CySA+ and CEH represent the defensive and offensive sides of cybersecurity respectively. CySA+ validates blue-team skills like threat detection, analysis, and incident response, while CEH validates red-team skills like ethical hacking and penetration testing methodologies.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| CompTIA CySA+ | EC-Council CEH | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | CompTIA | EC-Council |
| Exam Code | CS0-003 | CEH v13 |
| Level | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Cost | $404 | $1,199 (exam only) / $2,199+ (with training) |
| Duration | 165 min | 240 min |
| Questions | Up to 85 | 125 |
| Passing Score | 750/900 | 70% |
| Renewal | 3 years | 3 years |
| Prerequisites | None required; Security+ or Network+ and 4 years of hands-on security analyst experience recommended | Two years of information security experience or official EC-Council training |
| Avg Salary Range | $80,000–$115,000 | $85,000–$125,000 |
Focus Areas
CompTIA CySA+
Security analytics, intrusion detection, vulnerability management, and incident response using behavioral analytics and SIEM tools
EC-Council CEH
Ethical hacking methodology, reconnaissance, scanning, enumeration, system hacking, malware threats, sniffing, social engineering, denial of service, session hijacking, web server and application hacking, and cloud security
Who Should Get Which?
Get CompTIA CySA+ if...
SOC analysts, security analysts, threat intelligence analysts, or incident responders who focus on detecting, analyzing, and responding to security threats using defensive tools and techniques
Get EC-Council CEH if...
Penetration testers, ethical hackers, red team members, or security consultants who focus on finding and exploiting vulnerabilities to improve an organization's security posture
Recommended Order
Choose based on whether you prefer defense or offense. For a well-rounded security career, defensive skills from CySA+ are in higher demand for more available SOC and analyst roles. If you are drawn to offensive security, CEH has strong name recognition. Many experienced professionals eventually earn both.
Study Tips
For CySA+, practice with SIEM tools, learn to read and analyze log files, and understand incident response frameworks like NIST 800-61. For CEH, focus on hands-on tool usage and the ethical hacking methodology. Both certifications benefit from practice in lab environments; use Security Onion for CySA+ and Kali Linux for CEH.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between CompTIA CySA+ and EC-Council CEH?
CySA+ and CEH represent the defensive and offensive sides of cybersecurity respectively. CySA+ validates blue-team skills like threat detection, analysis, and incident response, while CEH validates red-team skills like ethical hacking and penetration testing methodologies.
Should I get CompTIA CySA+ or EC-Council CEH first?
Choose based on whether you prefer defense or offense. For a well-rounded security career, defensive skills from CySA+ are in higher demand for more available SOC and analyst roles. If you are drawn to offensive security, CEH has strong name recognition. Many experienced professionals eventually earn both.
Who should get CompTIA CySA+?
SOC analysts, security analysts, threat intelligence analysts, or incident responders who focus on detecting, analyzing, and responding to security threats using defensive tools and techniques
Who should get EC-Council CEH?
Penetration testers, ethical hackers, red team members, or security consultants who focus on finding and exploiting vulnerabilities to improve an organization's security posture
Test Your Knowledge
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- Security+ Practice Quiz — 300 questions mapped to SY0-701 domains
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