5 Steps to ensure Network Security

The information collected and stored electronically by the organizations is sensitive, crucial, and private information. It most likely includes crucial business data, customers’ personal information, and other information that is valuable for business transactions. Unauthorized access to the network and its data creates a threat to security. Several statutory privacy requirements should be followed like HIPPA, FEPRA, etc. to prevent the data from unauthorized dissemination. Failure to do so will make them responsible for the consequences.

While all measures cannot ensure 100% security from the attacks, it can help minimize risks significantly. Here are five critical steps to secure your business’ network infrastructure:

Step 1: Run a network security audit 

A network security audit is a process where the organization investigates their network security policies and verifies the network asses for potential deficiencies, which if ignored, may lead to a security breach. The network audits are mostly conducted by a third-party auditor who visits the organization periodically and submits their comprehensive report post-audit.

Step 2: Restrict user access privileges 

Insider threats are increasing every year, and one of the reasons is mismanagement of user access to the network. A study shows that over 70% of the insider attacks are not reported. The best solution to restrict privileges is to follow the ‘principle of least privilege.’

Principle of least privilege:

The major benefit of practicing this principle is to reduce the risk of an insider from unauthorized access to the data. By restricting access to the network data, the amount of data that can be compromised reduces. Using the intrusion detection system (IDS), abnormal activity can be detected quickly.  

Step 3: Review your cybersecurity tools 

Does your organization have appropriate tools to detect and mitigate network cybersecurity risks? It is not necessary that you should pick up every security tool available in the market. To ensure better safety of your network and its data, you should at least have basic tools that can help you in complying with the regulatory obligations and, at the same time, mitigate risks. The advice on the right tool can be obtained from an audit report. You can compile a list of various assets on the network that can enable you to respond to the biggest threats. 

Step 4: Conduct Cybersecurity awareness training 

The biggest threat to your organization’s data is an ‘insider.’ In the absence of cybersecurity awareness training, employees of your organization may end up falling for phishing attacks, visit compromised websites, access malicious links, etc. They may not be aware of the password policy too.

Step 5: Patch your software on time 

Another important threat to network security is unpatched software. Any existing flaws in the software will give immediate access to hackers. An effective security audit lists out the software to be updated with their latest patches. If there is a software that is no longer supported by the manufacturer, it must be uninstalled and replaced with a new, updated program.

The fact is that a blog cannot give you all you need to know to secure your network. It takes a careful assessment of resources and tools to ensure that they are aligned to the utmost objective. A certified and experienced network defender can justify this role of network defense. EC-Council’s Certified Network Defender (C|ND) gives a fundamental understanding of data transfer, network technologies, and software technologies so that network defenders understand their co-relation and fix them in place. C|ND is a skill-based, lab intensive program based on job-task analysis, accredited by ANSI, and complies with the NICE framework.

Source: eccouncil.org

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What is a Security Operations Center? And why do you need it?

In this technology-driven world, every business, regardless of the size, make dedicated efforts to protect their sensitive data. This data could be about the staff, clients, business partners, internal operations, and more. But with the rise of sophisticated and targeted cyberattacks, it has become challenging to secure the infrastructure. Even the possibility of falling prey to an attack has increased over the past few years. As per Ponemon’s 2019 Cost of Data Breach Report, the average cost of a data breach has increased by 12 percent globally (in comparison to the last five years). It has reached to $3.92 million. The probability of a breach has increased, so does the cost. In light of these studies, businesses constantly work to find reliable defensive strategies against cyberattacks. A few rely on advance security solutions while some outsource cybersecurity services. Another effective practice could be to integrate a Security Operations Center (SOC).

All you need to know about Security Operations Center (SOC)

Security Operations Center (SOC) is a centralized unit dealing with high-quality IT security operations. It works as the first line of defense. The team is responsible for detecting cybersecurity threats and preventing incidents from happening. They also work with the incident response team to provide suitable solutions. The ability to monitor all the security systems in a real-time environment around the clock makes this team unique and more desirable from others.

Responsibilities of SOC with prompt member roles

The SOC team identifies possible threats and incidents. After this, they analyze and investigate them to find the appropriate solutions.

1. Implementation and Management of Various Security Tools

A skilled SOC team understands the tool requirements. From basic security tools, such as firewalls, IDS/IPS, DLP, to enterprise forensic tools, even considering the SIEM solutions, the team knows it all.

2. Analyze Unusual/Suspicious Activities

By using monitoring tools, the SOC team looks for suspicious activities within the system. Their activities depend upon the alerts generated by SIEM.

3. Maintains Network Downtime and Ensures Business Continuity

Organizations need minimal or no network downtime to keep their businesses afloat. To manage the same, SOC notifies the stakeholders during any security breach.

4. Checks Regulatory Compliance

The team audits the security infrastructure to check whether it meets all the applicable regulatory compliance.

Check out this detailed video by Paul Brettle, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise R&D Security Specialist, explaining how a SOC team interacts with a SIEM system. It also helps you understand the role of SOC members:

The team that constitutes a security operations center are stated below –

Team Member	Role
SOC Manager	They are responsible for managing the personnel and budget required for security solutions. They also coordinate with the legal department whenever needed.
Incident Responder	These professionals are the first ones to respond to any security incident.
Forensic Investigator	The specialists trained to analyze the attack by gathering and preserving the pieces of digital evidence.
Compliance Auditor	The experts monitoring the activities of the staff and check whether they comply with the pre-defined procedures.
SOC Analyst/Cybersecurity Analyst	These members escalate the potential threats after analyzing and ranking them on the severity level.

Why do you need a Security Operations Center (SOC)?

Organizations with an on-board SOC can proactively fight against cyber attackers. The team can have significant impacts on business outcomes. Here are the primary benefits of having a security operations center –

Centralized Approach

The SOC team comes into the picture as soon as any breach or incident occurs. They offer real-time services by keeping all the processes and software in one place, thus, maintaining smooth operations.

Maintain Client and Employee Trust

Customers and employees trust the organizations to keep their data safe from the outside world. SOC team helps in preventing data loss, thus, maintaining brand integrity.

Maximum Awareness and Minimum Costs

It increases the ability to reduce the potential losses due to security breaches, contributing to high ROI. With the integration of the SOC team, firms can save money on recoveries from data theft.

The security operations center helps the organizations to build a sound preventive layer. The team continuously monitors and analyzes the security posture of the organization. These professionals serve as the first line of defense to prevent destructive security incidents. To get started as a SOC Analyst, take up our Certified SOC Analyst (C|SA) training and credentialing program. It is designed to produce Tier I and Tier II SOC Analysts. Under this program, the attendees will learn to manage various SOC processes and how to collaborate with different departments. Learn significant SOC skills to kickstart your career as a SOC Analyst.

