3/19/2003 -- International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) announced recently that it is launching a new Ethical Hacker certification.

"Not all hackers are out to wreak havoc," the company wrote in a press release announcing the new credential. "There are ethical hackers who crack a system for the sheer challenge of doing so -- not to cause damage or destruction. In fact, they often lend a hand to system administrators by notifying them of the loopholes in their system."

Although the test earns one a title of "Ethical Hacker," the credential appears to be aimed more at system administrators who are trying to protect their networks from intruders. This is meant to be as a preemptive strike against any real or potential hacking attempt to any site as candidates are required to launch an attack on their own system, Jesse Andriese, certification manager of EC-Council, said in a prepared statement.

To become a certified Ethical Hacker, candidates must pass CEH exam #310-50, available at Prometric testing centers worldwide. The exam covers the standards and language involved in common exploits, vulnerabilities and countermeasures, and tests candidates knowledge in tools used by hackers in exposing common vulnerabilities as well as the those used by security professionals for implementing countermeasures, the company said.

EC-Council offers an optional five-day "Ethical Hacking & Countermeasures" training course to prepare candidates for the exam.

For more information about this credential, click here. -B.N.