Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) can be a confusing term as, although it is a certification rather than a degree, earning the qualification is vital to many careers in computer security because it is highly respected throughout the industry. One who holds the title of certified ethical hacker has demonstrated extensive training and knowledge of various techniques used in hacking computer systems and has proven their capabilities in a lab environment.

Because computer server security is vital to virtually every business, they usually turn to someone who holds a CEH designation in order to test their systems for vulnerabilities where an unethical hacker could penetrate a computer system. This protects the company from attacks that might steal proprietary, private, or financial information.