Complete Guide To Become A Certified Ethical Hacker
Becoming a CEH is no longer as easy as it used to be, and neither is securing a job. The saturation of the job market caused by the sudden popularity of the cybersecurity industry has set very high benchmarks that candidates have to achieve. It is no longer enough to simply have knowledge of the field or identify a crucial bug in a company’s security code.
Hands-on experience is one of the key qualifications that most companies are looking out for while hiring prospective candidates. Even after you have jumped through all of these hoops, there is always the interview that may not go as expected. This is why when you are looking for a training partner to help you attain your CEH, look for one that helps with soft skills as well to help you stand out in the competition.
What Is A CEH?
Now you may have heard a lot about the CEH from colleagues or bosses and have been wondering about it and whether it would be a good fit for you. This is all the information you need about what a CEH certification is, how to go about getting one and the many benefits that come with the certification. A CEH or Certified Ethical Hacker is a certification offered by the EC Council in data security and other skills.
It deals mainly in learning how to bypass an organisation’s security features to access their network, applications and even steal critical databases (as an experiment) in the process. This is followed by sprucing up the company’s security features to make the network as impenetrable as possible. This is not all your job will consist of. There will also be network analysis, scanning for and fixing bugs in the system as well.
How To Become A CEH?
To get your cybersecurity certification, you first need to pass the CEH certification examination. The exam consists of about 125 multiple choice questions and has no negative marking. You are given 4 hours to complete and submit the entirety of the paper. The pass percentage changes from year to year with the council determining the difficulty of the questions. They do this taking the implications of real-world application into account. In most years, the cut off varies anywhere from 80% to 60%.
What Are The Criteria To Become A CEH?
There are two ways you can go about getting your certification. The first would be to complete an official training course approved by the EC Council. This training program would be at an academic institution that the EC Council has approved, an iClass platform or an accredited training centre. The second option would be available only to those that have 2 years of prior experience.
Only those that have filled this criterion can then apply directly to the council. Other requirements would be managers details so that they can verify details and a non-refundable $100 to be paid with application submission. This entire process to get registered for the ethical hacker certification examination takes 10 days to complete.
What’s The Salary Of A CEH?
Not only are there many opportunities for advancement after you receive your CEH certification because of the demand for individuals who possess the accreditation. There is also a substantial pay raise involved for those who have completed the certification. It is about a 22% raise for those who are new to cybersecurity.
Seasoned professionals who know how to network can expect a whopping 60% increase in their paycheck. This is the salary that comes attached to only a CEH certification. The pay will be much higher for those that have other credentials to back them up like other certifications or business/management training.
Who Hires A CEH?
Almost every business with online data will hire you. They will either hire you as a freelance security professional or as a part of the company with the added benefits. Your career in ethical hacking will take you to whatever industry you wish to go to because the demand is so high.
Conclusion
What you need to help you get a CEH certification is the best training partner available. Koenig Solutions is a leading IT training firm and has helped many aspiring professionals obtain their CEH by training them on both the practical side and their soft skills.
