Let us answer some questions so that we can establish what is an Ethical Hacker.
Is Ethical Hacking the same as Pen Testing?
Basically no, although some would say that there is a very thin line between ethical hacking and penetration testing and the terms are commonly used interchangeably.
Pen testing could be seen as a sub section of ethical hacking. It is a more concentrated and defined aspect of ethical hacking. Ethical hacking is an all round term which includes all hacking and cyber attack methods.
Where does the Certified Ethical Hacker course fit in?
The CEH program provides a broad foundation to all cyber security professionals, not just penetration testers. Penetration testing represents a small (albeit vocal) percentage of all cyber security jobs. Penetration testing certainly garners the most attention in cyber security, but it is far from the largest pool of job openings.
CEH is a foundation based course and qualifies you for a wide range of careers within cyber security. CEH is required for 4 very different jobs including incident responder and auditor.
Who are the certification board?
ANSI is a certification body using international standards to ensure your certification meets proper criteria. Gaining ANSI accreditation is time consuming and rigorous and its purpose is clear; to provide third party verification. Ensuring that your certificate program meets the highest of standards and is crafted with sound learning principles.
Is CEH recognised within the UK?
Yes, it is recognised in the UK. To prove this just go to a recruitment site such as Job Site and type in CEH and then use London as the location. You will see that most of the positions list CEH as one of the preferred qualifications. These include jobs such as Information Security Manager, Penetration Tester and Senior Cyber Security Analyst as examples.
To be honest, the Certified Ethical Hacker qualification is recognized just about everywhere around the world, especially since it is accredited by ANSI and recognized by DoD 8570 and GCT.
