As a cyber security professional, you have a wide variety of certification options to choose from. This is not surprising given the numerous types of security measures and tools required to combat the diverse range of cyber threats.
Penetration testing is a popular method used by IT professionals to ensure their networks are secure from hackers and other unauthorized access. Two of the most widely recognized penetration testing certifications are CEH and OSCP.
If you’re interested in understanding the key differences between CEH and OSCP, and determining which certification is best suited for you and your IT team, this article will provide an in-depth comparison and guide on how to obtain the certification with minimal hassle.
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing, also known as pen testing, is the process of simulating an unauthorized cyber attack on a computer system, application, or network to evaluate its security and identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
Ethical hackers conduct penetration testing, which is a crucial method for determining the level of security of a target.
By identifying weaknesses in a controlled environment, IT departments can identify areas that require improvement before any real-world harm or loss occurs.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in pen testing, it’s important to consider the differences between the OSCP and CEH certifications.
CEH Certification
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is one of the IT security certifications that should be followed. The increasing number of enthusiasts in Certified Ethical Hackers is none other than the rising hacking cases by hackers.
Cybercrime perpetrators, of course, want the data of a company or a particular party to release their interests. That is why data center service providers need to consider the Certified Ethical Hacker IT security certification.
Not only data centre service providers but Certified Ethical Hackers are also required by various industrial sectors because companies must be able to protect their client’s data from the reach of irresponsible cybercrime actors.
Certified Ethical Hacker is a level of certification offered by EC-Council, a certification body in the cyber security field that is trusted worldwide.
Besides the increase in cybercrime cases, Certified Ethical Hackers are also increasingly popular because the lessons taught are unique.
In Certified Ethical Hacker, you will be guided to become a hacker. But don’t be surprised. You will be directed to become a hacker who has ethics.
OSCP Certification
OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional) is a certification offered by Offensive Security, a company that specializes in providing cybersecurity training and penetration testing services.
The OSCP certification is a hands-on, practical certification that requires individuals to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in penetration testing by completing a real-world, 24-hour penetration test on an intentionally vulnerable network provided by Offensive Security.
The OSCP certification is recognized as one of the most challenging and highly respected certifications in the field of penetration testing.
It is designed for professionals who are interested in learning the skills and techniques needed to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems and networks.
A Glimpse of CIISP
CISSP, or Certified Information Security Systems Professionals, is a highly respected and widely recognized certification in the IT world. It goes beyond the focus of OSCP and CEH, which primarily focus on penetration testing and ethical hacking.
Instead, CISSP covers a broad range of topics including access management, incident analysis, risk management, and security operations.
A quality CISSP certification course will provide students with the knowledge and skills to design and maintain a secure IT business environment using globally approved information security standards.
The certification is offered by (ISC)² and is considered a valuable asset for those looking to advance their career in cyber security. It’s recommended to start with either CEH or OSCP and eventually work your way up to CISSP.
OSCP vs CEH
Here’s a table that illustrates the different attributes of CEH certification classes compared to OSCP certification classes:
| OSCP vs CEH: Considerations | CEH | OSCP |
| Who Needs This Certificate? | Anyone who wants to gain a basic grasp on the various aspects of cyber security from an ethical hacker’s perspective. Useful for expanding your skillset while remaining in your current job. | Anyone who wants to make a career devoted exclusively to penetration testing. |
| Which Course Is Better? | This course is better for the average IT professional who wants to know more about hacking and cyber security in general.
Advanced penetration testers won’t get much out of it. |
Better for the cyber security expert who wants to get extremely good at pen testing. Otherwise, it’s not especially useful in the cyber security field.
It is considered the standard in cyber security circles. |
| What’s the Learning Curve? | Teaches a well-rounded curriculum of skills related to different aspects of cyber security such as cloud security, cryptography, mobile testing, penetration testing, and IoT testing. You have access to an instructor. | Limited to only penetration testing. The knowledge is narrowly focused, but it’s thorough and of excellent quality. You learn on your own, however, with no real guidance. |
| What Are the Career Opportunities? | Business continuity, cloud security, compliance auditing, disaster recovery, Security Management, penetration testing, IoT testing, risk management, incident handling, and more. | Limited to penetration tester, although the course prepares the professional for more advanced pen testing. This helps advancement within the field itself. |
| Required Experience | No experience required; great for beginners and dabblers | At least five years’ worth of experience in cyber security, or prior training via CEH. |
Career Overview as Ethical Hacker
We usually refer to hackers as individuals who use their computers to gain unauthorized access to other people’s systems or networks to commit crimes against them.
However, hackers do not always refer to cyber criminals, as many people think.
There are many types of hackers in the world. For example, a hacker helps a business find loopholes in its security system and then provides solutions to overcome these problems. We can also refer to ethical hackers or white hat hackers in this article we will discuss further.
As previously mentioned, ethical hackers are one of the most exciting jobs in the IT field. They can be called security experts who conduct security assessments within a company.
They are usually tasked with breaking into computer networks to test their defences. And if a problem is found, they can provide the correct solution regarding security in the company.
Concept of Ethical Hackers:
1. Must go through Authorized Access, with approval before access to carry out a security assessment.
2. Determine the scope. An ethical hacker must determine the content of the assessment for security so that the boundaries of his work remain legal and legitimate.
3. Reporting existing vulnerabilities, after conducting security testing within an organization or company, must thoroughly inform about the test results and remember to provide suggestions and solutions if a vulnerability is found.
4. Respect data sensitivity. This is one of the important things as an ethical hacker different from cybercriminals, namely having to agree to a confidentiality agreement that the company wants. An ethical hacker may not violate the contract that has been approved, especially regarding data confidentiality.