The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification from the EC-Council is a popular and highly regarded credential within the information security industry. Individuals who earn a CEH certification are dedicated, knowledgeable, ethical hackers. However, the process isn’t over after you receive the CEH credential. Every three years, you must renew your certification, and there are some requirements to do so.
What Are the Requirements for CEH Renewal?
To meet the requirements for CEH certification renewal, you have to maintain an annual membership of the EC-Council and earn 120 EC-Council Continuing Education (ECE) credits within the three years your certification is valid. The EC-Council’s policy stipulates that you spread the required 120 credits out over the three years. That means you have to stay on track and not try to earn all the credits in just one year. You must earn 40 credits each year to meet the target 120 credits.
Additionally, you have to be a member of the EC-Council to submit those credits, requiring you to pay an annual membership fee of $80. Fees have to be paid in full for your certification to be renewed. Many employers pay membership fees for their IT employees.
How Can You Earn ECE Credits for CEH Renewal?
There are multiple ways to earn ECE credits to meet EC-Council requirements for CEH renewal, including the following:
Online IT Training– You can take relevant online training courses to earn credits. The EC-Council must approve the courses. You can earn 60 credits toward your goal using this method.
Attending IT Security Events– Participating in IT security seminars, conferences, and meetings can help you earn ECE credits. Typically, you will earn one credit for every hour you attend such events.
IT Security Presentations– If you give back to your CEH community by creating a presentation for fellow EC-Council members, you will earn three credits per hour of the presentation.
Reading IT Security Material– Reading relevant IT security books, research, blogs, magazines, etc., will increase your overall knowledge. Thus, the EC-Council accepts those activities as ways to earn ECE credits. This is the easiest way to stay updated on the latest trends and advancements while earning the required credits.
Volunteering or Teaching– If you volunteer for an IT security campaign, you will earn one credit for each hour. If you teach an IT security course, each hour is worth three credits.
Writing about IT Security– If you write an article, white paper, or book chapter, you can earn 20 ECE credits. For authoring an entire book, you get 100 credits.
- Detecting a Vulnerability– If you identify new IT weaknesses, vulnerabilities, or threats to your organization, you can earn ECE credits. You can receive ten credits for detecting such vulnerabilities. This method, however, can be tedious to track and is often based on luck.
What If You Don’t Reach 120 ECE Credits in Three Years?
If a certified ethical hacker doesn’t meet the 120 ECE credit requirement stipulated in EC-Council policy during their three-year certification, their certification will be suspended. If this happens, the council will allow individuals to earn 120 ECE credits the year after the suspension. If they cannot complete the credits during that year, they will have to retake the CEH certification exam.
Maintain Your CEH Certification Exam with Cybrary
Ethical hacking is an exciting, credible, and lucrative field in the cybersecurity industry. Earning the CEH is challenging, and so is earning the 120 credits you need to maintain it. Fortunately, Cybrary is here to help. At Cybrary, we offer online IT training courses that allow you to earn continuing education credits applied to your CEH certification renewal.
Taking courses with Cybrary is easy and convenient. Because you can access our online courses anytime, anywhere, your continuing education efforts will fit into even the busiest schedule. We’re committed to providing high-quality IT learning to our students as simply as possible. So please take a look at our extensive catalog of online courses and start earning your ECE credits today.
