How long to self study

poiuytrewq11 · June 2009

Hi, ive got a question as to how long it would take to self study for the CEH and CHFI certification exams? I know theres not an accurate time scale but what is the quickest anyone can relistically do this in?

The reason I ask is that I want the certificatiion asap but I want the knowledge too. I was planning on dedicating studying towards it soon but I want to know how long it would take (as a guess).

I have a knowledge of ethical hacking from university and would say I know the tools wireshark, nmap, nessus GFIlanguard and a few others in this category but I am aware that the knowledge needed goes far beyond.

I would appreciate any opinions!

thanks

JDMurray · June 2009

How long it takes anyone to study for any certification depends on how much knowledge and experience you already have with the subject matter on the exam, how closely your study material matches the information that's on the exam, how much time you actually spend studying, and how well you learn the type of material that you are studying.

All that being said, only you can estimate how long it will take you to learn anything thoroughly enough to take an exam. I suggest you have a look at the objectives and recommended study materials for both certs and get a "gut feel" for how long it might take you to digest the material and be able to apply that type of information to real-world situations. Only you can give yourself the most accurate time estimate.

poiuytrewq11 · June 2009

yer, that true, i would like to think i have an ok knowledge, i have also read the 'Exam Prep CEH study guide' which i feel has given me a reasonable start to preparing for it. I would like to try and sit my exam in august so hopefully im not being over optermistic

JDMurray · June 2009

To pass the exam in 2.5 months I'd suggest you start studying right now and nearly every day until then. There have been posts here from other members who have passed the exam and their thoughts on it. Read through those as well.

the_Grinch · June 2009

2.5 months for CEH I can see happening. Haven't taken the CHFI, but I don't know if that is a realistic goal for both. As JD said, only you know how long it will take. But I feel if you have a solid grasp of those tools, 2.5 months should be enough to get you the CEH.

unsupported · June 2009

I did my CEH in a few months. I was bored and waiting for my company to decide if they were paying for my GCIH. I read the Official CEH by Kimberly Graves and Exam Prep by Michael Gregg. The Official CEH was really dry, but gave me a good foundation on the objectives according to ECC. I really loved the Exam Prep, it had a log of depth. In addition to that I used the CEH flashcards I posted about earlier and spent a solid week going over the tools in my own lab.

Now, I am really glad I did CEH, because it supplemented my GCIH studies

Good luck on CEH! I'm also considering CHFI after GCIH for my own knowledge. Although, depending on how GCIH is, I may go straight for GCFA.

JDMurray · June 2009

unsupported wrote: »

In addition to that I used the CEH flashcards I posted about earlier and spent a solid week going over the tools in my own lab.

What were the tools you specifically studied for the CEH? And was that for CEHv5 or CEHv6?

the_Grinch · June 2009

Nmap, Wireshark, Snort (rules and logs) amongst others. I'd also look to know the viruses, trojans, and backdoors pretty well. Finally, knowing how to program in general will help as well. It is my understanding that there isn't a huge difference between version 5 and 6. 6 just added self-study modules that you aren't tested on.

unsupported · June 2009

JDMurray wrote: »

What were the tools you specifically studied for the CEH? And was that for CEHv5 or CEHv6?

It was CEH V5, it is my understanding that V6 has more granularity, but not too much difference. I ran Wireshark while bouncing N.M.A.P scans off the box, I ran Netcat, setup Snort and reviewed the rules, ran Metasploit, stumbled around in a BackTrack 3 VM (Linux is not my speciality, although I am learning), uhm... also played with dumping info on a Windows box using NULL connections. I also ran Cain, Sam Spade... uhm, basically the good excersizes from the Exam Cram book.

I've also had experience with Kismet and Netstumbler, so I did not have to do much with those.

poiuytrewq11 · June 2009

I have the exam prep book (Krutz & Vines) and the michael gregg book. Ive read them both and can answer all of the questions pretty confidently. I feel like i am making a good start to this whole process and hoping that if i know these two books inside out i should have enough for the cert (+ some practice with the tools)

unsupported · June 2009

poiuytrewq11 wrote: »

I have the exam prep book (Krutz & Vines) and the michael gregg book. Ive read them both and can answer all of the questions pretty confidently. I feel like i am making a good start to this whole process and hoping that if i know these two books inside out i should have enough for the cert (+ some practice with the tools)

Also, are you studying just to get the cert, or are you studying for the knowledge? If you are studying just for the cert, that may be enough. Just prepare yourself for a 2 hour test.

JDMurray · June 2009

unsupported wrote: »

Also, are you studying just to get the cert, or are you studying for the knowledge? If you are studying just for the cert, that may be enough. Just prepare yourself for a 2 hour test.

Yes, excellent point. If I go for the CEH it will be for the knowledge that I can use, and I therefore may spend six month studying for it. The cert will just be the mark of fait accompli.

poiuytrewq11 · June 2009

I want both, i have studied ethical hacking at university but it didnt require me to have a memorised knowledge of trojan ports and viruses. The underlying concepts and penetration testing is something that i feel i already posses but i want the cert to back up my knwoeldge (sort to speak). Anywway il continue my revision and hope for the best

unsupported · June 2009

I feel that rote memorization of trojans and their related port numbers is import for the test. Also common services. For example, I feel there may be a question that shows an IDS output relating to port 53 and the question may be what the attack is after. Knowing that port 53 is the default for DNS will help you decode what the answer is.

Kasor · July 2009

Taking the time to study and get the knowledge and passing the CEH are too different mission. CEH is much more harder than most people expect because of the wide range of coverage on the materials.

It is not easy unless you have strong background. I doubt most newbies with few years experience can actually passed and understand the concept.

How long to self study

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