Certification of Ethical Hacking
What is Ethical Hacking?
Ethical hacking is a practice performed by skilled computer experts, or “white hats”, to effectively pinpoint vulnerable areas of a particular computer program or network. Ethical hacking is employed by various organizations or businesses (typically any entity that uses a computer network) to impede cyber criminals from accessing personal or confidential information that is stored on the underlying network.
Computer hacking is classified based on intent. Non-ethical hackers, or “black hats”, will use their skills to exploit vulnerable spots of a computer network to promote mischief or to tamper with confidential information for personal gain or other reasons. To combat the influx of computer-based crimes and the tampering of sensitive information, ethical hackers, or “white hats”, evaluate computer systems to point out these vulnerable spots (the entry points for “black hats”) of a computer system to subsequently reinforce them through the delivery of improved technologies.
As a result of this function, ethical hacking is a practice employed by many organizations and companies. Business entities will utilize ethical hacking services from full-time employees or consultants to keep their systems and information as secure as possible.
Ethical hacking is grouped into the somewhat ambiguous definition of “hacking” because the practice requires the use of advanced computer knowledge to, in some way, penetrate a computer system. Ethical hacking is considered legal because the actions are used to increase the security of a computer system.
Ethical hacking requires the breaking of a system to pinpoint vulnerable areas and to promote reinforcement. The theory behind ethical hacking is that if a white hat can break a computer system, then a black hat can use the same points of entry to promote illegal activity.
As a result of this definition, the primary goal of ethical hacking is to determine the entry point or vulnerable spot of a computer system or to create mischief with underlying programs at the specific request of the company or organization that owns the system. The underlying corporation employs ethical hacking to prevent others from attacking the system.
What is the Certification of Ethical Hacking?
The Certification of Ethical Hacking refers to a professional certification provided by the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants. An ethical hacker or an individual who obtains this certification is typically employed by an organization to test the entity’s network. The ethical hacker will penetrate the system’s network to find and fix computer security vulnerabilities.
The obtainment of the Certification of Ethical Hacking will signify that the holder of the document is trustworthy and will not use his or her abilities to tamper or steal confidential information latent in the underlying system. To obtain the Certification of Ethical Hacking an individual must pass formal coursework, which consists of 67 modules ranging in complexity. The modules will take anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours to effectively penetrate.
Requirements for the Certification of Ethical Hacking
Certification of Ethical Hacking is achieved by taking the CEH examination after attending training at an Accredited Training Center or completing a self-study course. If the candidate opts for the self-study program, an application must submit a filled out and proof of at least 2 years of relevant information security work experience. The exam attached to the Certification of Ethical Hacking is comprised of 150 multiple-choice questions. The exam costs $500 and is administered via computer at an EC-Council Accredited Training Center or a Prometric testing center.
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