Lead Ethical Hacker
Certified Lead Ethical Hacker
2026 edition
Self-paced PECB training delivered via myPECB.
Global training partner Aegentra is an official PECB authorised training partner and an official CompTIA partner.
Expand your ethical-hacking and IT-security skills and learn to lawfully assess the security of systems and discover their vulnerabilities. Certified Lead Ethical Hacker teaches the latest ethical-hacking methods and tools and a methodology for conducting penetration tests aligned to the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES) and the Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM). Built on the principle of practising what you learn, it runs on hands-on lab sessions across reconnaissance, exploitation, privilege escalation, pivoting, and reporting — so that by the end you can plan, manage, and perform information-security penetration tests.
- CPD credits
- 35
- Course languages
- English
Who it is for
- Individuals seeking to learn the main techniques used to conduct penetration tests
- Information-security professionals mastering ethical hacking and penetration-testing techniques
- Those responsible for the security of information systems — security officers and cybersecurity professionals
- Information-security team members enhancing their security knowledge
- Managers or expert advisors learning to manage ethical-hacking activities
- Technical experts learning to plan and perform a penetration test
What you will learn
- Master the concepts, methods, and techniques used by cybersecurity organisations and ethical hackers to conduct penetration tests.
- Acknowledge the correlation between penetration-testing methodologies, regulatory frameworks, and standards.
- Acquire a comprehensive knowledge of the components and operations of ethical hacking.
- Plan, manage, and perform an end-to-end information-security penetration test and report the findings.
Course content
Day 1 — Introduction to ethical hacking
- Penetration testing standards, methodologies, and frameworks (PTES, OSSTMM)
- Fundamental concepts of ethical hacking
- Network fundamentals and cryptography
- Kali Linux fundamentals
- Initiating the penetration test and analysing scope
- Legal implications and contractual agreements
Day 2 — Reconnaissance phase
- Passive reconnaissance
- Active reconnaissance
- Identification of vulnerabilities
Day 3 — Exploitation phase
- Threat model and attack plan
- Evading intrusion detection systems
- Server-side, client-side, and web-application attacks
- Wi-Fi attacks
- Privilege escalation, pivoting, and file transfers
- Maintaining access
Day 4 — Post-exploitation and reporting
- Cleaning up and destroying artefacts
- Generating a findings report
- Recommendations for mitigating identified vulnerabilities
Day 5 — Certification exam
- PECB Certified Lead Ethical Hacker exam
- 6-hour, two-part practical + report (open book)
- Compromise at least two target machines
Prerequisites
- PECB expects information-security knowledge and advanced operating-system skills.
- Networking and programming knowledge are recommended. The credential has a separate professional-experience requirement.
The exam
- Format
- Open-book, hands-on practical + report writing
- Duration
- 6 hours
- Questions
- Two parts — a practical exam (compromise at least two target machines through penetration testing) and a written findings report. Covers six competency domains: information gathering; threat modelling and vulnerability identification; exploitation techniques; privilege escalation; pivoting and file transfers; and reporting
- Pass mark
- Practical — compromise ≥2 targets and pass the report
What is included
Course materials
- 450+ pages of comprehensive training materials
- Hands-on lab sessions and practical examples
- 12 months access via myPECB
Exam package
- Official PECB CLEH exam voucher
- 6-hour practical exam + report (open book)
- Two attempts (initial + one free resit within 12 months)
- PECB digital certificate on pass