Source: eccouncil.org

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10 Reasons Why ECSA Should Be Your Next Step

Do you wish to be a penetration tester? Or you are new to the cybersecurity industry and are looking to learn penetration testing? This article will help you understand how EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA) can be the best penetration testing program for you and how it can contribute to your cybersecurity career.

Here are ten reasons why you should pursue the ECSA–

1. Accredited by GCHQ and CREST

ECSA is accredited by GCHQ and CREST, which are two non-profit organizations working in the interest of the cybersecurity industry. U.K.’s cybersecurity mission is led by NCSC (Nation Cybersecurity Centre) which is a part of GCHQ. NCSC supports the U.K.’s critical services from cyberattacks, report the attacks, and work towards the improvement of security practices by advising citizens and organizations. GCHQ certified training (GCT) is an initiative in the U.K. and aim to reduce cybersecurity skill gap in the country. With all due dedication towards cybersecurity, GCHQ recognizes ECSA as a most comprehensive program in the field of vulnerability assessment and penetration testing.

2. ECSA recognized equivalent to CPSA

CREST is an international non-profit accreditation and certification body and has recognized ECSA as equivalent to their CPSA (CREST Practitioner Security Analyst) program.

3. EC-Council’s proprietary pen testing methodology

ECSA teaches a lot of penetration testing methodologies that are pre-existing and also those which are proprietary pen testing methodologies. Penetration testing is not a pre-defined task. The penetration tester should be proficient and creative to perform vulnerability assessment as every pen-testing is not similar. EC-Council, therefore, encourages the students to be creators of knowledge, and the curriculum includes EC-Council’s exclusive penetration testing methodologies like Cyber Kill Chain, OSINT, etc. Not to mention that these technologies are not taught within any other penetration testing programs.

4. Pen-test a variety of digital devices

ECSA is designed to cover penetration testing services as provided by the pen-testing service providers and consulting firms in the industry. The program has a broad curriculum encompassing different technologies like network, web application, social engineering, cloud, database, etc.

In today’s insecure cyber world, everything is connected to the internet, and therefore, cyberattacks are not limited to web applications or servers and networks. When every digital device is connected to the internet, the device must be protected from being compromised. It is for this reason that the ECSA curriculum is developed on a broader platform that includes Mobile, IoT, and other wireless devices too.

5. Social Engineering Penetration Testing Module

According to Wombat Security’s 2019 State of the Phish, 83% of all companies reported being a victim of phishing attacks in the previous year. Phishing attack is one of the common forms of social engineering attacks, and therefore, the subject requires specific attention. ECSA has an exclusive module dedicatedly marked for social engineering attacks, their forms, and penetration testing, which is a rarity amongst top pen-testing credentials.

6. Report writing skills

ECSA develops strong report writing skills to draft a valuable and comprehensive penetration report. As a penetration tester, the report is the only tangible output that can help you in explaining the assessment performed and the valuable feedback that you want to recommend. A penetration testing report summarizes your performance and is a sellable document. The client may disagree with the outcome of penetration testing in the absence of a well-drafted report.

By creating a separate module on report writing skills, EC-Council has made an extraordinary effort of developing relative skills too. ECSA aims to develop all-around skills of potential penetration testers.

7. Fully hands-on with iLabs Cyber Range

ECSA is a hands-on program that demonstrates the real-time experience of specific areas on the penetration testing program to provide a more profound understanding of the concepts. The labs take you through the penetration testing process, beginning from scope and engagement to report writing. The practical approach of the program can be achieved with the effective use of EC-Council’s iLabs Cyber Range.

iLabs Cyber Range gives round-the-clock access to the students to practice their skills at their convenience. It allows you to dynamically access a host of Virtual Machines preconfigured with vulnerabilities, exploits, tools, and scripts from anywhere with an internet connection on one simple click. iLabs are the most cost-effective and easy to use live range lab solution available.

8. Blended with both manual and automated penetration testing approach

ECSA is a combination of both manual and automated penetration testing methodologies. There are many advanced tools available in the market, but without adequate knowledge about it, they cannot be exploited. Having learned manual penetration testing would help you make proper use of high-priced sophisticated tools. ECSA is a perfect blend of both manual and automated penetration testing.

9. Comprehensive scoping and engagement methodology

Most of the penetration testing programs overlook an essential component of defining the scope of the penetration testing process. ECSA has a dedicated module that describes the pre-engagement activities in detail. The module teaches how to initiate and set the scope and Rule and Engagement (RoE) for the penetration test assignment. It is only ECSA that gives you complete knowledge on scoping and engagement methodology.

10. Mapped to NICE 2.0 Framework

ECSA is mapped to NICE 2.0 Framework’s Analyze (AN) and Collect and Operate (CO) specialty area. To elaborate –

Analyze (AN) stand for the specialty areas responsible for highly specialized review and evaluation of incoming cybersecurity information to determine its usefulness for intelligence.

Collect and Operate (CO) stand for the specialty areas responsible for specialized denial and deception operations and collection of cybersecurity information that may be used to develop intelligence.

Being aligned to two specific NICE Framework specialties, ECSA creates a lot of employment potential for those aspiring to be successful penetration testers.

From the overall analysis, we can conclude that ECSA has quite a few strong components that are not included in many other programs. The course curriculum is broader and covers the deeper aspects of penetration testing. EC-Council also provides standard templates for future reference. These templates would serve as handy reference material while performing on-the-job penetration testing till you get accustomed with.

Source: eccouncil.org

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How to prepare for the ECSA exam?

The EC-Council’s Certified Security Analyst certification is a must for those who are looking to advance in the penetration tester field. It is among the top penetration testing programs of the industry and is the perfect next step to add more value to your cybersecurity career.

Who should get the ECSA certification?

The ECSA is for those cybersecurity professionals that are passionate about securing an organization by infiltrating one’s security walls to detect vulnerabilities.

Who can get the ECSA certification?

To be able to earn the ECSA certification, you must have at least 2-years of work experience in the information security domain or attend an official EC-Council training (either through EC-Council or through an accredited training partner).

