CEH: Certified Ethical Hacker

EC-Council’s CEH is one of the most recognized certifications for offensive security fundamentals, introducing the "hacker mindset" to defensive professionals. It teaches the tools and techniques used by malicious actors to identify vulnerabilities, covering domains like scanning, enumeration, social engineering, and web app hacking. The exam is heavy on tool syntax (Nmap, Wireshark, Metasploit) and specific attack vectors, requiring rote memorization of flags and parameters. It is heavily requested by HR departments and is fully compliant with DoD 8570 baseline requirements for many government security roles. While criticized for being multiple-choice, it remains a primary gatekeeper for entry-level penetration testing and analyst jobs.