The Average Salary of a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

A Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is an individual whom organizations hire to investigate the security of their online systems by trying to hack into them.

These ethical hackers, who are usually called “penetration testers,” recognize flaws in the system that an unethical hacker would exploit. By finding the hacks before a thief does, an organization can better protect itself against fraud. Nowadays, almost every organization across the world, whether it be online commerce and retail, hospitality, logistics and transport, real estate, healthcare, or any industry in between. Ethical hackers utilize some variant of ethical hacking to maintain their information the way it should be: secured! The average CEH salary ranges based on the geographics. Within each country, particular cities, states, or regions lean to pay more than others.

Median CEH Salary Ranges by Country:

United States

The average pay scale for a CEH is $71,331 per year. The salary can stretch from $24,760 to $111,502, with a bonus payoff between $0.00 and $17,500. Therefore, the total salary is roughly $24,760 – $132,322, all depending on what particular roles he or she executes, and the number of years of experience.
As a whole, a first-year CEH can presume to make around $60,000. After five to nine years of experience, that figure increases to approximately $71,000. After ten years of experience, a CEH can aspirer to earn roughly $91,500, expanding to $105,000 after 20 years.

The top five states or regions with the highest CEH salary are:

1. California– $103,459
2. Washington, D.C.- $97,081
3. Maryland– $93,768
4. New York– $92,606
5. Virginia– $92,056

CEH Salary Varies by Job Profiles:

• Cyber Security Analyst: $49,648 – $127,426
• Security Analyst: $50,180 – $126,205
• Penetration Tester: $50,684 – $126,205
• Security Engineer: $64,385 – $124,877
• Information Security Analyst: $53,743 – $106,875

Canada

In Canada, a CEH salary can ranges between C$62,288 and C$74,000 (almost $64,387 to $76,400). Those with experience of one to four years make about C$48,000. Those with 5 to 9 years earn almost C$63,300, while those with 10 to 19 years of experience in the ethical hacking field earn $C66,100 yearly.

The top five regions with the highest paying salary are:

1. New Brunswick– C$108,000
2. British Columbia- C$98,000
3. Quebec- C$75,000
4. Manitoba– C$72,166
5. Ontario– C$71,842

CEH Salary Varies by Job:

• Security Consultant: C$52,853 – C$113,044
•  Security Engineer: C$48,102 – C$135,353
• Cyber Security Analyst: C$44,335 – C$99,844
• Security Analyst: C$41,814 – C$91,895
• Penetration Tester: C$35,000 – C$96,000

How to Earn CEH Certification?

To be officially identified a CEH, an individual must be certified by the EC Council known as the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants. The EC-Council is an organization of individuals who are committed to staying up-to-date of any advanced technology advancements and distributing that knowledge to those who pass the certification exams. The Council honors itself on regularly contacting with professionals in the field and integrating examples from actual successful hacks.

The certification method requires several different components, including ethical hacking and countermeasures and penetration testing. The areas of study comprise foot-printing and survey, studying how to scan networks, viruses, system hacking, and worms, enumeration, SQL injection, denial of service attacks, hacking web applications and web servers, Trojans and backdoors, and cryptography, among others.

The program also demands all those who want to obtain the CEH title to listen to testimonials by practicing information security professionals. The idea is that by developing a community of information sharing, individual hacks are more straightforward to both detect and defeat. Many of the security professionals who give talks at the CEH training center have had comprehensive experience dealing with reasonably high profile systems which require rigorous testing regularly.

Summary

The earnings prospective of any individual is therefore very much affected not only by his or her training, but the conditions in which he chooses to work in, and his previous experience in the field. A freelance penetration tester, for instance, may charge higher “consultant” charges than a domestic CEH, based on that particular individual’s experience with the organization.

A software professional who determines to become certified may or may not experience an equivalent rise in salary based on the policies of his employer, and how much that certification and its equivalent skills are measured within the organization. Also, it is determined by the country you reside in; for example, the United States has a higher salary scale with the five jobs listed above, compared to Canada. CEH positions are challenging, interesting, and play exceptionally well, aspiring professionals to consider CEH as an excellent career booster.

If you want to get off from the beaten track, have a sharp eye for solving issues and a passion for security, the CEH certification is an excellent way for you to moveforward in your career.