EC-Council believes that everyone should be able to access course material regardless of one’s location and availability. For this reason, should you chose to attend an official training, you can opt from any of the following modes of training:

◉ iLearn (self-paced learning)

◉ iWeek (live-online instructor-led training)

◉ Masterclass (in-person training by EC-Council Master instructors)

◉ Accredited Training Partner (classroom training)

Tips for the day of the exam

1. Ensure that you are carrying all the right documentation with you.

2. Wake up and be ready for the exam well in advance. If you’re late, you will have to schedule the exam once again.

3. Stay hydrated. The exam is 4-hours long. Ensure that you are sufficiently hydrated.

Tips while attempting the ECSA exam

It is always recommended to keep an eye on the time when attending any exam. However, here are a couple of ways you can divide your time to ensure maximum results:

Step 1:

There are 150 questions in the exam. Quickly scan through the paper and answer the ones whose answer you are positive of, setting aside the rest for later. Make sure that you do not spend more than one minute when answering a question, regardless of how tough it may seem. Remember, you can always come back to it later.

Step 2:

By spending a minute on each question (150 minutes), you have used less than three hours for your first run-through of the paper. With 90 minutes left on the clock, you can now attempt those questions you ranked “tough,” giving them an additional minute, two minutes each.

Step 3:

Assuming that you had 30 under the “tough” category, you now have 30 minutes left to do a quick scan through of the whole paper, to ensure that you have answered all the questions.

Source: eccouncil.org

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6 Skills Required for a Career in Digital Forensics

Do you think that a career in digital forensics is for you?

Want to learn what skills are required to enter this cybersecurity domain?

Digital forensics, a branch of forensic science, is an increasingly popular domain, with many lucrative and career advancement opportunities in various industries. The science of digital forensics helps track hackers, retrieve stolen data, investigate the causes of incidents, and provide digital evidence.

Have you ever met a person who is technical and works for criminal justice? A digital forensic investigator is the perfect amalgamation of these specializations. Those pursuing a career in digital forensics must have a certain set of skills, namely, technical and functional, to keep up with the ever-evolving industry.

Here are a couple of skills that are required to become a digital forensic investigator.

1. Technical Aptitude

As the name suggests, the digital forensics job role is technology-focused. Having a proper understanding of the working of digital devices, technical concepts, networking, and experience in computer systems are the basic technical skills expected from those working in digital forensics.

Working on various technical platforms, from computers to mobile phones, IoT devices, and so on is exactly what this job entails. Remember, it is only when you possess sound technical knowledge, you can identify and respond to security breaches and network hacks. The technical skills that a digital forensic investigator should learn are as follows:

(a) Digital comprehension

To be a cyber-forensic professional, you must be able to work on various digital devices. When you investigate any cyberattack and gather the information, you may have to interact with various endpoints such as mobile phone, printer, IoT, USB, external hard disk, iPad, notepad, digital camera, and projector. Hence, having a proper knowledge of digital devices and endpoint instruments will help you in accessing them at your own terms.

(b) Networking

As a forensic investigator, the knowledge of computer networking, LAN, and server is extremely important. As an investigator, networking concepts and connectivity knowledge should be of concern as the investigation will not be limited to the individual system, but every system connected in the LAN has to be examined. Hence, you should be competent to access the served and the entire LAN with less dependence on IT professionals. Cloud computing and cloud database are other recent areas that a forensic investigator should explore.

(c) Operating system knowledge

When you are investigating cybercrime, you cannot escape from the operating system of the computer on investigation. Windows, Linux, and Unix are a few operating systems that you should be comfortable working on. Most of the servers or databases are based on Linux operating system, and as a forensic investigator you should know how to access them. Being a forensic investigator, you may also have to conduct investigation on smartphones and other endpoint devices. Android and Windows are the common operating systems in smartphones, whereas other endpoint devices may work on different OS, which you should be able to work upon.

2. Analytical Talents

The process of analyzing evidence, observing cybercrime patterns and cyberattacks, and interpreting cyber data to solve the case requires an advanced level of analytical skill to consider a career in digital forensics. A high speed of analytical thinking with precise observation abilities are required to carefully sort, uncover, and examine digital evidence. This sort of high-level analytical thinking is often gained and tested at higher military and cyber intelligence levels.

3. Comprehension of Cybersecurity

Digital forensics is all about cybercrime. In order to solve any case, you will need to have a better knowledge of the latest breaches, threats, and vulnerabilities. When training to become a digital forensics investigator, you must ensure that it has strong in-depth components of cybersecurity or information security. Without learning cybersecurity concepts, it is impossible to guard systems and investigate the crime at hand.

4. Knowledge of Law and Investigation

Digital forensics deals with cybercrimes and the knowledge of criminal law and investigation will be an added advantage. The job role doesn’t demand a law qualification, but the procedure of crime investigations can be gained through other channels such as online reading and group discussions. A good understanding of white-collar crime, criminal law, and investigation will be an added advantage.

5. Communication Skills

Communication skills in digital forensics are essential as you need to convey technical information concisely to those from different levels of technical comprehension. Digital forensic investigators often work in teams and this is where your communication skills play an important role in delivering the process of action on the forensic case, accurately among the team members. You may also have to explain your findings to others or even present it before the courtroom as part of the case proceedings.

6. Willingness to Learn

Cybersecurity is constantly evolving and so is digital forensics. Anyone taking up this profession should constantly upgrade to the latest trends and technologies to assure a better job prospect. Continuous learning and self-education, both on and off the clock, are essential traits of the digital forensic industry.

How to Build Digital Forensic Skills?

While some of the skills like inclination for technology and analytical ability are personal to any individual, other skills can be developed through formal education or training. EC-Council offers Computer Hacking and Forensic Investigation program, which is designed for IT professionals desired to grow into forensic investigation.

Source: eccouncil.org

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Digital Forensics: New-Age Forensic Science

Technology is meant for all and always will be subjected to work as per the intent of its user. In simple words, if technology can benefit us, then there is a fair chance that perpetrators can use it for their own good. In the past, technology has become an integral part of our lives and somehow it is leading a pathway to cybercrimes, too. These cyber threats are now practically inevitable. But recreating the complete picture from its origination to its development process, it can help professionals to avoid the same threat from harming us repeatedly. Here’s where digital forensics come into the picture. It uses technology to trace the nitty-gritties of the incident with the intention of fighting the cybercrime. In 2018, Acumen Research and Consulting published a report showing the digital forensic market to be growing at a CAGR of 12.5% over the forecast period of 2015–2021, estimating it to be a $4.97 billion industry by 2021. This is already seen as digital forensics is treated as a crucial tool in defense and law enforcement. It also plays a vital role in financial institutions and investment firms.

