Certified Ethical Hackers utilize the expertise and tools of malevolent attackers in order to discover vulnerabilities in the computer systems of a company. A CEH will implement the recommended preventative, corrective, and protective steps to secure the target system before an actual breach can take place after conducting an assessment of the security posture of the system being targeted. Because the CEH certification is manufacturer-agnostic, certified ethical hackers are able to defend a diverse array of systems regardless of their brand. Courses and degrees, including CEH certification prep and CEH training programs that are aligned with the curriculum of EC-Certified Council’s Ethical Hacker, are offered by various educational institutions, including universities, colleges, and online platforms.
The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification is EC-most Council’s well-known and in-demand professional qualification.
Penetration tester, network security specialist, ethical hacker, security consultant, site administrator, and auditor are examples of typical job titles for people who have earned the CEH certification. Becoming CEH certified not only opens the door to significant corporate job opportunities but also opens the door to lucrative security positions in the government IT sector. This is because the CEH is endorsed and used by the National Security Agency (NSA), the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS), and the Department of Defense (DoD) as a standard for vetting people and contractors with privileged access to sensitive data. In addition to the significant corporate job opportunities, becoming CEH certified opens the door to lucrative security positions in the government IT sector.
The Certified Ethical Hacker certification will, according to the EC-Council, strengthen the application knowledge of security officers, auditors, site administrators, security professionals, and anyone else who is concerned about the integrity of the network infrastructure. This is said to occur from a vendor-neutral point of view. The certification may help professionals stand out by demonstrating that they have the appropriate theoretical foundation, along with the practical skills and experience necessary to strengthen an organization’s IT infrastructure. This is necessary for the certification. A CEH should be able to detect problem areas using tools and methods that are more effective than those that can be identified by scanning software.
At the present time, a certification is considered to be one of the qualifications for professionals that are in the highest demand. Directive 8570 of the United States Department of Defense includes it as a necessary standard for Computer Network Defenders Service Providers (CND-SP), and it is also consistent with ANSI 17024.
1. Qualifications needed to take the CEH test
According to most sources, there are two different paths that professionals can take in order to fulfill the requirements for the CEH certification and become eligible for the CEH test.
i. Participate in formal training offered by a provider of recognized training such as Infosec. If you successfully finish an approved training course, you will not be subject to any additional CEH requirements, nor will you be required to take any further steps in the application process.
ii. Try taking the test without any prior official preparation. Candidates need to be authorized through the CEH application procedure in order to be eligible for testing, even if they have not attended any training. They are required to have a minimum of two years of professional experience working in the field of information security. They will be required to complete the Eligibility Application Form (which can be found at https://cert.eccouncil.org/Exam-Eligibility-Form.html), and send it to cehapp@eccouncil.org for approval, and pay the eligibility cost of $100.
- The time it takes to complete an application ranges from five to 10 business days. In the event that applicants do not get a response within this time frame, they are encouraged to email cehapp@eccouncil.org.
2. Preparation for Exam
The most current modification for the CEH, version 4.0 of the CEH Exam Blueprint, was released in January 2021. Although the test is now only on its fourth iteration, you should be prepared to answer questions using CEH v11 if you take training from EC-council because they are currently on version 11 of their materials.
The following items are included in the list of CEH v4 subjects (CEH v11 objectives):
- Providing an Overview of Information Security and Ethical Hacking (6 percent )
- Reconnaissance Techniques (21 percent )
- Methods of Attack and Hacking Phases Employed in Systems (17 percent )
- Hacking of Networks and Their Borders (14 percent )
- Hacking of Web Application Systems (16 percent )
- Hacking of wireless network security (6 percent )
- Hacking on Mobile Platforms, the Internet of Things, and OT (8 percent )
- Computing in the Cloud (6 percent )
- The art of ciphering (6 percent )
This test of your general knowledge covers the abilities that experts in the relevant field consider essential to your success in the field.
The following is a list of subjects (subdomains) that will be covered on the CEH exam that the students will need to focus their study time on in order to be successful:
- The process of foot-trapping and scouting
- Examination of the network
- Enumeration
- Vulnerability analysis
- Dangers posed by malware
- Investigating the use of social engineering
- Denial of service attacks or DOS
- Session hijacking
- Intrusion Detection System Mitigation and Bypass – IDS, Firewalls, and Honeypots
- Server hacking
- Injection of SQL syntax
3. Registering yourself for CEH certification
Once you think you are prepared to take the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker exam, you may register for it.
According to the information provided on the EC-Council website, you need to register for the CEH test at least three days before the date that you want to take it, and it can be done in two ways listed below:
- You can register to take the exam at a traditional testing facility by using Pearson VUE, or you can register for the exam online using ProctorU.
- You will be required to take the exam in the presence of a proctor, either physically or online, regardless of which option you select. Remember that in order to take the exam, you will need to first pass an equipment test if you want to use remote proctoring. This is something you should keep in mind.
Obtaining the CEH certificate is highly recommended for people who are serious about succeeding in this line of work. At the present time, the certification is considered to be one of the qualifications for IT professionals that are in the highest demand.