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How You Can Practice CHFI Skills at Work

How would a computer hacking forensic investigator certification be helpful in a typical workplace? It seems like something out of an episode of CSI where people require to catch the bad guys through their computers or phones.

CHFI comprises identifying cyber-attacks, evaluating the issue to stop future attacks, and finding evidence utilized in reporting the crime. A CHFI expert is accountable for getting information from flash drives, remote servers, computers, and other forms of data storage devices. An investigator works with the concerned business and law enforcement authorities.

Skills Obtained through CHFI Certification

CHFI certification qualifies professionals how to carry out investigations precisely so that evidence will retain its morality and be helpful during prosecution of cybercrimes. Professionals will also learn how to retrieve deleted files and obtain hidden information on Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems.
Another feature of a forensic investigation is the recovery of lost information, which can occur due to sabotage or equipment failure. Forensic investigators should also be able to analyze the information they find to understand the impact of a hack and the degree of a data breach.

• CHFI Certification: How It Can Open Doors and Boost Your Computer Forensics Career

In some cases, the cybercrime intricate isn’t a data breach but requires possession of illegal materials like pornography. CHFI skills can be used to detect the possession of pornography and collect evidence for prosecution.
CHFI certification can be valuable in many different jobs to improve your skillset so you can meet your employer’s continually developing needs. Here are some ways you might use a CHFI certification in your IT job.

1. To find out whether your network was breached.

IT security professionals and systems administrators can practice the skills acquired from a CHFI certification to help determine network breaches, should they occur. In many cases, they can also work toward concluding who was behind the breach and help law enforcement distinguish them so they can be prosecuted.
Instead of your organization having no idea its security was breached or that client data was compromised, CHFI-certified professionals will have the skills to detect a breach, or expectantly, to avoid or stop it before any information is imperiled.

2. To expand law enforcement training.

For police and other law enforcement officers, CHFIcertification can help them to investigate cybercrime and arrest cybercriminals. Cybercrime is on the peak, and law enforcement training has lagged because it is relatively new and continually evolving.
CHFI certification could help you get reinforced to the detective or other supervisory jobs where greater expertise about cybercrime and data breaches is essential.

3. To constitute a criminal or civil case against hackers, or defend accused cybercriminals.

The CHFI certification may be beneficial for lawyers, both prosecutors and defense lawyers, who may come across ever more frequent cases concerning cybersecurity and data breaches. A thorough understanding of hacking and computer forensics may be needed to correctly prosecute or defend these cases.

4. To assure that disloyal employees don’t steal information or resources, or to gather evidence that they did so to prosecute them.

Disloyal employees could use their access to company servers and networks to theft corporate secrets or give other people access to corporate data and networks. Earning a CHFI certification can assure that your organization remains safe, or that unfaithful employees who have already destroyed company data can be brought to justice.

5. To be sure dismissed employees don’t interrupt the network or any part of the server.

After employees are suspended, they may want to hit back at the company by stealing data, information, or money from the organization. They may also attempt to ruin data or systems. CHFI certification can stop these attacks or allow the collection of evidence to sue them after the fact.

Career Prospects for a Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator

There is a huge demand for CHFI-certified professionals across industries. CHFI-certified individuals are being hired not only by IT and IT security organizations but also by the defense and military sectors, legal practices, law enforcement agencies, banking, and insurance companies.
The CHFI certification certifies an applicant’s skills to gather the required evidence of theft to prosecute in a court of law. Starting salaries in the computer forensics field can go as high as $85,000 to $120,000. According to Payscale.com, on an average, a Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) receives around $86,000 annually in the U.S.

Certified CHFI professionals can pursue the following roles:

• Information Security Analyst
• Computer Forensics Analyst
• Ethical Hacker
• Malware Analyst
• Network Security Specialist
• Security Administrator
• IT Security Consultant
• Penetration Tester
• Homeland Cyber Security
• IT Auditor

 Thus, Computer Hacking Forensic Investigators aresteadily becoming inescapable for the organization of all sizes. As an IT professional geared up to join the domain of ethical hacking, CHFI Certification is indeed your great opportunity.