Simplifying the Umbrella Term “Digital Forensics”

Digital devices such as smartphones, gaming consoles, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, and a few others are a usual part of our daily life. They also serve us as the most convenient go-to data storage devices; it can be our banking details, credit card information, or other private/confidential files, and a lot more. These data attract cybercriminals as it can benefit them in many ways. Now, when a cybercrime occurs, digital forensic investigators lead us through the whole incident investigation process and look for proof to either solve the case or present them as digital evidence in the court.

Digital Forensics can be defined as a branch of forensic science dedicated to investigating and identifying evidence in a digital device-assisted crime. Until the late 1990s, the term was used interchangeably with computer forensics but later years witnessed the expansion of the term “digital forensics,” which categorized it into five major branches:

1. Computer Forensics

Originally, digital forensics was used as the synonym for computer forensics. But now, the term “computer forensics” is limited to analyzing and collecting evidence from the computers systems, embedded systems, and any static memory (like USB pen drives) of the perpetrators. It also includes reporting, as any other branch or subbranches of forensic science demand.

2. Mobile Device Forensics

Under this subbranch, digital evidence is collected from mobile devices. Mobile devices are different from computers as they have inbuilt communication systems such as GSM. The data retrieved from mobile devices are not limited to short message services or emails; it also includes data regarding the location of the user, call log, user dictionary content, data from installed applications, system files, usage logs, and any other deleted data.

3. Network Forensics

Network forensics involves capturing and analyzing network traffic and network packets over local and wide area networks (or internet). The analysis also covers intrusion detection. Being volatile and not easy to log, network data are often considered as a proactive investigation element. It uses two systems to collect data:

◉ Catch-it-as-you-can

This approach requires a huge amount of storage as, under this system, all the network packets are stored at a traffic point and, later, analyzed in batch mode.


◉ Stop, look, and listen

The network packets under this system are analyzed in a primitive manner. Not all the data are saved for future use. This system requires a faster processor that can pace up with the massive incoming traffic.

4. Database Forensics

The forensic study of databases and its metadata falls under database forensics. Database forensic investigator analyzes database content, log files, and in-RAM data to recover pieces of digital evidence or to build a timeline for the incident.

5. Forensic Data Analysis

It covers the investigation of financial crimes associated with structured data (such as data from application systems or their databases). The primary motive of forensic data analysis is to find a pattern behind the fraudulent activities. Unstructured data are usually analyzed under computer forensics.

There are a few other branches which include email forensics, cloud forensics, and a few others.

Recent Cases Solved by Digital Forensics

Digital footprints of an individual offer a lot of information about that person; it can be the Google search history, messages, GPS locations, and a series of other evidence. In short, it can help in adjoining the dots in a disrupted timeline of an incident or a crime and provides digital evidence for court trials or conviction of the accused.

Child Abuse Death Solved Through Mobile Device Forensics

In November 2016, Steven Ingalls Jr., a Morgan County man, was accused of deliberately overdosing and suffocating 5-year-old Brayson Price. The investigators found a series of horrifying internet search history which included “kill my mentally retarded step-son, torture techniques, I want to kill my autistic child, painful ways to die, most painful torture.” The jury found him guilty of murder.

2016’s Murder Case of Maria Ladenburger

Maria Ladenburger, a 19-year old, was raped and strangled on her way home. Hussein Khavari, the accused, was tried in the court after his iPhone was presented as evidence. During the hours of Maria’s death, Khavari’s phone was connected to a single reception tower enclosing him at the crime scene. His iPhone’s Apple Health App showed that he climbed two flights of stairs making officers suspicious of his movement; it pointed at his actions of dragging Ladenburger’s body down a river bank and then climbing back up. This case was the first of its kind where the local police officers associated health data with geodata to solve a homicide.

PlayStation Console Solved a Rape Case

A 15-year old reported being raped. The medical examination and another gamer who overheard the rape confirmed her claims. On June 28, 2018, Daniel Enrique Fabian, 18, told a fellow player that there’s a girl at her place whom he is going to “smash.” He left the game after the conversation, but his headset microphone stayed on. The other fellow player confirmed hearing the girl saying no. Fabian was later arrested and charged with the felony.

How to Learn More?

Digital forensics is much more than this; it is a vast domain. And, as already mentioned, it is a booming market too. If you want to learn it to the core with all the technical aspects of it (as per the current job market requirement), then look at our ANSI accredited Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator program. It covers all the digital forensic practices that a forensic expert should be aware of.

Source: eccouncil.org

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What is a white hat hacker?

In the era of advanced technologies, organizations need a sound defensive security system. A strong line of defense will help the enterprises stay ahead of their competitors and maintain customer trust. That’s when a white hat hacker comes into the picture.

Contrary to the popular notion, not all hackers exploit the valuable data assets of an organization. A hacker who uses hacking skills to protect organizations from threat actors is called as a “white hat hacker.” They actively search for vulnerabilities in a security system so that the flaws can be patched before a cybercriminal can take advantage of them to penetrate the system.

The different hacker types

Conventional Roles and Responsibilities of a White Hat Hacker

As widely recognized, apart from vulnerability testing, white hat hackers (or ethical hackers) are responsible for multiple other responsibilities. Still, their major role is to imitate the activities of a black hat to fortify the security defenses.

◉ Scanning ports to identify flaws – White hat hackers use port scanning tools (such as Nessus or Nmap) to find whether there are any open ports. They study these ports in detail to come up with countermeasures to defend them against cyberattacks.

◉ Examine patch installations – They also examine patch installations so that threat actors can’t exploit them.

◉ Social engineering methods – They use social engineering methods, such as shoulder surfing, to collect crucial information. The steps that can help any cybercriminal to gain access to sensitive data.

◉ Dodge honeypots, IDS, or other systems – White hat hackers also try different methodologies and approaches to evade honeypots set up by the organization. They look for loopholes that can give black hats the access to avoid firewalls, IDS/IPS ((Intrusion Detection Systems/Intrusion Prevention Systems), or honeypots.

◉ Sniffing – They also perform network sniffing, hijacking web servers, and other network-related loopholes.

Salary of a white hat hacker

According to Payscale, the average salary of an Ethical Hacker in the U.S. is $84,497, with the most popular job roles being:

◉ Ethical Hacker

◉ Information Security Analyst

◉ Cyber Security Analyst

◉ Security Analyst

◉ Security Engineer

◉ Security Consultant, (Computing / Networking / Information Technology)

◉ Penetration Tester

However, a Certified Ethical Hacker’s average salary in the U.S. is $91,000!

The most popular companies that hire Certified Ethical Hackers include, but are not limited to:

◉ Booz, Allen, and Hamilton

◉ S. Army

◉ S. Air Force (USAF)

◉ General Dynamics Information Technology Inc

◉ Northrop Grumman Corporation

How to Become a White Hat Hacker?

Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH) Master

The Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH) Master program covers 340 attack technologies spread over 140 real-time labs. The program does not only have ANSI accreditation but is also recognized by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) as a baseline program. It covers basic and advanced modules, including IoT Hacking and Vulnerability Analysis. It is engineered by the experts of the industry and is meant for auditors, security professionals, site administrators, and anyone who belongs to network infrastructure.

The program is also created in compliance with the NICE 2.0 Framework. This establishes a taxonomy and common lexicon that describes cybersecurity work and workers irrespective of where or for whom the work is performed.

The multiple-choice question exam, to test one’s knowledge, is accompanied by a six-hour-long hands-on exam, where you will need to prove your ethical hacking skills. Under this program, you will be tested on threat vector identification, network scanning, vulnerability analysis, and different hacking methodologies.

Source: eccouncil.org

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How to Prepare for The Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst (CTIA) Exam?

The Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst (CTIA) training and certification is necessary for those who regularly deal with threats. A professional-level cyber intelligence analyst is in demand by organizations to extract the intelligence from data by implementing various advanced strategies.

Here are five tips to help you through the CTIA exam:

1. Create a list of topics to study

The CTIA exam has 50 questions across various topics. By creating a list of topics you will ensure that you are covering all areas that might appear in the exam. These include, but are not restricted to:

◉ Cyber threat intelligence in SIEM

◉ Cyber threat intelligence in risk management

◉ Cyber threat intelligence in incident response

◉ Cyber kill chain methodology

◉ Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)

◉ Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)

◉ Fundamentals of cyber security threat intelligence (lifecycle, types, strategy, capability, framework, etc.)

◉ Steps of a cyber intelligence program

◉ Types of data analysis

◉ Data collection and management

◉ Report writing

◉ Threat analysis process

◉ TI Reporting and Dissemination

2. Schedule your time

Being realistic about how much time you can dedicate to study for the examination will help you predict when you will be ready to attempt the exam. Schedule time off from work and daily activities to study based on your list of topics to be covered.

3. Apply for your exam well in advance

If you choose for Threat Intelligence Certification without attending the Cyber Threat Intelligence training, then ensure that you have a minimum of 2 years of working experience in information security. Submit your application with proof of experience well in advance as the process of reviewal can be time-consuming.

4. Take a look at free resources

The CTIA webpage has many free resources that can help you while preparing for the exam. One such resource is the CTIA Exam Blueprint, which gives you a detailed look into the topics covered in the examination with a percentage of questions dedicated to the different topics. This will help you construct a healthy study plan.

5. Stay focused and alert during the exam

Be aware of the time you spend on a particular question during the exam. With the test being two-hours long and there being 50 questions, ensure that you do not spend more than 2 minutes on every question so that you have time to run through the paper after you are done.

For those who are looking for a simpler option, we recommend getting trained by a Certified EC-Council Instructor. This can be done through any of our training options: self-paced (iLearn), live-online instructor-led (iWeek), in-person training with a master trainer (Masterclass), or through our many global accredited training partners.

Source: eccouncil.org

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10 Reasons Why the C|HFI Is Your Go-to for All Things Digital Forensics

Digital forensics is the process of using digital tools and information technology with computer sciences to collect, analyze, and store any digital evidence to produce in the court of law. The meaning of the word “forensics” is to bring evidence to the court, and that is how “digital forensics” stands for bringing digital evidence to the court. Digital evidence may include a file from a computer, an image, a video, search history on the browser, external hard disk drive, mobile device, or much more. The standardization and consistency of digital forensics has not been recognized fully by all the courts of law due to its recent origin.

It is necessary for every business to make digital forensics an element of cybersecurity because of the increasing rate of cybercrime. Digital forensics experts will know the various advanced tools and techniques to recover lost data or encrypted data and produce them as evidence to data breaches and other cyberattacks. Without computer forensics as a part of your cybersecurity team, your business will be at potential loss.

The rising significance of digital forensics is creating an upward demand for exclusive computer forensic talent. As the role requires a specific set of skills that can be acquired via formal education and practice, EC-Council has the Computer Hacking and Forensic Investigator (C|HFI) program to offer to those aspiring cyber professionals. The C|HFI certification will fortify the application knowledge of law enforcement personnel, security officers, network administrators, legal professionals, and anyone concerned about the integrity of the network infrastructure. EC-Council’s C|HFI is a vendor-neutral comprehensive program that encapsulates the professional with required digital forensics knowledge.

10 Reasons Why the CHFI Is Your Go-to for All Things Digital Forensics

1. Methodological Approach

C|HFI presents a methodological approach to computer forensic, including searching and seizing of digital evidences, and acquisition, storage, analysis, and reporting of those evidences so that they serve as a valid piece of information during investigation. The program presents repeatable forensic investigation methodology that increases employability. C|HFIs can introduce different methods to discover data from a computer system, cloud service, mobile phone, or other digital devices.

2. Comprehensive Online Learning

It is a comprehensive program that comprises of 14 modules and 39 lab sessions. The program is completely online with a duration of 40 hours, during which you will be trained on the computer forensics and investigation process. The program is spread over various digital devices, the process of retrieving data from them and ensuring their safe custody for investigation. It makes a student competent to retrieve damaged, deleted, or encrypted data. C|HFI also helps you understand the law enforcement process and rules that guide you through the legal process of investigation.

3. Include Real-time Forensic Investigation Scenarios

C|HFI is not just a methodological program that defines the entire process of computer forensics. It includes major real-time forensic investigation cases that were solved through computer forensics. The study enables students to acquire a hands-on experience on different forensic investigation techniques that were adopted in real-life scenarios. It also trains you on the tools that were used to carry out a successful investigation, leading to the prosecution of perpetrators.

4. Prerequisite

The C|HFI program is designed for all IT professionals who are cybersecurity enthusiasts. As the required skill for being a digital forensic investigator is the knowledge of information technology and cybersecurity, EC-Council does not restrict eager candidates with a set pre-requisite, specific qualification, or experience to join the program. The scope of digital forensic is growing and so is the demand for skilled professionals. C|HFI is a credential that encapsulates industry-desired skills in the credential holder.

5. ANSI Accreditation

EC-Council is one of the few organizations that specializes in information security (IS) to achieve ANSI 17024 accreditation. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization that ensures the integrity of the standards as defined by them. ANSI represents the interests of over 1200 company and government agency institutional and international members through its operational office in New York and headquarters in Washington, D.C.

6. Mapped to NICE

C|HFI is 100% mapped to “Protect and Defend” Workforce Framework of NICE (National Institute of Cybersecurity Education), who categorizes and describes cybersecurity job roles. C|HFI being mapped to the NICE ensures that it is in accordance to the defined methodologies of the Protect and Defend framework and that is how the employability with C|HFI is higher when compared to other similar certifications in the market.

7. Updated Timely

The current C|HFI program is version 9 and that means it is updated from time-to-time to adhere with the changing forensic tools and methodologies. C|HFI is updated with the recent case studies, labs, digital forensic tools, devices, and so on, so that students acquire the knowledge of most recent techniques and strategies followed to deal with the latest malware attacks. The program has been designed and developed by experienced subject matter experts and digital forensic practitioners.

8. Equipped with Detailed Labs

The program has detailed labs covering almost 40% of the training time. The dedicated labs provide a hands-on learning experience. C|HFI also comes with cloud-based virtual labs that allow the candidate to practice investigation techniques that mirror real-life situations in a stimulated environment.

9. White Papers and Students Kit

The program is not just limited to a pre-defined training and lab, but offers valuable takeaways for future reference. For additional reading, the program comes loaded with many white papers. The student kit also contains various forensic investigation templates for evidence collection, chain-of-custody, investigation reports, and so on.

10. Report Writing and Presentation

For a computer forensic investigator, analyzing, interpreting, and storing digital information is important. It is equally important to have the ability to report the investigation. C|HFI has a dedicated module to report writing and presentation that enhances your skills on presenting the authenticity of the evidence collected and analyzed, explaining its significance in solving the case.

Source: eccouncil.org

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An Introduction to Computer Forensics and How to Become a Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator

Computer forensics has long played a vital role in both law enforcement investigations and corporate cybersecurity. Whether you are just entering the field of cybersecurity or an experienced professional looking to expand your skill set, adding certification in computer forensics could help with your career goals.

There was a time when digital evidence lost their credibility in the courts of law. Earlier, like any other physical evidence, courts used to consider evidence acquired from computer systems as legit. But as time passed, we learned how easy it is to corrupt, destroy, or alter computer data. In the simplest example, if a person simply opens a computer file, there is no way to prove the last date that the file was updated. Computers are designed to record the time and date of an accessed file on its own. Investigators later realized that they need to develop the necessary tools and processes to extract the required information from computers without affecting the data in the process. With time, experts came up with procedures to safely retrieve data. This branch of forensic science is now popular as computer forensics.

In this “golden age of evidence,” digital forensics, especially computer forensics, is playing a vital role in solving a wide range of cases: homicide, forgery, pornography, and much more. In a recent case from October 2018, an ex-Solano California Highway Patrol sergeant was accused of downloading and sharing child pornography. The primary testimony was focused on computer forensics and his computer equipment related to the allegation. That’s what digital evidence can do these days. It possesses more credibility than ever before.

Other than that, companies use computer forensics in both incident response and internal employee investigations.

Defining Computer Forensics and Digital Forensics in Simplest Terms

Computer forensics is an evolving field that is always moving to match the changes in devices and how they are used for identifying, preserving, analyzing, and recovering data from computers and various digital media storage. Digital data are subjected to legal practices and guidelines when intended to serve as evidence in civil proceedings. With several high-profile cases, it has been noticed that the US and European court systems are now considering digital evidence to be reliable. Different countries follow different and unique guidelines and practices for authentic and admissible recovery of evidence. For example, in the United Kingdom, computer forensic examiners follow the Association of Chief Police Officers guidelines which ensure the legitimacy and integrity of exhibited evidence.

In the high-profile case of Michael Jackson, his doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, was found guilty in 2011 for the involuntary manslaughter of the pop singer. One of the important bases for the conviction was the presence of digital evidence on his computer.

Computer forensic investigations go through five major standard digital forensic phases—policy and procedure development, assessment, acquisition, examination, and reporting. But before digging deeper into these phases, it’s important to understand the umbrella term “digital forensics.”

Digital forensics can be defined as a branch of forensic science dedicated to recovery and investigation of digital or electronic data. These data can be from any digital asset or data storing entity which includes a computer system, mobile device, cloud service, and so on. Technically, all these digital assets have a different design to store data and this makes the very base for dividing digital forensics into several categories. Its various subbranches include computer forensics, network forensics, forensic data analysis, and mobile device forensics.

Computer Forensics in Company’s DFIR Program

A company’s Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) program is designed to determine the source, cause, and scope of the incident as quickly as possible. It also ensures that the company stays well prepared for the unavoidable incident. Computer forensics plays a major role in the DFIR program of a company. It helps in carrying out investigations on internal frauds (or staff breaching the company’s security policy) and external intrusion. The management of the company is responsible for determining the computer forensic methods to be incorporated in its incident response plan. It is crucial that the management body keeps computer forensic rules in mind so to avoid mishandling of digital evidence.

Five Standard Computer Forensic Investigation Phases

With increasing cybercrime, computer forensics has now become crucial for public safety, national security, and law enforcement. Tracking the digital activities of potential criminals can help investigators find digitally stored information about their criminal activity. Computer forensics is not only capable of uncovering deliberate criminal intent but can also prevent future cybercrimes.

The listed five-step computer forensic investigation allows examiners to thoroughly investigate the assigned case.

1. Policy and Procedure Development

Computer forensics plays a vital role in activities associated with cybercrimes, criminal conspiracy, or any kind of digital evidence against a committed crime. These data are delicate and highly sensitive. Computer forensic investigators do understand how important it is to handle these data under proper protection; otherwise, it can be compromised easily. For this reason, it is important to establish strict guidelines and procedures to be followed by concerned investigators. These procedures include detailed instructions for computer forensic investigators about when they are authorized to perform recovery operations on possible digital evidence, what steps to follow to prepare systems for evidence retrieval, where to store the retrieved data, and how to document the complete activities for ensuring the integrity and credibility of the retrieved evidence.

Law enforcement and government agencies are hiring experienced cybersecurity experts to draw proper guidelines, policies, and procedures to be followed during computer forensic investigation. This policy and procedure also include a set of explicitly stated actions including what counts as evidence, what are the places on a computer to look for evidence, and how to handle the retrieved evidence. Another integral part of computer forensics is that there are times when prior permissions or warrants are required to get through the computer data of an individual.

2. Evidence Assessment

Evidence assessment is a critical part of digital forensics as it provides a clear understanding of the case details. This directly helps in classifying the cybercrime at hand. For an instance, to find pieces of evidence against someone with potential identity theft-related crimes, computer forensic investigators usually examine his/her hard drives, email accounts, social networking sites, and other digital archives for digital evidence linking him/her to the crime. Before starting an investigation, it is mandatory for the investigators to define the type of evidence they are seeking, with minute details like specific platforms and data formats. The investigators should also be clear about how to preserve the acquired evidence. Also, it’s the investigator’s responsibility to verify the authenticity of the source and integrity of the pertinent data before including it into the list of evidence.

3. Evidence Acquisition

Rigorous documentation is needed before, during, and after the evidence acquisition phase. In this phase, you are required to document every tiny detail such as all hardware and software specifications, systems used for the investigation, and the system containing the potential evidence. During evidence acquisition, computer forensic investigators are subjected to follow the policies dedicated to preserving the integrity of potential evidence. With that, the investigators also need to follow general guidelines which list the physical removal of storage devices, proper retrieval of sensitive data, and ensuring operations by using controller boot discs and taking appropriate steps while copying and transferring digital evidence from targeted system to investigator’s system. This step should be completed carefully and legally as the documented evidence are crucial in the proceedings of a court case.

4. Evidence Examination

The developed procedure should include guidelines for retrieving, copying, and storing evidence. The computer forensic investigators usually investigate officially assigned archives and recently deleted files by using specific keywords. Even the intentionally hidden or encrypted files are the suspicious evidence that investigators look for. Also, the analysis of file names offers you details like the date, time, and location where the data were created and downloaded. It simply helps the investigators to link the connection between uploading of files from storage devices to a public network. During this stage, the computer forensic investigators work closely with all the other personnel involved in the case as it helps in understanding what type of information can be tagged as evidence.

5. Reporting

For this last stage, the investigators need to have accurate records of their activities during the complete investigation. This step will ensure that all the guidelines, policies, and procedures have been followed throughout. Along with that, it ensures the authenticity and integrity of the data retrieved for the evidential reasons. The report will directly impact the civil proceeding if the validity of the evidence can’t be justified.

How to Pursue a Career in Computer Forensics?

Now, if you want to pursue such an interesting career as a cyber forensic analyst or digital forensic examiner, then follow EC-Council’s Cyber Forensics track. It helps you with the best and easiest possible route to your professional journey.

Step 1—Certified Network Defender

A computer forensic expert knows every detail about the computer, multiple digital storage media, and network to which it is connected to. So, in order to establish yourself as a computer forensic investigator, you need to learn various network components, network traffic, network topology, network security controls and protocols, IDS, VPN, firewall configuration, and much more.

For example, with the help of this network-related knowledge, you will be able to track the system from where a file has been uploaded on the server. Such a skill will surely help you to track a cybercriminal or, for example, a spreader of child pornography.

So, consider the Certified Network Defender (C|ND) program as the first step to your computer forensic career. The program extensively covers all the major aspects of network security. It comes with hands-on lab sessions which help you to work in a real-time environment to deal with the real-time scenarios. Another important feature of C|ND is that it is recognized by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and is mapped to the NICE framework. This brings high professional value to the C|ND credential and helps you to find a suitable job as per the current job market.

Step 2—Certified Ethical Hacker

After acquiring all the required network security knowledge, it’s time for you to learn how a cybercrime takes place, from its initial stage to the real plan in action. You should know about information security to understand network scanning, footprinting, Trojan analysis and related countermeasures, packet sniffing to protect your own data from it, and a lot more. This all will help you in your computer forensic investigation.

To either stop or track a malicious cyber threat, you should be aware of all the steps and tactics a malicious hacker would opt for. Only then you will be able to track down the perpetrator with all the tools and techniques available to you.

The Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH) program offers you a simplified way to understand the intent and behavior of a notorious hacker. The C|EH program is dedicated to ethical hacking and information security. With this knowledge, you can empower yourself to identify attack vectors, the methodology used by the hacker, malware analysis, and much more. This ANSI accredited program, being recognized by DoD, also helps you to gain professional trust in the cybersecurity domain.

C|EH Practical

C|EH (Practical) is a powerful addition to the C|EH credential. It rigorously tests you for 6 h to demonstrate your information security and ethical hacking knowledge. This exam challenges you in every way possible to prove your skills as an expert of various techniques, concepts, methodologies, and so on.

Step 3—EC-Council Certified Incident Handler

A computer forensic analyst is required to work with incident handling team. During one of the phases of incident handling, containment decisions need both the incident handling team and forensic examiners to cooperate with each other. And, this working environment helps forensic investigator in his/her post-incident analysis.

The third step of your digital forensic career involves program. One of the modules of the program is dedicated to forensic readiness, while the other module helps you acquire skills for handling different types of cybersecurity incidents. The program complies to NICE and CREST frameworks making it synchronous to the current cybersecurity job trends.

Step 4—Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator

EC-Council’s Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator will help you with everything you need to learn to become a computer forensic expert. This ANSI accredited program will help you learn data acquisition, data duplication, analysis of hard disks and file systems, dealing with anti-forensics techniques, operating system forensics, database forensics, mobile forensics, forensic report writing, and many other skills. The program comes with hands-on labs to transform your knowledge into professional skills in a real-time simulated environment.

Time has changed and even crimes widened its network. The world is now not only facing cyber criminals and their notorious traps but also dealing with terrorists, murderers, and other criminals using technology for their benefit. And, in such a scenario, it’s the need of the hour that we too solve these crimes using new-age devices and technologies. Computer forensics is one such branch dedicated to solving all these crimes if a computer system or storage media is involved.

Source: eccouncil.org

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Virtual Private Network Security – Is it a myth?

VPN may not be as secure as you think. If you are targeting overall VPN security, it is not difficult, and the best option is to add an extra security layer to your network. A certified network defender has the ability to plan and secure an organization’s network that includes VPN too.

If you are on a virtual private network (VPN) and think that you are playing safe, then you may not be aware of may network security facts on VPN. IPv6 is a new protocol as the internet has exhausted IPv4 addresses and many VPNs have not adopted the change.

What is VPN?

Before we talk about how secure a VPN is, let us first understand what a virtual private network is. The following video by Android Authority explains what is a VPN is and how it works:

Is your VPN safe or not?

VPNs are expected to protect the user’s privacy and they do by rerouting traffic through a secure communication protocol. The secure protocol hides the communication and flow of traffic. It helps users in bypassing the geographic restrictions of a few internet services and blocks from getting censored by intruders. According to researchers, of 14 VPN service providers that they researched, only four had partial protections. Only four VPN service providers are upgraded to IPv6 and able to provide security from getting exposed.

Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a vital element for online security. It develops the trust that no one is able to find your internet access. For example, if you access your bank account to make any payment, VPN assures security. But as we are seeing, VPNs are not totally secure and here we have listed a few reasons supporting our statement.

Anonymous nature cannot be fully true

You spend so much monthly on VPN to keep your online identity anonymous and to maintain the privacy of your internet browsing. Well, you should understand that there is no such thing called ‘anonymous’ when you are online. Though your VPN provider promises to have an anonymous service without logging, it cannot be verified. It is just blind trust without any tools to prove the ethnicity of the VPN.

What is expected from a VPN provider – transparency or anonymity? Important is your VPN should appreciate your anonymity and keep your browsing private. Whereas, such networks are in short supply.

No logging status is a myth!

Though VPNs promise of not asking you to log-in to your activities, it is sadly a myth. The servers cannot be engaged without logs and a VPN provider cannot handle DNS requests. With no logs engaged, the VPN server cannot troubleshoot connections, or restrict the access of the VPN accounts based on their subscriptions. If VPNs don’t ask for signups and share the collected information, then probably they are of low quality. VPNs without logins are unreliable servers that can risk the privacy of your web browsing and responsible for data leaks.

When concerned about the handling of logs by VPNs, consider their usage terms to understand the information that they retain. In case of the absence of information on the handling of their log files and retainment of information, it is good to move on over another option.

Verify privacy

Checking the policy about the VPN’s logs is not the only way to ensure the privacy of the network. Many a time, for the sake of marketing, the VPN providers mention the feature of privacy on their website, but it may not be the case in reality. In general, your IP address, username, operating system, session start, and end timings, are a few of the basic data that is recorded by the VPN system. This recording of conflicts with your anonymous belief.

Using rental cloud services may ask you to login

VPN’s are of two types – those that use their inhouse servers and those that hire cloud servers. As we have already seen that it is a server cannot be performed without using logs, and a subscription-based online account also need the logs to access the server. In case if the VPN providers are dependent on cloud servers then it is not possible to run their server without collecting logs. Even though VPN providers do not collect any logs, the cloud servers been rented do require.

VPNs secure your connection, but they are not completely safe. The cyber attackers can infiltrate a VPN server and can initiate a men-in-the-middle attack. Concerned about the privacy of your VPN? It is worth adding another layer of defense to your network security.

How a Certified Network Defender can secure VPN connection?

It is the responsibility of a network administrator to ensure the effective performance of the network. Whereas, a network defender has the potential to defend and secure the working of the network. EC-Council offers Certified Network Defender (C|ND) certification program that focuses on transforming network administrators from identifying, protecting and responding to the threats on the network. C|ND covers the “Secure VPN Configuration and Management” and is always the first choice of network professionals among other network security courses as it is a skill based, lab-centric comprehensive program based on job-task analysis and is also mapped to NICE framework. The certified network defender will gain a real-life experience on network defense including VPN connection. Their technical prophecy ensures secure network in your organization.

Source: eccouncil.org

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6 Ways to choose an ethical hacking training that is best for

Cybersecurity is emerging as a promising industry. With a zero-unemployment rate, organizations are looking for the right talent. As the cybersecurity workforce gap is on the rise, any candidate with industry-required skills is welcome to the industry. To become a part of this continuously growing industry, you can begin with an ethical hacking job. As the name suggests, your responsibilities will be ethically performed only after the organization hires you to do the job. Taking up a renowned ethical hacking training, and that will help you kickstart your career.

It’s important to understand that the job might sound enticing, but without proper guidance, you will feel lost. Here are a few tips to a successful ethical hacking career.

How to start as an ethical hacker?

Now, when you have already chosen ethical hacking as your career, you can start by researching this job role. The basic knowledge about being an ethical hacker is summarized here –

Roles and Responsibilities of an Ethical Hacker –

The fundamental idea behind ethical hacking is to imitate the work of a black hat. But in ethical hacking, instead of exploiting the data assets, the ethical hacker attempts to look for potential vulnerabilities and countermeasures to fortify them. To achieve this objective, an ethical hacker performs the following tasks –

◉ Scanning ports using tools like Nmap and Nessus – It helps an ethical hacker to identify open ports.

◉ Using different methodologies to verify whether installed firewalls, IDS/IPS (Intrusion Detection Systems/Intrusion Prevention Systems) can be bypassed.

◉ Relying on social engineering techniques to check whether employees of the organization are vulnerable to potential cyber threats.

The Five Phases of Ethical Hacking

These phases, as explained by Tom Brett, an experienced trainer and consultant with over 25 years working in the IT industry in a broad number of disciplines, serve as the building blocks and a career guide on how to build your career in the ethical hacking industry:

Choose the best ethical hacking training for professional success

Take a look at some of the thing you should be looking at when choosing which ethical hacking training to sign up for:

1. ANSI Accreditation

The Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH) is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to meet the ISO/IEC 17024 Personnel Certification Accreditation standard. Being ANSI accredited confirms the integrity, confidence, and mobility of certified professionals.

Organizations look for candidates who can help build a trust relationship with the stakeholders.

2. DoD Recognition

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) recognized C|EH as one of the baseline programs. For getting into DoD Information Assurance (IA) workforce, it is a must that the candidate holds a credential, which is DoD Directive 8140/8570 compliant. In short, C|EH can land you a job in DoD.

3. NICE 2.0 Framework Compliant

Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH) is mapped to the NICE 2.0 framework’s Protect and Defend specialty area. This framework ensures that the course attendee gets industry-required knowledge and skills. It helps you achieve the desired cybersecurity goals and meanwhile assesses your improvement at different stages.

4. Hands-on Experience

Over 40 percent of the training focuses on practical learning. But these days, employers and recruiters look for hands-on experience over theoretical knowledge. So, to produce worthy ethical hackers who can work in the physical world, the C|EH attendees go through EC-Council labs (iLabs). These labs help the participants work in a real-time environment to gain practically applicable skills.

5. Advanced Topics

The C|EH program includes basic as well as advanced topics, including IoT hacking, cloud computing, social engineering methods and attacks. Apart from that, a new module, “Vulnerability Analysis,” has been added in the latest version of C|EH (v10). This module helps you learn how to locate vulnerabilities in security infrastructure and vulnerability management life cycle. You will learn to use different approaches and tools to perform the vulnerability assessment.

6. Thousands of Tools

Under this training, you will get the opportunity to use more than 2,200 commonly used hacking tools. You will get to use them under the iLabs training.

Source: eccouncil.org

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