The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) exam was developed by the International Council of
E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) to provide an industry-wide means of certifying
the competency of security professionals. The CEH certification is granted to those who
have attained the level of knowledge and security skills needed to perform security audits
and penetration testing of systems and network.
The CEH exam is periodically updated to keep the certification applicable to the most
recent hacking tools and vulnerabilities. This is necessary because a CEH must be familiar
with the latest attacks and exploits.
What Is CEH Certification?
The CEH certification was created to offer a wide-ranging certification, in the sense that
it’s intended to certify competence with many different makers/vendors. This certification is
designed for security officers, auditors, security professionals, site administrators, and anyone who deals with the security of the network infrastructure on a day-to-day basis.
The goal of ethical hackers is to help organizations take preemptive measures against
malicious attacks by attacking systems themselves, all the while staying within legal limits.
This philosophy stems from the proven practice of trying to catch a thief by thinking like a
thief. As technology advances, organizations increasingly depend on technology and information assets have evolved into critical components of survival.
The definition of an ethical hacker is similar to a penetration tester. The ethical hacker
is an individual who is usually employed with the organization and who can be trusted to
undertake an attempt to penetrate networks and/or computer systems using the same methods as a hacker. Hacking is a felony in the United States and most other countries. When it
is done by request and under a contract between an ethical hacker and an organization, it is
legal.
You need to pass only a single exam to become a CEH. But obtaining this certification
doesn’t mean you can provide services to a company—this is just the first step. By obtaining your CEH certification, you’ll be able to obtain more experience, build on your interest
in networks, and subsequently pursue more complex and in-depth network knowledge and
certifications.
Tips for Taking the CEH Exam
Here are some general tips for taking your exam successfully:
*Bring two forms of ID with you. One must be a photo ID, such as a driver’s license.
The other can be a major credit card or a passport. Both forms must include a
signature.
* Arrive early at the exam center so you can relax and review your study materials, particularly tables and lists of exam-related information.
* Read the questions carefully. Don’t be tempted to jump to an early conclusion. Make
sure you know exactly what the question is asking.
* Don’t leave any unanswered questions. Unanswered questions are scored against you.
* There will be questions with multiple correct responses. When there is more than
one correct answer, a message at the bottom of the screen will prompt you to either
“Choose two” or “Choose all that apply.” Be sure to read the messages displayed to
know how many correct answers you must choose.
* When answering multiple-choice questions you’re not sure about, use a process of elimination to get rid of the obviously incorrect answers first. Doing so will improve your
odds if you need to make an educated guess.
* For the latest pricing on the exams and updates to the registration procedures, visit
EC-Council’s website at www.eccouncil.org.
