacking tools, and techniques and will be required to decipher exploit codes, study log files, and infer output.
Certification Renewal
Candidates are required to earn 120 EC Council Continuing Education Credits (ECE) over a three-year period to maintain the certification.
CEH Instructors
The EC Council is very particular about the quality of its instructors and highly encourages security professionals who are highly experienced to become CEH participants. To become a CEH Instructor, it’s mandatory that the person is CEH certified and has solid experience in Information Security. Aspiring CEH instructors need to apply through the online Certified EC-Council Instructor (CEI) form and clear the CEH exam.
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Professionals who specialize in penetration testing tend to pursue a CEH career path. Before CEH, no certification specifically addressed malicious hackings. The certification covers all aspects of IT security from tools of the trade to ethics. According to PayScale, the average salary of a CEH is $78,093.The benefits of pursuing CEH certification include:
- Ability to beat malicious hackers at their own game.
- Knowledge of the latest security risks and vulnerabilities.
- Enhance career opportunities.
- Hands-on experience with the tools and techniques of the trade.
- Achieve a unique and respectable title.
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