The term "hacker" is often associated with illegal online activity. However, there are hackers who perform 100 percent legal services, which are based on evaluating the information infrastructures of companies. For those who hold the Certified Ethical Hacker certification from the EC-Council, there are several jobs to consider that come with attractive compensation. Some of the most common jobs for hackers holding the CEH certification include computer forensics, incidence response, penetration testing and security analysis. Penetration testing is the most common job for new hackers, but some later advance to become engineers or take on a wider variety of tasks.
The Most Common Jobs for People Who Hold the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Certification
CISSP-certified professionals qualify for some of the highest-paying and most senior roles in cybersecurity, spanning security architecture, risk management, and executive leadership positions that command median salaries between $127,000 and $150,000 in North America. Earning the Certified Information Systems Security Professional credential from ISC2 signals to employers that you've combined at least five years of hands-on security experience with a rigorous exam covering eight core domains, and that combination opens doors across nearly every industry that handles sensitive data. Understanding which roles CISSP holders actually land — and what those jobs pay in today's market — helps you plan your next career move with real numbers instead of guesswork. coursera
The Cisco ISR-AX, once positioned as a game-changing appliance for branch office application optimization and security, is now fully retired — Cisco's ISR G2 platforms (1900, 2900, 3900 series) that hosted ISR-AX reached end-of-life years ago, with all support services now unavailable as of November 2026. Understanding how branch networking has moved from ISR-AX to today's Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms helps IT professionals and network architects plan infrastructure decisions that will actually hold up over the next hardware refresh cycle.[cisco]
Combining CompTIA A+ and Network+ certification training remains one of the most efficient ways to break into IT, since it pairs foundational hardware and troubleshooting skills with networking expertise employers across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region actively seek. Whether you're a recent graduate or making a career change, this dual-certification path gives you both the credentials and the hands-on ability to compete for entry-to-mid-level IT roles in a market that continues to value verified skills over degrees alone.
TrainACE provides PMP (Project Management Professional) certification training in both live-online and in-person formats, giving working professionals a flexible path to satisfy PMI's mandatory 35-contact-hour education requirement. Whether you're weighing a self-paced option or an instructor-led boot camp, understanding today's PMP eligibility rules, exam structure, and training requirements will help you choose the right path before you commit time or money.
CompTIA A+ certification has gone through several major overhauls since the 800 series launched in 2012, with the current version — V15, using exams 220-1201 (Core 1) and 220-1202 (Core 2) — released in March 2025. Understanding this evolution matters for anyone planning to sit the exam, since CompTIA revises A+ roughly every three years and each version reflects real shifts in what entry-level IT technicians need to know on the job.[comptia]
RMF for DoD IT: What Replaced DIACAP and Why It Still Matters in 2026
The Risk Management Framework (RMF) for DoD IT is the cybersecurity authorization process the Department of Defense now uses instead of the old DIACAP system, and it has been the mandatory standard since DoD Instruction 8510.01 took effect in 2014. The term "DIARMF" that circulated in early transition discussions never became the official name — DoD formally adopted "RMF for DoD IT," built on the same NIST Risk Management Framework used across the rest of the federal government. Understanding how RMF works, and how it evolved from DIACAP, is essential for anyone managing DoD system authorizations today.[doncio.navy]
Researchers at security company FireEye have revealed an advanced persistent threat targeting the U.S. defense and aerospace industries and likely originating in China. Named Beebus after an early sample, the campaign's attacks come in continuous waves over time against strategically chosen individuals. According to an unnamed inside source, the Beebus campaign began in early 2012 when FireEye noticed suspicious activity on the systems of some its defense and aerospace clients. Of 261 discovered attacks, 123 targeted unmanned aerial vehicle or systems vendors. The most recent exploit used a Deloitte industry analysis report sent in a weaponized email. Researchers believe that the campaign has so far touched 214 servers with 60 unique IP addresses.
IT professionals preparing for the new MCSA certification will find a stronger emphasis on Active Directory. Microsoft Active Directory, or AD, is a database management system that can be replicated across logical network partitions called domains. The AD stores configuration information such as user login credentials and contains objects representing users, groups and computers. Administrators can group these objects into units according to business requirements and centrally manage them through group policy objects. They can also use AD to push software and desktop configuration updates to user systems. While AD has long been a central component of Windows Server, significant updates have expanded its role in the MCSA exams.
On January 27, the Washington Post reported that the Department of Defense plans to expand its “Cyber Command,” a force dedicated to defending U.S. computer systems, by a factor of five, from 900 to 4,900 members. Although a formal announcement had not been made, Pentagon sources indicated that an increase in numbers was not the only change on the agenda. The Cyber Command would also undergo a shift in focus, with the new structure adding acknowledged offensive capabilities to a command that had previously been characterized as exclusively defensive.
Microsoft has retooled its MCSE certification for IT professionals to include a major focus on the cloud. The company made the changes in response to the growing movement of IT resources to cloud-based solutions. According to Microsoft-sponsored research, cloud computing may create 14 million jobs and generate 1.1 trillion in revenue by 2015. The new MCSE certificate holder is expected to have more comprehensive knowledge of both on-premises and cloud resource technologies.