Thanks for making my day.... 

We had an Annoy-a-tron in our office for about a month...

Hilarity ensued...

DEFINITELY worth the $10... Heck get 3 or 4...

Shawal

This is exactly the kind of info I've been looking for.

While I'm sure Don's probably not greatly excited about taking a GCIH thread and turning into a GPEN thread, the @home part still applies!!!

I'll be purchasing Counter Hack Reloaded today in preparation for my GPEN course.

I'm totally new to the world of security, but have a pretty in depth background in PCs, servers, and networks.

Can you think of any other great preparation methods or devices?

Thanks,
Koob

CadillacGolfer,

Thanks for your confidence in Ed Skoudis.  I'm slated to take his GIAC Penetration Testing course this summer through the @Home program. When you took your first @Home course, what were your concerns/ fears?

My biggest fear is not being able to gauge what the other students are thinking/ feeling. I've been in classroom settings many times before and usually if I see another student uncertain about a topic I'll speak up and have the instructor go a little more in depth so that everybody can understand it.

My other biggest concern is the hands on part. How is this handled in the online classroom setting?

Thanks,
Koob
 

So you would recommend the GPEN cert over the EC-Council stuff?

How do you guys think that this course compares with the C|EH/ LPT courseware from the EC-Council?

Not being a dick at all...

Maybe I should have phrased the question a bit differently. I guess it was more of a curiosity of mine as opposed to asking on behalf of the company I work for. I'm familiar with audits and tests that other companies perform for our customers. I do not personally know anybody in our area that is a penetration tester, so I was wondering if there is anybody here that does this on a daily (or regular) basis and what all is involved. I've seen the end reports, but I (personally) am not sure of the effort that goes in to generating them.

My bosses have approached me and stated that they want me to study and focus my time in this area, and I'm totally open to learning new things. I'm mostly curious for my own sake.

Anybody wanna take a swing at the 'revised' question?

Thanks,
Dave

Good morning!

I work for a small (8 people total) computer firm in Cedar Falls, Iowa. We provide computer and network support to small to medium sized businesses in our area. I had a serious meeting with my two bosses last week and due to our increasing amount of customers that are area banks, our company wants to have a technician focused on security and penetration testing.

I looked at various certifications and qualifications (EC-Council and SANS) and we decided that the C|EH and LPT would be a good route. (Little did I know what all was involved for a LPT, but I'm still going for it!!!)  Hopefully my bosses will decide if I'm worthy enough to miss a week of work to have Mr. Chuck Swanson cram as much C|EH v6 into my brain as possible!!!

I've got an A+ and recently obtained my CCNA (640-802) and work with servers and networking gear on a regular basis.

2 questions:

1. What can I do to prepare and have some ideas of what to expect at the C|EH v6 classes in May/ June? I plan on getting the highly recommended C|EH guide by Graves (red white and black book) and the C|EH exam prep by Que (yellow and red) and at least going through those before heading out to Myrtle Beach (if I get to go!) I plan on being an active participant in these forums to learn as much as I can to better myself and our company.

2. As our company is looking to get into penetration testing, roughly what do companies charge for penetration testing and what all does it include or cover (I understand this question may be better suited for another category, if so, please direct me in the right way!!!)

Thank you for your help and having such an awesome site. Just in the 30 minutes I've been here, I already feel a little better about taking the C|EH exam and getting into the world of computer security.

Thanks again!
Dave Koob
The Solution
Cedar Falls, Iowa
www.getthesolution.net

I also plan on attending to obtain my C|EH (version 6) certification. Our company would like to get into penetration testing and if the bosses approve, it will be a fun filled, educational mini-vacation from ice and snow covered Cedar Falls, Iowa to warm and sunny Myrtle Beach, SC!!!