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EC-Council 312-50 Study Guide

EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) v13 312-50

EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) v13, exam 312-50, is the knowledge exam for security professionals who learn to think like an attacker in order to defend systems. It covers the attack phases from reconnaissance to system hacking, network, web, wireless, mobile, IoT, OT and cloud targets, cryptography, and the countermeasure for each. It suits penetration testers, security analysts and engineers.

  • Exam code 312-50
  • Professional level
  • 9 exam domains

This guide is free, with no sign-up. It explains every EC-Council 312-50 exam topic in plain English, one chapter at a time. Read them in order or jump straight to the topic you need.

  • 9chapters
  • 46topics
  • 8diagrams and exhibits
  • 3 h 40 minfast track
Start with Information Security and Ethical Hacking
  • Every topic follows the same simple pattern: what it is, how it works, common mistakes
  • Diagrams and real command output where a picture explains it best
  • Exam tips and worked subnetting and IPv6 practice, with answers

How the exam is weighted

Each domain is worth this share of the exam, so spend your study time in proportion. Select a domain to open its chapter.

Chapters

Open a chapter to see its topics and how long each takes.

1Information Security and Ethical Hacking3 topics · 14 min fast trackCore security terms, hacker types, frameworks, controls and the laws behind them.
  1. 1Security and Hacking Concepts5 min
  2. 2Hacking Methodologies and Frameworks5 min
  3. 3Controls, Laws and Standards4 min
Read the chapter overview →
2Reconnaissance Techniques8 topics · 39 min fast trackFootprinting, network scanning and enumeration, with the tools and countermeasures for each.
  1. 1Footprinting Concepts and Methodology4 min
  2. 2Search Engines, Web Services and Social Networks4 min
  3. 3Website, Email, Whois and DNS Footprinting5 min
  4. 4Network Footprinting, Social Engineering, Tools and Countermeasures5 min
  5. 5Scanning Concepts, Host and Port Discovery6 min
  6. 6OS Discovery and Evading IDS and Firewalls5 min
  7. 7Enumeration Concepts, NetBIOS, SNMP and LDAP5 min
  8. 8NTP, NFS, SMTP, DNS and Other Enumeration5 min
Read the chapter overview →
3System Hacking Phases and Attack Techniques6 topics · 30 min fast trackVulnerability assessment, gaining access, escalation, persistence, covering tracks and malware defenses.
  1. 1Vulnerability Assessment5 min
  2. 2System Hacking, Gaining Access and Password Cracking5 min
  3. 3Exploitation, Privilege Escalation and Maintaining Access5 min
  4. 4Executing Applications, Hiding Files, Persistence and Clearing Logs5 min
  5. 5Malware, APT and Trojan Concepts5 min
  6. 6Viruses, Worms, Fileless Malware, Analysis and Anti-Malware5 min
Read the chapter overview →
4Network and Perimeter Hacking9 topics · 42 min fast trackSniffing, social engineering, DoS and DDoS, session hijacking and evading IDS and firewalls.
  1. 1Sniffing, MAC, DHCP and ARP Attacks5 min
  2. 2Spoofing, DNS Poisoning and Sniffing Defense5 min
  3. 3Social Engineering and Insider Threats4 min
  4. 4Impersonation, Identity Theft and Social Engineering Defense4 min
  5. 5DoS and DDoS Concepts, Botnets and Attack Techniques5 min
  6. 6DDoS Case Study, Countermeasures and Protection Tools4 min
  7. 7Session Hijacking5 min
  8. 8IDS, IPS, Firewalls and Honeypots, and IDS Evasion5 min
  9. 9Evading Firewalls and NAC, Honeypot Detection and Countermeasures5 min
Read the chapter overview →
5Web Application Hacking8 topics · 36 min fast trackWeb servers, web app attacks, APIs and web shells, and SQL injection with its countermeasures.
  1. 1Web Servers: Attacks, Methodology and Patch Management4 min
  2. 2Web App Concepts, Threats and Hacking Methodology4 min
  3. 3Footprinting Web Apps, Client-Side Controls and Authentication Attacks4 min
  4. 4Authorization, Access Control, Session, Injection and Logic Attacks5 min
  5. 5Shared Environments, Database Connectivity and Web Client Attacks4 min
  6. 6Web Services, APIs, Webhooks, Web Shells and Web App Security5 min
  7. 7SQL Injection Concepts, Types and Methodology5 min
  8. 8SQL Injection Tools, Evasion and Countermeasures5 min
Read the chapter overview →
6Wireless Network Hacking3 topics · 15 min fast trackWi-Fi concepts, encryption, threats, attack methodology, Bluetooth and defenses, worth 5 percent.
  1. 1Wireless Concepts and Encryption5 min
  2. 2Wireless Threats, Methodology and Tools5 min
  3. 3Bluetooth Hacking and Wireless Defenses5 min
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7Mobile Platform, IoT, and OT Hacking4 topics · 19 min fast trackAndroid, iOS, MDM, IoT and industrial systems, with attacks and defenses, 10 percent.
  1. 1Mobile Attack Vectors, Android and iOS5 min
  2. 2Mobile Device Management and Security4 min
  3. 3IoT Hacking5 min
  4. 4OT Hacking5 min
Read the chapter overview →
8Cloud Computing2 topics · 10 min fast trackCloud models, containers, serverless, threats, hacking and security controls, worth 5 percent of the exam.
  1. 1Cloud Concepts, Containers and Serverless5 min
  2. 2Cloud Threats, Hacking and Security5 min
Read the chapter overview →
9Cryptography3 topics · 15 min fast trackAlgorithms, hashing, PKI, email and disk encryption, cryptanalysis and countermeasures, worth 5 percent.
  1. 1Cryptography Concepts and Encryption Algorithms5 min
  2. 2PKI, Email Encryption and Disk Encryption5 min
  3. 3Cryptography Tools, Cryptanalysis and Countermeasures5 min
Read the chapter overview →

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