Successfully passed C|EH - My professional opinion on ECCouncil and IT Cert Industry

JockVSJock

Just walked out of the testing center with a pass for C|EH v9 (I guess this is the correct version...). I wasn't even going to test for this, as my wife talked me into it as the voucher was going to expire as of today and it was $700 USD to take the test. I'm currently working on RHCSA for RHEL7 and will test in the next few weeks.

I honestly felt while taking the exam, I was taking another Security+ exam. I don't have any other way to explain it, other then ECCouncil and others hype this exam to be more than it is.


Background: Last year my boss came to me and said I could go to IT training from a list he had. There was only Microsoft, CompTIA, and C|EH to pick from, so I picked C|EH, which was a 5 day bootcamp, which was online.

I got the related C|EH books via US Mail, before the class started and while they are slick looking and thick, there are basically a bunch of powerpoint slides in a book. How is anybody going to learn pen-testing from this? I know I didn't.

The bootcamp online course was an instructor basically reading the powerpoint slides from the book to us verbatim and I found it very difficult to pay attention. I know I wasn't the only one having difficulties paying attention.

I also asked the instructor if we had access to a demo test to prepare for the C|EH, and he sent us a URL, and he stated it was only for the class or those taking the C|EH bootcamp. However later I figured out by googling around that this URL is available to anyone and everyone with a web browser and computer.

We did have access to online labs, with various VM to use the tools discussed in the books, however we only had 6 months of access. Probably not enough time to get really good with these tools. I know I'm not a skilled or EL13T H@CK0r after this 6 months.

Dealing with ECCouncil has been at best, unprofessional. Support must be based in India, as I would ask questions and not get answers I needed and it took me going back and forth 11 times before I finally got the answer I needed to book my exam.

At the Perason Vue test center this morning looked like a janitors closet and their computer system wouldn't come up, so I wasted time waiting in the waiting room...

Finally, there has to be a better way to get folks training in IT to get the skills they need to advance their career or get started in a IT career. As I go further down this trail, I'm certain this cert industry is a industrial complex. Look at ECCouncil and all of the certs, seminars and cons they offer. I know I can't be the only one thinking this...

PC509

I was seriously underwhelmed by the CEH and EC|Council in general. Their communications and many other aspects come off as unprofessional. While it's a nice checkbox to have for jobs, I don't put a lot of value into the CEH or the CHFI. Very basic certifications from a certifying company.

Some of their correspondence and other written materials come off as bad Word documents that someone made on a weekend.

Good base knowledge to have, a decent foundation, but nothing to really brag about, IMO. It's an expensive cert with a better reputation than it deserves.

The testing centers are all on their own, though. No fault of EC|Council there. The one I go to is very nice, clean, quiet, and a great place. I've been to some real 'shady' ones in the past, though.

I know there is a poster that will chime in with an even worse review, though. I like him.