There are a lot of external factors that play a vital role in today’s modern corporate structure. Everything and everyone is now connected to the internet, which has brought different types of loopholes to light. Cyberattacks on corporations have increased, thereby increasing the need for ethical hackers with cybersecurity certifications to prevent such attacks.
Ethical hacking has now become one of the most sought-after careers in today’s world. There are several misconceptions about ethical hacking that it is a course that requires complex technical knowledge. This is, however, not true at all. There are certifications available for all freshers with a basic understanding of computers, some coding languages and cyber hygiene that can help make a move on this career path.
The availability of such certifications has ensured that careers in cybersecurity are skyrocketing. Careers in information and cybersecurity are expected to grow 28% over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This number is 4 times the average of all other occupations.
The cybersecurity certification from EC-Council is one of the most famous training programs pursued by individuals and organisations to help prevent and defend against cyber attacks.
Here is everything you need to know about EC-Council Certifications:
What Is EC-Council?
Headquartered in New Mexico, the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants is a professional organisation that supports IT experts who manage IT systems and their security. The training programs are vendor-neutral and offer a range of topics from ethical hacking, incident handling, penetration testing and responding to forensics and encryption.
What Are The Benefits Of EC-Council Certifications?
- Career Advancement
Getting a cybersecurity certification can be a great way to help upgrade your security skillset and have real-life proof about your experience to show your current and future organisations. It helps you showcase that you know how to safeguard your organisation from any cyberattacks that may happen.
- Understand Hacker Mindset
Every IT professional is trained in some sort of security training. However, a course on ethical hacking and cybersecurity can teach you to think like hackers. This will help you keep your organisation’s data safe and secure from every angle.
- Use Real Hacker Tools
With an ethical hacking certificate from EC-Council, you will get access to real-world tools used for hacking. You will also learn how hackers use different types of infiltration programs. This ensures that you know how to secure your networks, digital assets and applications.
- Quality Assurance
When software and apps are developed in rapid development cycles, security is often neglected. An ethical hacker with specialised security training can help incorporate the best security procedures and efficiently test for any vulnerabilities in the code.
What Are The Top EC-Council Certifications?
The certifications are divided into intermediate, advanced and specialist levels.
Intermediate-level Certifications
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
IT is often misunderstood as only reactionary. Organizations spend more time keeping the bad guys out and only react when there is a real threat happening. With this certification, candidates learn how to test, hack and secure IT systems using modern techniques. However, this CEH certification is not for only professional hackers. It can also be used as an excellent supplemental certification for professionals like auditors, security professionals and anyone involved in network infrastructure. As an organization, hiring someone with an ethical hacking mind and skill set can help you see beyond the security protocols you have in place and gain access to where the weak points of your system are.
Advance-level Certifications
- EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA)
This is an advanced level certification that trains candidates in ethical hacking. It is complementary to the CEH certification as it explores the analytical phase of ethical hacking. It goes a step beyond using tools and technology and explores how to expect and analyse a favourable outcome. It allows security professionals to understand and demonstrate penetration tests and methods. This certification is useful for a career in security analysis.
- Licensed Penetration Tester
Candidates can choose this certification to standardize their base knowledge in penetration testing including methods, tools and manual hacking techniques. It is used to demonstrate that IT security professionals possess the understanding of the best penetration testing techniques and are familiar with the regulatory and organizational compliance requirements. During this course, students learn about the LPT testing framework and learn how to perform multiple penetration tests including SQL injections, exploiting LFI and FRI vulnerabilities in applications and cross-site scripting.
Specialist-level Certifications
- Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI)
This certification is designed for investigators dealing with forensic security. During this course, students gain skills to identify the digital footsteps of intruders and gather necessary information for prosecution. Forensic investigators look into such invasions, theft and violations of corporate IT usage policies and misuse of corporate IT systems.
This certification is recommended for senior forensic security professionals like system admins, law enforcement and military personnel.
- Certified Secure Programmer .NET
This certification is aimed at programmers who want to learn how to develop secure applications. The course covers topics of how to identify common security issues, implement counter-measures and incorporate the best IT practices within the development lifecycle. This ensures that security is improved and stable software is produced. The certification is for developers who already possess the .NET development skills and design and build secure web-based and Windows applications with the .NET framework.
EC-Council certifications have empowered people and organizations with cutting-edge skills to defend themselves against cyber attacks. However, gaining these skills starts with training. Koenig offers a comprehensive set of training courses in cybersecurity that may interest you.