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Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Syllabus
EC-Council certification for penetration testing and ethical hacking skills.. The complete Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) outline — 7 subjects, 22 chapters and 90 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
3 chapters · 12 topics · 31 sub-topics
Scanning, Enumeration, and Vulnerability Analysis3 chapters · 14 topics · 23 sub-topics
System Hacking and Malware Threats3 chapters · 11 topics · 24 sub-topics
Network Attacks, Sniffing, and Perimeter Evasion4 chapters · 16 topics · 26 sub-topics
Web, Application, and Database Hacking3 chapters · 13 topics · 22 sub-topics
Wireless, Mobile, IoT, and OT Hacking3 chapters · 12 topics · 17 sub-topics
Cloud Computing, Cryptography, and Social Engineering3 chapters · 12 topics · 21 sub-topics
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) flashcard decks
360 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Introduction to Ethical Hacking and Reconnaissance — 51 cards
- Scanning, Enumeration, and Vulnerability Analysis — 51 cards
- System Hacking and Malware Threats — 51 cards
- Network Attacks, Sniffing, and Perimeter Evasion — 55 cards
- Web, Application, and Database Hacking — 52 cards
- Wireless, Mobile, IoT, and OT Hacking — 50 cards
- Cloud Computing, Cryptography, and Social Engineering — 50 cards
How to work through the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Network Attacks, Sniffing, and Perimeter Evasion carries 16 topics while System Hacking and Malware Threats carries 11. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
The ~100 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) syllabus?
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) covers 7 subjects: Introduction to Ethical Hacking and Reconnaissance, Scanning, Enumeration, and Vulnerability Analysis, System Hacking and Malware Threats, Network Attacks, Sniffing, and Perimeter Evasion, Web, Application, and Database Hacking, Wireless, Mobile, IoT, and OT Hacking and Cloud Computing, Cryptography, and Social Engineering. Together they contain 22 chapters and 90 named topics.
How much do you have to study for Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)?
The full Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) outline breaks down into 22 chapters, 90 topics and 164 sub-topics. Network Attacks, Sniffing, and Perimeter Evasion is the largest single subject with 16 topics across 4 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) syllabus?
Roughly 100 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 5 weeks.
Are there Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) flashcards?
Yes — 360 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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