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EC-Council · Cybersecurity · Entry

EC-Council Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE) exam guide

Exam 112-52

Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE) is EC-Council's entry-level introduction to ethical hacking and penetration testing concepts. It is a low-cost first step for beginners before CEH or PenTest+.

Questions75
Time limit120 minutes
Passing scoreSee official page
Exam fee$299 USD
Valid forSee official page
DeliveryOnline, proctored by EC-Council

Format: Multiple choice. Fee note: Price of the self-paced course, which includes a proctored exam voucher valid one year.

Who it's for

Students, career changers and IT staff with little security background who want an introduction to offensive security.

What the exam covers

Information security fundamentals—
Ethical hacking fundamentals—
Malware threats—
Password cracking and social engineering—
Network-level attacks—
Web application attacks and SQL injection—
Wireless, mobile, IoT and OT attacks—
Cloud threats and pen testing fundamentals—

A dash means the vendor does not publish a weight for that domain.

Eligibility & prerequisites

Required: None.

Recommended: Basic computer and networking literacy.

Keeping it active

EC-Council does not list an ECE credit requirement for the Essentials series on its course pages; check your EC-Council (Aspen) account for any maintenance fee.

Skills & careers

Skills it validates

  • Understanding attacker phases
  • Recognising malware and social engineering
  • Basic password cracking concepts
  • Common web attacks such as SQL injection
  • Wireless and IoT attack basics
  • Pen testing methodology overview

Job roles

IT Support TechnicianJunior Security AnalystSecurity InternNetwork TechnicianHelp Desk Analyst

Where it fits in your path

Take before

No prerequisite certification needed.

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EC-Council Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE)

Planning a degree too? See how this cert earns college credit in the College Credit Navigator.

Build my study plan

  1. Week 1: Modules 1-4 (fundamentals, malware, hacking phases).
  2. Week 2: Modules 5-9 (passwords, social engineering, network, web and wireless attacks).
  3. Week 3: Modules 10-12 and the CTF capstone.
  4. Week 4: Review weak modules and take the exam within the one-year voucher window.

Make it yours: pick your exam date and weekly hours. We'll split your time by domain weight and give you a printable plan.

Exam-day tips

  • Complete the labs and CTF; they reinforce terms the exam uses.
  • Learn EC-Council's five hacking phases in order.
  • 75 questions in 2 hours is generous; read each one fully.
  • Voucher is valid one year; schedule soon after finishing the course.

Key terms for this exam

All 1 terms Study with thinQcards™

Frequently asked questions

How much does EHE cost?

$299 for the course, including an exam voucher.

Is EHE a good first cert?

It is a cheap introduction; Security+ carries more weight with employers.

EHE vs CEH?

EHE is entry level; CEH is the full ethical hacker certification.

How many questions?

75 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours.

Does EHE expire?

EC-Council does not list an ECE renewal requirement for Essentials on the course page.

Official page: www.eccouncil.org. Reviewed November 2026. Vendors change fees and objectives, so confirm with the vendor before you book. Spot something out of date? Tell us.