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Cisco Certificate in Ethical Hacking

Master essential offensive security skills and practice addressing real-world cyberthreats to elevate your career in cybersecurity.

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Overview How the program works

Think like a hacker to advance your career in offensive security

Earn three badges: one for each step of the program, and one when you complete the certificate.

Equip yourself for a role in offensive security with the Cisco Certificate in Ethical Hacking, a first-of-its-kind program that combines self-study with hands-on practice. Learn to proactively discover and mitigate vulnerabilities, and prove it to employers with a certificate and domain-specific digital badges.

Gain a skill set that’s in-demand, in a growing field

As IT evolves, offensive security knowledge is becoming a standard part of any cybersecurity role. Demonstrating you can tackle the toughest issues in cybersecurity —before they happen — sets you apart from the crowd.

Add an official offensive security certificate to your resume

Your industry-recognized certificate proves you’ve got what it takes to play offense on any cybersecurity team. Enhance your offensive capabilities with a course and practical experience to propel your career in offensive security.

Get hands-on practice with real-world security challenges

Play the role of a pen tester or hacker as you put your skills to the test with every gamified challenge. Get the real-world experience you need to lock in your role as an expert.

Keep your skills sharp and earn badges along the way

Each challenge tests the latest skills employers are looking for. Collect specialized badges for every challenge you complete, and prove you have the practical skills to succeed from day one on any cybersecurity team.

Is this program right for you?

No formal prerequisites

There are no formal prerequisites for this certificate, but candidates often have:

  • Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity or equivalent entry-level cybersecurity experience
  • Basic programming knowledge

Example learner profiles

  • Entry-level and college students looking to get into cybersecurity and display offensive security skills like pen testing and ethical hacking
  • Pen testers or ethical hackers looking to stay current with their skills
  • Cybersecurity professionals looking for a credential that shows offensive security know-how to address vulnerabilities

Getting started

To earn the Cisco Certificate in Ethical Hacking, you’ll need to complete:

  • The Ethical Hacker course in Cisco Networking Academy
  • One Capture the Flag challenge in Cisco U.
Learn how the program works

Minimize security risks and maximize your career potential

Pen testing job growth

33%

Penetration tester employment is projected to grow 33% from 2023 to 2033 - much faster than average.

Average salary for offensive security pros

$120,360

Salaries for ethical hacker, penetration tester, and vulnerability assessment positions are approximately $120,360 per year.

Available cybersecurity jobs globally

4 million

An estimated 4 million jobs are unfilled in cybersecurity globally.

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Frequently asked questions

A certificate is a credential that confirms that you completed a specific course or program of study. Earning a certificate demonstrates that you have the knowledge and skills in a particular subject area.

A certification verifies you have the required skills, knowledge, and abilities specified by the certification exam or exams. Cisco offers the following certification levels: Associate, Professional, and Expert. Each level requires that you pass one or more exams delivered in secure and proctored environments. Certifications usually have an expiration date and must be maintained with more learning, including Continuing Education credits.

Certificates and certifications will help you stand out to employers and elevate your career opportunities.

Your Cisco Certificate in Ethical Hacking is valid for a lifetime.

While Continuing Education credits are not required to maintain the certificate, you’re encouraged to continue learning and collect additional badges by completing more themed Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges as they’re released.

Check to make sure that your Cisco U. email address is the same as your Cisco Networking Academy email. If it’s not, add both email addresses to your Credly account so your Ethical Hacker course completion can be validated.

Each Capture the Flag (CTF) follows the guidelines outlined in Cisco Certificate in Ethical Hacking v1.1 to ensure that one or more of the skills relevant to ethical hacking are included in each challenge. To stay current with the cyber threat landscape, our challenges might test for additional skills that aren’t yet included in this document.

Please allow our systems to process your records, and within 24 hours, you should receive emails referencing your certificate and digital badges.

Visit the Cisco U. Support page.

Watch the Cisco Certificate in Ethical Hacking virtual event

Join our experts for a virtual event where you'll learn how to start your ethical hacker journey. Take a deeper dive into the Cisco Networking Academy’s Ethical Hacker course and Cisco U. Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge topics — even get a sneak peek at one of the CTF challenges.

Watch the webinar

Sources

  1. Occupational Outlook Handbook, Information Security Analysts, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  2. Strategic Cybersecurity Talent Framework, World Economic Forum