Everything You Need To Know About CEH Certification — Certified Ethical Hacker
Becoming a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is a professional competitive advantage in the emerging digital economy. As the name suggests, CEH is a dual role agent to improve modern digital life. As a qualified professional, a certified ethical hacker understands digital systems and their weaknesses. They understand the mindset of malicious hackers, and knowing how these people think, CEH training can develop defenses in the systems they review. The end result is a beautiful firewall that protects consumer and business applications. As a complete guide to the CEH exam, you have confidence that you can protect the safety of those who choose to adopt a digital lifestyle.
While the term “ethical hacker” may seem like an oxymoron at first, the idea behind the phrase “to beat a hacker you have to think like that”. With this slogan, the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) provides ethical certification to hackers.
The term Certified Ethical Hacker was originally used to describe someone who has the necessary skills as a hacker, but whose moral code prevents them from remaining in legal business. In the recent years, the term ethical hacker has encompassed all security professionals who offer offensive services, be they red teams, pent esters, or offensive freelance consultants.
The EC-Council organization certifies professionals in a wide range of skills and knowledge in the field of e-business and security. Their stated aim which is to “check information security professionals who are skilled with crucial skills and understanding in a specific area of information security to prevent cyber conflicts when necessary.”
Their goal is to “certify information security professionals who are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge in specific areas of information security to prevent cyber conflicts when necessary.”
The Council of the European Commission has certified more than 237,000 security specialists from private and public companies. They have members who work for IBM, Microsoft, the US military, the FBI, and the UN.
What is a Certified Ethical Hacker?
CEH stands for Certified Ethical Hacker and is probably the most well-known of all the EC-Council Certificates available. This should show that the owner knows how to spot weak points and weak points in a computer system and has mastered the tools of malicious hackers.
Hiring cybersecurity specialists who have the knowledge to implement the tools and methods used by hackers is invaluable to any security team. A thorough understanding of the attack strategies that are likely to be used against your system is critical to establishing adequate countermeasures. With overwhelming support and acceptance of CEH certificates, the security industry has signaled that there must be a reliable way to identify people with these skills.
Possession of a CEH certificate indicates that the holder has acquired the basic skills to work in the following roles, among others:
• Security Analyst
• Computer Forensic Analyst
• Security Specialist
• Penetration Tester
• Safety Engineer
• Security Code Auditor
• Malware Analyst
• Security Advisor
The introduction of CEH by industry has reinforced the idea that ethical hacking is not only a useful skill but a respected profession. Acceptance has given legitimacy to a subset of computing and networking skills that were once only pursued by malicious participants.
What are the requirements for the CEH exam?
CEH certification applications are evaluated to meet one of three categories. Candidates must meet one of the following criteria to take the exam:
Suppose the candidate is under 18 years of age. In this case, the applicant is not allowed to take formal training or take certification exams unless he/she has written approval from his/her parents or legal guardians and a statement of support from a state-recognized university or by educational institutions.
CEH certification requirements are not as stringent as many other popular professional cybersecurity certificates. For this reason, the CEH is often seen as an entry-level certification but is undoubtedly mandatory for anyone looking for a job of an unpleasant nature.
How much does it cost to get a CEH certificate?
The total cost of professional certification will vary based on the applicant’s experience and educational background. In addition to registration fees, examination fees and training fees, self-study materials may be purchased and certificate maintenance costs will be taken into account.
A non-refundable application fee of US$100 will be charged for all exam candidates. The approval process for applications usually takes five to ten working days after the Council of the European Commission has received all the required information. Once the application is approved, the applicant must purchase an exam voucher at the Council of the European Commission’s online shop or from an authorized training partner. The EC Council does not set a minimum price for exam vouchers for its authorized partners; However, the voucher at the EC Council Store costs $1,199.00.
Finally, the training must be organized by the Council of the European Commission or a training partner. Often the price of the exam voucher is included in the price of the CEH course. Suppose a candidate has applied for an exam using their professional experience as a qualifying factor and chooses not to attend an official European Commission Council training course. In this case, you can schedule your examination as soon as it is approved.
The EC-Council CEH training course covers both defensive and offensive methods and strategies. As applicants learn more about control and countermeasures, they also learn how to get past and overcome these defenses. CEH’s basic online training package, led by instructors, is priced at $1,899.00. This includes one year’s access to training modules, training software, iLabs, and exam vouchers.
The direct ethical hacker rate, certified by the EC Council, is $2,999. Check with the EC Council about the availability of live courses during the coronavirus pandemic.
CEH certification is maintained through the acquisition of 120 credits for professional development (CPE) over three years. Credits can be earned in many ways, including attending conferences, writing research papers, teaching courses in related fields, reading materials on related topics, and attending webinars. In most cases, CPE credits cost several hundred dollars to purchase each year.
The question applicants should ask themselves when considering professional certification is, “Is it ultimately worth it?” For CEH, the answer is usually “yes”. This favorable ROI is especially true for applicants seeking to work in positions that require an understanding of offensive methods to strengthen their organization’s defenses.
Deep dive in the CEH exam:
The CEH exam consists of 125 multiple choice questions. Applicants have four hours to sit for the CEH exam. Because all questions have multiple options, examinees rarely run out of time during an exam. Many candidates report that they only need two to three hours for the test.
The EC-Council uses various forms of examination. An exam form is a series of questions maintained as a test version. The EC-Council uses a scoring process for each question to ensure that each of the many forms of assessment reflects an equal assessment of the assessor’s knowledge.
The post-exam report shows that the topics covered include hacking methods, scanning methods, port scan types, and expected response. Knowledge of tools such as Nmap, Wireshark, Snort, OpenSSL, Netstat and Hoping is considered useful for test takers.
People who have taken the exam invariably report that the exam is challenging and that adequate training is required before taking the exam — many people spend months studying preparing for the CEH exam.
Successful candidates often report that a measured curriculum consisting of a few hours per day over a long period of time makes sense. There are many practice tests available online.
If you take the exam at a physical exam center, the exam will be supervised by the authorized personnel of the exam center. The exam can be taken at the Pearson VUE testing center. The EC Council has Pearson VUE testing centers in many of its accredited training centers.
CEH exam scores can vary between 60% and 85% depending on which exam form or question bank is retained for a particular exam. Because the difficulty level of each question bank is different, the corresponding results will also change.
CEH salary information:
Because CEH certification covers a wide range of security roles in many types of organizations, average salaries also vary. Obtaining this certificate naturally qualifies the candidate for promotion to a higher paying position or entitles him to additional pay in his current position.
Given the high demand for experienced cybersecurity professionals in today’s market, acquiring a CEH opens the door to entry-level and intermediate-level positions. Additional professional certifications should be considered as security professionals develop. Read more about how to choose the best cybersecurity certificate here.
According to Indeed Job Sites, the average salaries for cybersecurity professionals who frequently require or compensate for CEH certification are as follows:
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the job outlook for information security analysts will increase 31 percent from 2019 to 2029. This expected increase is much faster than the average job growth rate.
Summing up:
For safety professionals looking to demonstrate to their current or future employer that they have the knowledge and skills to think like the enemy, CEH is likely the best choice for professional certification. For many, this is simply a step towards the “highest in the industry” goal, but a defining step not to be missed.
Having a CEH will distinguish a cybersecurity specialist as someone who has skills beyond just following a defined process. Instead, they are someone who can think creatively about how to stay one step ahead of their opponents.
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