CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) Certification is one of the most reputable IT security certifications provided by the EC-Council. Preparing and getting this ethical hacking certification requires effort and time for sure. However, it does not end when you get the CEH certification. EC-Council requires CEH-certified professionals to renew CEH certification every three years in order to gain professional development. CEH renewal has some requirements and steps to follow.
In this post, we have listed the steps of CEH renewal, how to earn ECE credits for renewing CEH certification, and a step-by-step guide on how to renew CEH certification.
First, it is better to understand the EC-Council ECE program requirements.
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CEH Renewal ECE Requirements
Although we list here the CEH renewal ECE requirements, actually these requirements are valid for all other EC-Council certifications under the ECE credentialing program which are: CEH (Practical), ECSA (Practical), LPT (Master), ENSA, CND, CEH, CHFI, ECSA, LPT, ECVP, ECSP, EDRP, CCISO, CEI, ECIH, ECDR-VT, CAST, ECES, CIMP, and CDM.
There are three fundamental ECE program requirements to renew CEH certification. These are:
1- ) 120 ECE Credits Every 3 Years: You must earn 120 ECE credits every three years to renew your CEH certification. There are different ways to earn CEH ECE credits. We will list all alternatives and how you can complete ECE needs for renewing your CEH certification.
2- ) Submit 40 ECE Credits for Each Year of the Three-Year Period: EC Council expects you to submit your CEH ECE credits each year. This is critical in the CEH renewal process. If you wait until the end of the three-year period and try to earn 120 ECE credits in the last year of the CEH renewal period, most probably you will fail to renew your CEH certification. You must earn ECE credits progressively each year to complete the 120 ECE credits need and renew your CEH certification.
3- ) Annual Membership to EC-Council: Since 2016, EC-Council expects certified professionals to be annual certified members of their organization. This is necessary to renew CEH certification as well. The annual membership fee is $80 and this is the only way to be able to submit your earned ECE credits during the CEH renewal process.
CEH ECE Credits Sources to Renew CEH Certification
EC-Council accepts more than 10 alternative ways for earning CEH ECE credits. These are volunteering, meeting, authoring, education, seminars, identifying vulnerabilities, presentations, reading IT security resources, and several other ways. You can see all ways how to earn CEH ECE credits from the EC-Council ECE article. Here, we will describe the most convenient and affordable way to complete your 120 CEH ECE credits need.
1- ) Enroll in Online IT Security Courses (60 CEH ECE Credits)
EC-Council accepts one hour of IT security training or course as one CEH ECE credit during your CEH certification renewal. It might not be easy to find classroom IT security courses around your location. Even if you find, you have to set your schedule to attend classroom training. Sometimes, you find a CEH ECE credit-providing course, and you organize your schedule to attend the training however, things change when the training date comes and it might be impossible for you to attend this training.
In order to help working professionals solve this challenging problem to find CEH ECE credits, we have prepared a 60 ECE Credits bundle. You can earn 60 CEH ECE credits 100% online, at your own pace, and in any place. CEH ECE bundle will help you to save a lot of time during your CEH renewal process.
Each course provides 20 CEH ECE credits once you complete them. You can complete one of the courses for each year of a three-year period and submit 20 ECE credits for each year. At the end of three-year, you will complete 60 CEH ECE credits from this bundle.
Check our EC-Council ECE Credit Training Video
How can you complete the remaining 60 ECE credits? Follow the next steps 🙂
2- ) Follow Meetings, Seminars, and Conferences about IT Security (16 CEH ECE Credits)
You can find associations or chapters organizing meetings about IT security. You can attend seminars, events, or conferences about IT security. EC-Council accepts one-hour activity as one CEH ECE credit. For instance, if you attend a two-day IT security seminar or conference, you can earn 16 CEH ECE credits from this activity.
You can search on the web for IT security-related seminars, conferences, and events. Most employers bear the cost of these events so you can reimburse the costs to your employer. These events will not only help you to earn CEH ECE credits to renew your CEH certification, but also help you to keep yourself up-to-date with changing dynamics of the market.
3- ) Read an IT Security-Related Resource (5 CEH ECE Credits)
EC-Council accepts up to five CEH ECE credits from reading information security-related resources. You can read a magazine, IT security books, blogs, or any other resources, which will help you to extend your information security knowledge. These will bring five CEH ECE credits for your CEH renewal.
4- ) Presentation (12 CEH ECE Credits)
EC-Council gives high credit to contribution to the profession. If you prepare an information security-related session and present this to your colleagues, in a chapter meeting or seminar, you will earn three CEH ECE credits for every hour you will present. If you can prepare a four-hour presentation to share with your colleagues, for instance, this will bring you 12 CEH ECE credits.
5- ) Identify New Vulnerability (10 CEH ECE Credits)
As a working information security professional, you might detect IT security-related vulnerabilities in your organization. If you detect a vulnerability in your organization, this will bring up to 10 CEH ECE credits for your CEH renewal.
6- ) Other Sources (17 CEH ECE Credits)
You can earn the remaining CEH ECE needs by volunteering in an IT security event or teaching a course as well. You can earn one ECE credit for every hour of volunteering and three ECE credits for every hour you will teach. For instance, if you prepare a one-day course (eight hours) about information security, this will bring you 24 CEH ECE credits.
Note that, there is no maximum limit for submitting ECE credits during CEH renewal for some of the categories. For instance, you can earn all of your ECE needs from hours of continuing education or attending seminars, etc. However, you cannot earn more than five CEH ECE credits by reading IT security resources.
How Should You Submit Earned CEH ECE Credits?
You can submit your earned ECE credits from Aspen Portal. To do this, you must have paid the annual membership fee of the EC-Council, which we explained above. If you have paid the annual membership fee, you can proceed with your CEH renewal and record your CEH ECE credits to renew your CEH certification.
What Happens If I Do Not Submit 120 CEH ECE Credits in a Three-Year Period?
After you gained the certification, you must renew your CEH certification every three years. To do this, you must earn 120 ECE credits as we have detailed above. If you fail to submit ECE credits in a three-year period, your CEH certification will be suspended. You will not be able to use EC-Council logos, designations, and other benefits of CEH certification as well.
If your CEH certification is suspended, EC-Council allows you to submit 120 CEH ECE credits during the first year after CEH certification expiration. If you fail to submit 120 ECE credits this year, you have to retake the CEH certification exam.
Note that, if your CEH certification is expired, you must earn 120 ECE credits in the first year after expiration and you must earn another 120 ECE credits to renew your CEH certification for the second three-year period. Since this will be very challenging, we strongly recommend you follow CEH renewal steps every year.
What Should You Do If EC Council Audits Your ECE Submission?
EC-Council might audit your ECE credit submissions to check their compliance with ECE program requirements. In this case, they might ask you for details about the CEH ECE credit you have submitted during your CEH renewal. In this case, you must provide evidence regarding the CEH activity you have attended.
For instance, if you have attended information security training, you can provide the certificate of completion or letter of enrollment. After you have provided the details of your CEH ECE activity, EC-Council will approve your submission if your activity meets the ECE program guidelines.
CEH Renewal Summary
You must earn 120 ECE credits in every three years to renew your CEH certification. There are certain ECE program requirements to meet this CEH renewal requirement. You must earn 40 ECE credits for each year and you must pay an $80 annual EC-Council membership fee as well.
While there are several ways to earn ECE credits for CEH renewal, the most convenient and affordable way is attending online information security courses. You can enroll in the 60 ECE Credits bundle and earn 60 ECE credits at your own pace, in any place. You can consider other ways of earning ECE credits for CEH renewal as well.