What is Certified Ethical Hacker – CEH?

It is difficult for a layperson to understand ethical hacking practices, preventive countermeasures, and attack vendors. Often business owners do not know how to set up a secure infrastructure to defend against hacker attacks. It is where the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) training comes in handy. It teaches you how a hacker will think and act when attacking a system by providing an understanding of its weaknesses and vulnerabilities. CEH helps you learn to protect your system and strengthen the security controls to minimize the risk of malicious hacker attacks.

What is a Certified Ethical Hacker?

A Certified Ethical Hacker is a professional who knows how to investigate the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of a system and try to defend it from malicious attacks. A CEH uses the same tools and knowledge as an illegal hacker but uses it lawfully to assess the security facilities of a particular system. The Certified Ethical Hacker course is designed to incorporate a systematic process in the ethical hacking domain and give individuals the opportunity to acquire the required knowledge and skills to become ethical hackers.

Do you know what CEH v11 is? It is the 11th version of the certification which has evolved with the latest technologies, tools, operating systems, tactics, etc., to help individuals gather knowledge on ethical hacking practices.

How to Become a Certified Ethical Hacker?

The International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) administers the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification. The security professionals interested in the certification must attempt an ethical hacker examination certified by the EC-Council that includes 125 questions. The council extends eligibility to the following individuals:

• Professionals who have at least two years of experience in information security or similar fields.
• Professionals who have completed the CEH training course under the guidance of the EC-Council.

The CEH certification is a well-recognized cybersecurity credential that can open various career opportunities for professionals. It is essential to understand the multiple steps to becoming a certified ethical hacker to have a successful career in the field.

Here is a brief about how to become a certified ethical hacker.

1. Earn a degree in any IT field 

If you are wondering how to get certified as an ethical hacker, you must first pursue a degree in any IT field. This will provide the individual with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to become an ethical hacker. The degree should be related to computer science, computer engineering, information systems, or any other related field. This will provide the individual with the foundation they need to be successful in their ethical hacking career.

2. Apply for CEH Certification Examination 

Once the individual has completed their degree, they are ready to apply for the CEH Certification Examination. The CEH Certification Examination is conducted by the EC-Council and is available for anyone who wishes to become an ethical hacker. The exam covers topics such as hacking techniques, countermeasures, security principles, and risk identification. The exam can be taken at any time and is proctored online. It is important to note that the applicant must be at least 18 years old and have a valid ID to be eligible to take the exam.

3. Pay the CEH Certification Fees 

Once the individual has applied for the CEH Certification Examination, they will need to pay a fee to take the exam. The ethical hacker qualification fee can be paid online using a credit card or PayPal. It must be paid before the exam can be taken.

4. Prepare for CEH Certification 

To become a certified ethical hacker, preparing for the CEH certification examination is essential. The applicants must thoroughly understand the topics related to ethical hacking, such as network security, application security, cloud security, cryptography, and malware analysis. The best ethical hacking certification applicants can use various resources such as books, videos, and websites to prepare for the examination. The exam covers various topics, so it is essential to study and practice the material before taking the exam. It is recommended to use online resources such as the EC-Council’s website or practice tests to prepare for the exam.

5. Take the CEH Examination 

Once the individual has paid the fee and prepared for the exam, they are ready to take the CEH Certification Examination. The examination is conducted in multiple locations, and the applicants must arrive at the examination center at least 30 minutes before the scheduled time. The examination consists of 125 multiple-choice questions, and the applicants must answer them in 4 hours.

6. Qualify the passing score 

The applicants must obtain a minimum passing score of 70% in the CEH certification examination to become certified ethical hackers. The score is calculated based on the number of correct answers provided by the applicants. In addition, the applicants must also pass the practical examination to become certified ethical hackers. The practical examination consists of 20 scenarios, and the applicants must answer them within 3 hours.

Certified Ethical Hacker Job Description

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) plays a significant role in the growing IT security field. The CEH job description involves blocking malicious hacking attempts by using preventive countermeasures. Ethical hackers use various techniques and tools to compromise the systems and ensure their safety.

The hackers use the same applications as malicious hackers to find the vulnerabilities associated with the system to improve its cybersecurity. Ethical hackers who have taken paid Cyber Security training get hired by businesses to ensure data protection.

Now, the question is – what does a Certified Ethical Hacker do? A CEH’s job description includes the following responsibilities.

