Benefits of The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Certification

The CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) was the first certification to bring “black hat” hacking techniques to a mainstream audience of IT professionals, but why should you become an ethical hacker?

Last year popular technology news website, Beta News, discussed how ethical hacking roles were among the best in cyber security. The article referenced one of the most popular penetration testing certifications on the market, the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

The CEH was the first certification to bring “black hat” hacking techniques to a mainstream audience of IT professionals; providing the knowledge needed to properly prevent and respond to cyber criminal techniques.

Because of the popularity of this certification, thousands of professionals across the world are aiming to achieve it. If you’re considering the CEH too, you’ll want to know the benefits before you invest your time and money.

These are the benefits of CEH certification:

• Improve your knowledge of risks and vulnerabilities 
• Learn how to think like a hacker 
• It’s not just useful for penetration testers 
• The CEH will boost your salary 
• Advance your security career 
• You’ll learn to use real hacking tools 

In this article we’ll explain each of these reasons. Read on for an in-depth look at why you should achieve the certification. What are the CEH benefits?

Improve your knowledge of risks and vulnerabilities

Cyber criminals are innovators and will constantly discover new ways to attack IT infrastructure and exploit vulnerabilities.

Without a knowledge of the risks and vulnerabilities associated with your computer systems, you’ll have a difficult time keeping them secure.

 
Through studying for the CEH exam, you’ll learn how hackers assess your network to determine whether you’re a target for attack. The introductory modules within the CEH will teach you this process, so you can apply the knowledge to your own business:

• Module 1: Introduction to Ethical Hacking 
• Module 2: Footprinting and Reconnaissance 
• Module 3: Scanning Networks 
• Module 4: Enumeration 

These domains are comprehensive and form a solid foundation for understanding how vulnerabilities affect organisations on a day-to-day basis.

Learn how to think like a hacker

Achieving the CEH certification provides “white hat” IT professionals with insight into the mindset of a cyber criminal.

While battling cyber criminals with always involve reacting to threats and events as they occur, it’s far more valuable to understand how these criminals conduct their attacks and formulate strategies.

By learning how to think like a hacker, you’ll be able to take a proactive approach, looking beyond your current security strategies and policies to pinpoint areas that could be vulnerable to cyber criminals.

It’s not just useful for penetration testers

The CEH certification isn’t just for penetration testers. This versatile certification is also ideal for IT security and network professionals.

If you’re a networking professional, you’ve got the ideal baseline to build your cyber security knowledge with the CEH. The real-world knowledge taught through the CEH will be ideal for you and your team to secure your network against cyber criminals.

Even seasoned IT security professionals will get value from achieving the CEH. If you’ve taken a high-level certification, like (ISC)2’s CISSP, the CEH will build your practical network security knowledge – ideal when combined with the theory and managerial skills built through the CISSP.

The CEH will boost your salary

Achieving an industry-recognised certification is a clear benchmark for your skills and can be crucial when transitioning into rewarding new roles.

The average salary for professionals with the CEH certification is £55,000, according to data from ITJobsWatch. This increases to £67,500 and £87,000 for Penetration Tester and Senior Penetration Tester roles respectively.

The below image shows the average salaries for CEH-certified professionals, courtesy of ITJobsWatch.

Advance your security career

If you’ve already gained a solid grounding in IT and have learnt how networks work within organisations (you may have achieved CompTIA’s A+ and Network+ certifications, for example) – the CEH can provide you with a way to expand your knowledge of IT security.

If you are in this position and want to break into a rewarding role within cyber security, consider achieving the CEH alongside CompTIA’s Security+ certification. The CEH will build your knowledge of the tools and techniques used by hackers, whereas the Security+ will provide you with a foundation of IT security knowledge.

You’ll learn how to use real hacking tools

While you may have actively sought out some hacking tools to build your experience (or to satisfy your curiosity), it’s unlikely you’ve been taught the in-depth knowledge that’s required to use and understand these tools.

However, through the CEH you’ll learn how to use the tools themselves - official ethical hacking courses will typically include access to 140 real-world labs and over 2,200 hacking tools.

Learning how malicious attackers use various tools allows you to better secure your networks, applications, and other assets.

How to get your CEH certification fast

Train with Firebrand on an accelerated ethical hacking course and you’ll get certified in just 5 days. You’ll be training with the best: Firebrand has been named Accredited Training Centre of the Yearevery year since 2008.