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A Quick Note on EC-Council ECSA Certification

Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field and one in which organizations are always hiring experienced and certified professionals. With more and more of our lives in the cloud and on the net, securing personal and corporate information has to be a top priority. Cybersecurity Certifications demonstrate the skill of your IT team.

What is the ECSA Certification? 

ECSA is a certification offered by the EC-Council that explains advanced uses of LPT (Licensed Penetration Tester) approaches and techniques to security professionals. The exam comprises a penetration test and a written report.

The best reason to choose ECSA is hands-on testing. The exam is not a bundle of questions about how one would approach a penetration test, but an actual exam in a well-designed lab environment. This proves to you that your IT professionals really do have the certifications to secure the company systems.

Penetration tests are an important part of the administration and design of any secure network, and people eligible of performing them are valuable. This certification concentrates on practicing skills rather than classroom teaching. This vendor-neutral certification qualifies an individual to work on equipment from multiple sources. It is globally accepted.

What are the Prerequisites for ECSA Certification?

To sit for the ECSA exam, one must have either attended a training course at an approved center or submit two years of experience in information security.

While they do not officially have to have the CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) certification, but it is highly advised. This is also a good certification for anyone entering cybersecurity. Note that the CEH does have the EC-Council Network Security Administrator (ENSA) certification as a prerequisite.

Who should take ECSA?

Experienced security professionals and ethical hackers who you want or require validation of their expertise to conduct and analyze penetration tests. It is intended for students that have the experience and real-world understanding to move to the next level. As the experience requirement instead of training is two years, this is obviously not intended to be an entry-level certification. It follows on from the CEH certification.

• Read: The Benefits of EC Council Security Analyst (ECSA) Certification

In fact, the certification is aimed at existing network and system administrators and information security analysts. It's also good for cybersecurity risk assessors.

The program is specifically directed at the audiences of server administrators, firewall administrators, information security analysts, system administrators, and risk assessment professionals. For all these professionals, there is a lot to be acquired by being ECSA certified.

Benefits of Being ECSA Certified.

The ECSA certification is an absolute practical program that is designed for expert and experienced IT professionals who bring with them a cumulative knowledge base across the years. The entire ECSA syllabus is specially created by the best in the industry to assure that learners acquire the maximum benefits out of it.

• A very specific reason behind IT professionals earning ECSA certification is the more comprehensive industry exposure they are can enjoy afterward. In fact, there is even better scope for industry recognition, as these professionals become season security professionals.
• Certified Security Analysts also learn to investigate and analyze the diverse outcomes of security tools used and security techniques influenced.
• Last but not least, the ECSA certified professionals are expert to walk on a successful career path that drives towards earning the LPT certification.

Job roles for ECSA Certified Professionals

• Accomplishing application and network penetration testing. This is carried using both manuals as well as automated methods.
• Creating and performing computer system audits to ascertain that these work properly and that all data is well protected from risks.
• Designing security procedures and policies and ensuring adherence to these.
• Investigating complex systems in accordance with industry best practices and protecting internal information.
• Spearheading investigations pertaining to security violations and other breaches and recommending effective solutions.

What can you do with ECSA?

• The objective of ECSA certification is to prove that your IT security professionals not only know about penetration tests but can execute them and carry out good analysis afterward. This makes them a more worthy member of the team.
• It is a stepping stone to the Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT) certification, which is globally accepted as an expert-level ethical hacking certification. In fact, it is considered the most thorough penetration testing certification.

As the world becomes ever more aware of the significance of cybersecurity, more and more organizations are hiring advanced-level professionals to protect their assets.

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Join the New Generation of Information Security Leaders with CCISO

The Certified CISO -CCISO certification is the first of its kind certification geared towards producing top-notch information security executives. The CCISO does not concentrate only on technical knowledge but the application of information security management principles from an executive management perspective.

To become a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), an individual must have the technical knowledge and must own specific skills such as establishing and maintaining the organization’s strategy and goals. The CCISO certification is designed keeping the aspiring CISO in mind, emphasis on the most important aspects of an information security program.

The Role of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

The CISO is an organization’s information security executive at a senior level, who promotes and maintains an information security policy to address increasing threats in the cyber world in association with a business’ objective. They play an important role in developing and managing a team of technical professionals to secure organizations by reducing cyber-risks, responding to incidents, setting up controls, and establishing and executing policies and procedures.