• Discuss the security system with the clients. 
• Research the organization’s name, network, possible penetration sites, etc. 
• Conduct various penetration tests on the system. 
• Identify and note security breaches and flaws. 
• Identify high-level security areas. 
• Rate or review the security network. 
• Suggest security upgrades after inspection. 
• Arrange penetration test reports and submit them to the client. 
• Conduct penetration tests after implementing new security measures. 
• Suggest alternate security upgrades.

Certified Ethical Hacker Skills

Individuals must know the skills required to become certified ethical hackers to excel in this field. So, what do ethical certified hackers do? Ethical hacking requires a multitude of skills discussed below.:

1. Computer and Networking Skills

The crucial prerequisites to becoming an ethical hacker involve sound knowledge of computers and networking systems. So, the aspirants must have the core knowledge associated with both fields to defend against attacks in the future.

2. Operating System

Knowledge of operating systems is another crucial skill required to become an ethical hacker. You have to learn concepts like Linux, Red Hat, Ubuntu, etc. if you want a CEH certification.

3. Penetration Testing

You must have hands-on experience and knowledge of the tools and methodologies associated with penetration testing to become a certified ethical hacker. 

4. Coding Knowledge

You must have strong programming skills to succeed in the ethical hacking field. You can take formal training in analyzing or reading codes to identify their malicious vulnerabilities. 

5. Cybersecurity

It is significant for you to understand the concepts associated with cybersecurity, like antivirus, database management, password management, etc., to excel in the ethical hacking field. 

6. Problem-solving

Cyberattacks have become complex with time and technological advancements. So, you must have critical and analytical reasoning skills as an ethical hacker to solve the issues and challenges. 

Certified Ethical Hacker Certification

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification is currently in its 11th version and is also called the CEH v11. It teaches the aspirants about the latest commercial-grade hacking tools, methodologies, techniques, etc., used by hackers and security professionals to hack an organization legally. Now, what is a CEH-certified ethical hacker? We will discuss the critical updates associated with CEH v11 below to understand the work of a CEH-certified hacker.

1. Parrot Security OS

The operating system offers better performance on lower-powered machines and laptops. It also provides an in-depth understanding of a larger repository of OS tools. 

2. NICE/NIST Framework

CEH v11 includes significant specialty areas under the NICE/NIST Framework’s job category, having elements like Protect and Defend (PR) roles, Analyze (AN), and Security Provision (SP). 

3. Cloud Security, OT, And IoT Modules

CEH v11 includes updated IoT and cloud security modules to integrate container technologies, cloud computing threats, and IoT hacking tools. 

4. Cloud Computing Threats

Organizations struggle to defend themselves against data security theft incidents because of misconfigured cloud environments. CEH v11 helps you to identify, respond, and avoid cloud-based attacks. 

5. IoT Threats

You can learn to defend against IoT-based attacks in private cloud services by taking the CEH v11 certification, as it covers the latest IoT hacking tools. 

6. OT Attacks

You can gain IT, IIoT, and OT expertise to secure critical operational technology deployments by learning the advanced skills in CEH v11. 

7. Malware Analysis

CEH v11 incorporates the latest malware analysis tools and techniques for banking, financial malware, ransomware, OT malware analysis, etc. 

8. Fileless Malware

Fileless malware attacks have become common in today’s security threats. So, you can get in-depth knowledge of the endpoint security solutions for such attacks by choosing CEH v11. 

9. New Operating Systems

CEH v11 includes the latest operating systems like Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows 10, etc., configured with firewalls, domain controllers, and other vulnerable web applications. 

The CEH examination includes 125 multiple questions, and you get four hours to complete them. You must answer 70% of the questions successfully if you want to pass the test. You can choose the KnowledgeHut Certified Ethical Hacker course to gain in-depth knowledge of all the skills associated with ethical hacking.

Certified Ethical Hacker Salary

Certified Ethical Hackers (CEH) are among the highest-paid professionals, and they have a huge demand across various sectors. The average salary of a certified ethical hacker is $105,329. The salary range is between $93,961 and $120,164. In India, the average salary of an ethical hacker is Rs. 509,679. The average monthly salary of a hacker is between Rs. 29,000 and Rs. 41,000.

Final Thoughts

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification enables security professionals to identify and understand the potential threats to a system. It helps them learn the tools, technologies, and methodologies required to defend against malicious hacker attacks and other threats to a security system. CEH v11 is the latest version of the certification course, which is available online.

Certified ethical hackers are responsible for analyzing an organization’s security system and potential threats and suggesting security solutions to curb them. IT security risks and threats have become complex with time. So, certified ethical hackers can help defend against such challenges through their in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience.