Becoming a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Guide: Certification, Jobs, Salary

If you have a way with computers, an eye for solving problems and an interest in security, a career as a Certified Ethical Hacker might be for you. You can now put your tech skills to use and get paid for it. What’s best is that you can get prepared and certified as a CEH within a year’s period.

What is Ethical Hacking?

Ethical hacking might well be one of the most critical roles in a company’s information security. This makes certified ethical hackers the security guards of digital information. And with (non-ethical) hackers becoming smarter, ethical hackers are in high demand for preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information in many industries. Such can be government agencies, research and development laboratories, online commerce and retail, logistics and transport, healthcare, hospitality, and many other sectors.

White-Hat vs Black-Hat Hacking

When one speaks of hackers, the general thought is they’re speaking of so-called black-hat hackers. Black-hat hackers tend to use their computer skills in a malicious way to harm computer systems. On the other hand, white-hat hackers – or ethical hackers – use their computer skills to perform ethical hacking.

How to Become a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

If you want to become an ethical hacker, you can gain all the necessary skills in a 12-month online course at the University of the Potomac.

The Certified Ethical Hacker program immerses students into an interactive environment where they will be shown how to scan, test, hack and secure their own systems. As system administrators, students are trained for careers defending against hackers on corporate networks.

Certified Ethical Hacker Certification Exam

University of the Potomac’s Certified Ethical Hacker program prepares students for the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker certification exam — the industry standard for information security professionals. With this certification, you will begin to understand not only how a hacker thinks but also what tactics they use. You’ll learn to deploy proactive countermeasures and stay ahead of information security developments and vulnerabilities.

Certified Ethical Hacker Online Course Modules

The expert instructor-led training modules at UOTP allow you to cover a range of topics at your own pace. They include:

• Information Security basics
• Types Of Attacks
• Skills of an Ethical Hacker
• Penetration Testing
• Search Engines, Social Networking and Job Sites
• Scanning techniques
• Enumeration
• Password Cracking
• Trojans and Backdoors
• Viruses and Worms
• Sniffing Attacks and Countermeasures
• Social Engineering
• Denial of Service
• Hacking Web Servers
• Web Applications
• SQL Injection
• Hacking Wireless Networks and Mobile Platforms
• Evasion techniques
• Cryptography

Jobs for Certified Ethical Hackers

IT security is a fast-growing field, and its growth is showing no stopping. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects job growth at a rate of 28 percent for the decade ending in 2026. This field is showing the most potential for job growth from all other professions. Therefore, a CEH certification will never keep you unemployed.

With the practical advanced hacking skills you will gain in your training at Potomac University, you’ll be prepared for entry into a job as:

• a systems administrator,
• a security auditor,
• a vulnerability tester, or
• a hacking tool analyst.

Once you’ve completed the Ethical Hacker program and certification, you can use the University of the Potomac’s GradCast partnership to submit your resume to thousands of employers currently filling more than 12,000 computer and network support jobs.

Opportunities to find a high-tech job don’t stop there. Add to your certifications with one of more than 100 technology-based Education 2 Employment programs offered through The Potomac Workforce Training & Development Center.

What Is the Salary of a CEH?

As Global Knowledge has found in their IT Salary Report where over 9,500 IT professionals were surveyed to make a comparison of various designations within the IT industry and their corresponding pay, the job of a CEH was among the highest paid.

According to PayScale, the total salary of a certified ethical hacker is approximately between $24,760 – $132,322.1, which makes the average $71,331 per year. As for who pays most, the United States Department of Labor reports that New York City pays out the highest average salary of $117,900, followed by salaries in California. Next come Massachusetts and Washington DC.

Whether you choose the career path of a certified ethical hacker or others, at the University of the Potomac, we’re passionate about connecting you with affordable training programs for in-demand skills. Talk to a training advisor to get personalized assistance today at 1-844-­235-­9108 or [email protected] or visit the Potomac Workforce Training & Development Center online at https://potomac.theknowledgebase.org