What Does the CCISO Certification Teach?

This ECCouncil certification focuses on five domains to bring together all the components required for a C-Level position. It incorporates governance, security risk management, controls, audit management, information-security core concepts, security program management and operations, and strategic planning, finance, and vendor management––skills that are vital to leading a highly successful information security program.

Five CCISO Domains

The CCISO Body of Knowledge was written by CISOs for future CISOs and gives in-depth learning of the five domains that are essential for a CISO. These five CCISO domains focus on technical knowledge, as well as information security management principles, from a managerial perspective.

Domain 1: Governance

This domain includes structured planning, aligning information security requirements and business requirements, leadership and management skills in compliance with cybersecurity and organizational laws and acts, evaluating the advanced information security changes, trends and best practices, and report writing.

Domain 2: Security Risk Management, Controls, and Audit Management

This domain focuses on information-security management controls: analyzing, identifying, designing, implementing, and managing information system controls’ process to lessen risks, and test controls and generate detailed reports. It also includes auditing management: understanding the process, applying principles, skills, and techniques, executing and evaluating results, analyze the results, and develop advanced procedures.

Domain 3: Security Program Management & Operations

This domain includes project development, planning, implementation, and budgeting, developing, acquiring, and managing information-security project teams, assigning tasks and training, leading teams, assuring teamwork and communication, assessing the project to assure that it follows with business requirements and delivers optimal system performance, and guaranteeing that changes to the existing information system policies are made in a convenient manner.

Domain 4: Information Security Core Concepts

This fourth domain comprises designing, implementing, and ensuring appropriate plans for access control, phishing attacks, risk management, identity theft, business continuity plans, physical security, disaster recovery, Trojans and malware threats, firewalls, IDS/IPS and network defense systems, wireless security, virus, secure coding best practices and securing web applications, encryption technologies, hardening OS, and computer forensics and incident response.

Domain 5: Strategic Planning, Finance, and Vendor Management

This domain focuses on designing, developing, and maintaining enterprise information-security architecture (EISA), execute external and internal analysis of the organization, design a strategic plan that will empower business growth, receive and maintain resources based on an operational budget, and perceive other business financial requirements.

Who Is It For?

The CCISO is for information security executives leaning toward to be CISOs through sharpening their skills and learning to harmonize information security programs with business goals and objectives. This program also helps existing CISOs to enhance their technical and management skills, as well as business procedures.

• Read: A Complete Guide to EC-Council Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) Certification

Prerequisite for CCISO Exam

The CCISO is not an entry-level certification. To qualify for the CCISO exam, you must have at least 5 years of prior experience in at least 3 of the 5 CCISO domains.
Applicants who do not satisfy the requirements for the CCISO exam can take the EC-Council Information Security Management (EISM) certification.

CCISO Exam Details

The CCISO exam composed of 150 multiple-choice questions that are administered over 150 minutes. The questions are based on knowledge of the five domains and expect extensive thought and evaluation. The needed score to achieve the CCISO certification is a minimum of 75%. The CCISO exam cost is 999 USD.

Why Should You Earn CCISO Certification?

1. Approved by ANSI

EC-Council has been certified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for its CCISO certification. It is one of the few certification bodies whose main specialization is information security to satisfy the ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 Personnel Certification Accreditation standard.

2. Created by the Experts

The CCISO Advisory board is consisting of practicing CISOs who designed the program based on their everyday experiences—based on both technical and management concerns. The board is comprised of security leaders from Amtrak, HP, the City of San Francisco, the Center for Disease Control, Lennar, universities, and consulting organizations who have shared their broad knowledge to outline this certification to meet the lack of Information Security leaders.

3. Focuses on C-Level Management through the Five Domains

By focusing on the CCISO  five domains, EC-Council not only assures that their views line up with those of the NCWF but also fulfill the requirements of businesses and organizations around the world.

4. Bridges the Gap between Technical Knowledge, Executive Management, and Financial Management

The CCISO certification does not focus only on the technical areas required but expands to executive management and financial management, both of which are important to leading a successful information security project. It emphasizes on the application of technical knowledge rather than technical information, which is important to a chief information security officer’s daily responsibilities. Information security managers can advance through the technical ranks but must learn executive-level management, financial management, strategic planning, and organizational skills to reach a C-Level position.

