University of Lancaster becomes SSR-i/EC-Council partner

ICT Focus, based in ‘InfoLab21’, the University of Lancaster’s Centre of Excellence for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), has become the first educational institution in the UK to offer the EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) qualification. It is doing so in partnership not only with EC-Council but also the EC-Council’s master distributors in the UK and Continental Europe: specialist cyber crime fighters, SSR-i.

The ICT Focus programmes are designed to develop the skills and knowledge that people need in order to get the most out of technology - and to develop reliable, secure and effective IT infrastructures. Courses offered range from Microsoft and Cisco certified courses to Foundation Degrees in Systems and Network Engineering.

“ICT Focus trainers have a wealth of practical experience in managing infrastructure security, so they were keen to add CEH to their portfolio,” said a spokesperson for Lancaster University. “They are enthusiastic about the potential to incorporate the CEH curriculum into more academic, University-accredited courses.”

Rajive Kapoor, of SSR-I (EC-Council’s master distributor for UK and Europe), said: “The University of Lancaster is the first academic institution in the UK to offer the CEH course and qualification. This is a very positive indication on the popularity of EC-Council certifications, both in the commercial and academic world.”

“The University of Lancaster becoming a partner of EC-Council and SSR-i will propel CEH to a wider audience,” commented Jay Bavisi, the President of EC-Council. “EC-Council believes that ICT Focus’s experience in managing infrastructure security will attract large interest in CEH.

“This development is further proof that EC-Council is making headway in the world of IT security - gaining popularity as a key player in the dissemination of IT security knowledge, particularly through its CEH and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) qualifications,” he added. “These qualifications, and the many others offered by EC-Council, are helping to make EC-Council a well-known name in the field of IT security and e-commerce throughout the world.”

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About the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) qualification
Computers around the world are systematically being victimised by rampant hacking. This hacking is not only widespread, but is being executed so well that the attackers compromise a system, steal everything of value and completely erase their tracks within 20 minutes.

The goal of the ethical hacker is to help the organisation take pre-emptive measures against malicious attacks by attacking the system him/herself; all the while staying within legal limits. This philosophy stems from the proven practice of trying to catch a thief by thinking like a thief. As technology advances and organisations increasingly depend on technology, information assets have evolved into critical components of survival.

If hacking involves creativity and thinking 'out-of-the-box', then vulnerability testing and security audits will not ensure the security-proofing of an organisation. To ensure that organisations have adequately protected their information assets, they must adopt the approach of 'defense in depth'. In other words, they must penetrate their networks and assess the security posture for vulnerabilities and exposure.

The definition of an Ethical Hacker is similar to a Penetration Tester. The Ethical Hacker is an individual who is usually employed with the organisation and who can be trusted to undertake an attempt to penetrate networks and/or computer systems using the same methods as a Hacker. Although hacking is illegal in most countries, it is legal when it is done by request and under a contract between an Ethical Hacker and an organisation. The key point is that an Ethical Hacker has authorisation to probe the target.

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Program certifies individuals in the specific network security discipline of Ethical Hacking from a vendor-neutral perspective. The CEH certification strengthens the application knowledge of security officers, auditors, security professionals, site administrators and anyone else who is concerned about the integrity of the network infrastructure. A CEH is a skilled professional who understands and knows how to look for the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in target systems and uses the same knowledge and tools as a malicious hacker.
About SSR-i
SSR-i has been formed as the master distributor in the UK and Europe for the products developed by the EC-Council – the international organisation driving standards and skills for e-Commerce Consultants.

The launch platform in the UK is the Licensed Penetration Tester programme that allows organisations to test their networks using the approaches and techniques that hackers would use. This program develops skills for Ethical Hacking, Forensics and Penetration Testing that will identify weaknesses and plug them – before malicious hackers get to them.

SSR-i programmes are delivered via 38 delivery locations throughout Europe in association with its group of European partners including Training Camp, IT Security Training, Net security, BT Britannia and ASG training in the UK; New Horizons, Train & Consult, and Training Camp in Germany; Upgrade and GED Systemes in France; New Horizons and GKN in the Netherlands and Denmark.

About EC-Council
The International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultant (EC-Council) has developed a certification program that combines relevant education with an examination assuring professional competency. The Internet's rapid evolution into electronic commerce and full-featured information delivery system has meant that IT professionals need a new range of skills.

The EC-Council has defined those skills in terms of internet security and this, in turn, means that organisations can use their firewalls, encryption and other security technologies to the maximum effect. These programs extend to website marketing, and other electronic commerce issues such as internet law, intellectual property rights, domain names, and copyright law.
EC-Council conferences allow professionals to work together to learn the latest news and counter-measures on security and network with other members from around the world.
The mission of the EC-Council is to:
• Foster professional standards
• Provide for communication among all E-commerce professionals, including corporate e-commerce consultants in government, business, and education, independent consultants, and aspiring e-commerce professionals such as students
• Provide for education through the development of curriculum, publishing of articles and books, professional papers, and the sponsoring of seminars and conferences
• Provide accreditation for E-Commerce certification and training programs

The EC-Council is a member-driven organisation whose members include practitioners from all levels of various fields and in a broad range of industries. Some of these members include Erik Laykin Pacific Rim, FBI/Infragard and Eric Yocam, Microsoft Corporation. The EC-Council also has had some high profile testimonials from Novell (Canada), the Ministry of Defence (UK), the Royal Navy (UK), the US Army (Germany), Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia) and the National Bank of Kuwait (Kuwait)

For further information, please contact:

SSR-i
Contact name: Rajive Kapoor
Contact email: Rajivek@SSR-i.com
Contact telephone: 0845 430 9981
Contact mobile: 07973 114057

Web site: http://www.SSR-i.com

News release distributed via Bob Little Press & PR (tel 01727 860405)