The International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants, simply known as EC-Council is an American company that specializes in providing candidates with cybersecurity certifications, training, education and services in the cybersecurity field. Currently, the company is located in New Mexico (Albuquerque) and has already certified more than 237,000 individuals all over the world.
EC-Council was established by Jay Bavisi and Haja Mohideen after the September 11 attacks to equip professionals with the latest skills required to protect against such attacks. One of the most popular certification programs is CEH. It was launched by Haja Mohideen in 2003 and has been designed for white hat hackers and by the year 2007 this program could be taken in more than 60 countries worldwide. According to the updates made in 2010, the employees of Department of Defense who are engaged in the jobs related to computer security, have to obtain the CEH certification. The current version of this certification is CEH v11 was issued in Sept. 2020.
Services and Products
EC-Council offers a wide range of services and products, such as the following ones:
- EC-Council CodeRed: represents a learning platform that offers a collection of 4,000 video lessons;
- ECCU (EC-Council University): provides its candidates with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cybersecurity;
- EC-Council Aware: a training app launched in 2020 for Android and iOS to develop one’s skills in cybersecurity;
- EC-Council CyberQ: a cloud-based cyber platform intended to develop cyber goals through automating the process of implementing cloud technology;
- EC-Council Global Services: it’s the consulting services department that relate to the EC-Council Group and specializes in offering such services as penetration testing, incident response, and vulnerability;
- EC-Council events: EC-Council arranges a number of IT security conferences, such as Hacker Halted, Global CISCO Forum, Global CyberLympics, among many.
Certifications
The certifications offered by this vendor falls into 6 paths and include:
1. Fundamentals:
- EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist (ECES) - introduction to the field of cryptography. It is intended for students and professionals.
- EC-Council Certified Security Specialist (ECSS)- helps students to learn the fundamanentals as well as develop their skills in three different domains, such as network security, information security, and computer forensics.
2. Core
- Certified Network Defender (CND) –is intended for candidates who wish to develop skills in network security and defense. Thus, you will learn secure networking practices and be able to harden computing systems in the given IT infrastructure.
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) one of the most sought-after designation, will equip you with the latest skills in attack detection and prevention, attack vectors, information security threats, methodologies, procedures, and more. You will be knowledgeable of the latest tools and techniques to lawfully hack an organization and be able to implement them.
- CEH Master is the next step that candidates have to take in their career as an Ethical Hacker. It testifies that you possess more advanced skills in this area, can deal with the real –world challenges that occur at your workplace, can react quickly and appropriately, and successfully.
- Network Defense Architect (CNDA) certification is intended for employees from Military Agencies or Government Agencies. Here, you will develop skills in integration of the network infrastructure. But, before obtaining this designation, gaining the CEH accreditation is a must.
3. Advanced
Licensed Penetration Tester (LTP) is designed for candidates who wish to be the best in this sphere. It proves your skills in penetration testing and professional security.
The Certified Penetration Tester (CPENT) is about how skilled you are at executing a penetration test in the enterprise network environment, as well as how proficient you are in attacking, exploiting, evading, and defending.
Advanced Penetration Testing testifies (APT) that you are equipped with the necessary skills to carry out an effective penetration test in the network environment of an enterprise.
The three more certifications contained in this track include Certified Blockchain Professional (CBP), Advanced Network Defense, Certified SOC Analyst (CSA).
4. Management
The Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) validates that you are experienced enough to apply for the highest executive levels in the information security domain.
5. Security Awareness
The Certified Secure Computer User (CSCU) verifies one’s knowledge and skills to secure the given information assets.
6. Specialist
- The Certified Incident Handler (E|CIH) certification validates your skills to control and respond to security issues, secure organizations from potential attacks and treats.
- Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) is designed for IT professionals who are engaged in such spheres as incident response, computer forensics, and system security. They are experienced enough to prevent future attacks, by investigating, recording, and reporting cybercrimes.
- The rest certifications offered in this track include Certified Cloud Security Engineer (CCSE), Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst (CTIA), Application Security Engineer – Java (CASE – Java), Certified Application Security Engineer (CASE) - .NET, Disaster Recovery Professional (EDRP).
Salary
Speaking of the salary you can earn per year after obtaining one or several designations, they are the following ones:
- EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist - from $71,384 to $111,041
- EC-Council Certified Security Specialist - $51,000- $83,000
- EC-Council Certified Network Defender - $67,000-$126,500
- EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker - $79,500-$109,500
- EC-Council CEH Master - $88,911 - $147,500
- EC-Council Network Defense Architect - $57,000-$131,000
- EC-Council Penetration Tester - $98,000-$137,500
- EC-Council Certified Chief Information Security Officer $132,500-$183,500
- EC-Council Certified Incident Handler $79,213 - $100,341
- EC-Council Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator $63,000-$107,000