Introduction
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. The most recent revisions to the exam as of this writing are found in version 6. The version 6 exam objectives are reflected in this book.
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.
For the latest exam pricing and updates to the registration procedures, call either Thomson Prometric at (866) 776-6387 or (800) 776-4276, or Pearson VUE at (877) 680-3926. You can also go to either www.2test.com or www.prometric.com (for Thomson Prometric) or
www.vue.com (for Pearson VUE) for additional information or to register online. If you have further questions about the scope of the exams or related EC-Council programs, refer to the EC-Council website at www.eccouncil.org.
