CEH — Certified Ethical Hacker Exam Guide

The CEH validates your ability to think like a hacker and identify vulnerabilities through ethical hacking techniques. It's the most recognized offensive security certification.

Exam Overview

Detail	Value
Provider	EC-Council
Questions	125 (multiple choice)
Length	4 hours
Passing Score	60–85% (varies by form)
Price	~$1,199 USD (includes training)

Domains

Domain	Weight
Footprinting and Reconnaissance	17%
Scanning Networks	16%
Enumeration	10%
Vulnerability Analysis	6%
System Hacking	8%
Malware Threats	7%
Sniffing	5%
Social Engineering	5%
Session Hijacking	3%
Web Application Hacking	8%
Wireless Network Hacking	6%
Cryptography	4%
Cloud, IoT, and Mobile	5%

Key Tools

• Nmap — Port scanning and discovery
• Wireshark — Packet capture and analysis
• Metasploit — Exploitation framework
• Burp Suite — Web application testing
• John the Ripper / Hashcat — Password cracking
• SQLmap — SQL injection automation
• Nikto — Web server scanner
• Nessus / OpenVAS — Vulnerability scanners

Methodology

1. Reconnaissance — OSINT, Google dorking, Shodan, DNS enumeration
2. Scanning — Port scanning (TCP, UDP), OS fingerprinting, service detection
3. Enumeration — Users, shares, services, SNMP, LDAP
4. Exploitation — Gaining access through vulnerabilities
5. Post-exploitation — Privilege escalation, persistence, lateral movement
6. Covering Tracks — Log cleanup, hiding evidence

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