5. Acknowledges the Value of Real-World Experience

To reach a C-Level position, an information security officer need to have prior experience to obtain a holistic idea of what to count on while in the field. With this in mind, the CCISO consists of many real-world experiences faced by current CISOs around the world.

The CCISO exam also challenges applicants to establish a business continuity plan for a company in a given industry and situation, apply metrics to communicate risk for various audiences and explains how to align security policies with the goals of the business––among many other exercises.

Earn CCISO Certification and stay on the race!!

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Is CEH Certification Worth It?

CEH is one among the most popular, oldest, and first certification that can be planned for ethical hackers. A person who has obtained a CEH v10 certification would be a skilled expert who can perceive on how to look at vulnerabilities and weaknesses in target systems and practices the identical knowledge and tools as a spiteful hacker but in a more legit and lawful manner to assess the security aspect of a target system.

What is CEH Certification?

The CEH certification validates that individuals as certified in the particular network security system of Ethical Hacking from a vendor-neutral perspective. Having CEH certification notifies the people that the certified individual satisfies minimum criteria. It also helps strengthen ethical hacking as a particular and self-regulating profession.

The CEH v10 syllabus designed to help you to think like a hacker. After all, if you want to be a hacker, you must think like one! This will allow you to protect against likely attacks. This certification will put you in control with a hands-on environment with a precise method. You will be exposed to a distinctive way of acquiring optimum information security position in their organization.

If you’re interested in the cybersecurity field, the CEH certification is a significant investment based on the expertise you’ll obtain alone. Beyond gaining technical knowledge, CEH v10 is also a valuable certification for your career growth.

Here we are listing three great reasons to achieve your CEH certification.

1. Boost Your Payscale

The primary reason to earn this certification is to receive a higher salary. With an average CEH salary starting at around $38k and going as high as $133k, you’re sure to see a hike in your paycheck. Getting your CEH certification can help you obtain a quick promotion at work and qualify you for other higher-paying positions when you’re looking for a new job.

After comparing this against the CEH certification cost, it’s easy to notice that earning CEH is worth an investment that will instantly pay for itself and then some. If you can get your exam fees paid by your employer, or paid for by a third party funding source, it’s a cakewalk.

Of course, CEH doesn’t have to be where you stop on the track to career growth. With this certification and some experience, you’ll do well on your journey to earning your CISSP certification and other certifications that can quickly accelerate your earnings into triple digits.

2. CEH Certification satisfies DoD Compliance Requirements

If you want to work with the Department of Defense (DoD) world, becoming CEH certified is a must. The DoD demands all of its Information Assurance officers be confirmed before operating important information and network security. EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker certification meets the DoD requirements for the CSSP Analyst, CSSP Incident Responder, CSSP Infrastructure Support, and CSSP Auditor roles.

Read: CEH Certification: Disclosed as One of the Best Certifications for the Cyber Security Field

The DoD is having difficulty getting enough qualified applicants to fill these positions, which is why certifications like Security+ and CEH are so prevalent right now. With DoD contractors all across the United States (and abroad), getting CEH-certified presents a special kind of job security irrespective where life takes you. With demand at an all-time high and professionals with the required certifications in such insufficient supply, you can be sure that the salary for these DoD contractors will remain to rise.

3. Achieve Exceptional Job Security

The rate and severity of cyberattacks are rising and creating billions of dollars of damage to organizations the world over. According to the Ponemon Institute, “the average price for small businesses to wipe up after their businesses have been hacked stands at $690,000; and, for middle-market companies, it’s over $1 million.” Against costs like this, it becomes quite cost-effective to hire cybersecurity professionals who can defend company assets before they’re attacked.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Information Security Analysts have a phenomenal 18% job growth opportunity by 2024, much faster than average for all organizations. DoD contractors, cybersecurity defense firms, and large organizations are creating a vast and growing market for qualified cyber professionals which practically guarantees employment now and well into the future.

Conclusion

With ethical hacking and data security more vital than ever, it is the right time for IT professionals to earn CEH v10 certification. It will not only improve your job prospects, but it can be done cheaply and quickly.

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