KSU’s Ethical Hacker Program named distinguished program by ACHE

The Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) named the Ethical Hacker Certificate program at KSU’s College of Continuing and Professional Education the recipient of the Distinguished Program Award – an honor that recognized outstanding programs for their innovation, creativity, success, impact, and adaptability. The award will be presented at ACHE’s annual conference held in Austin, Texas on April 10.

“We are thrilled to be awarded this recognition,” said Rebecca Mattox, program manager. “It is a reflection the diligent work our team, instructor, and students have put into this program.”

The Ethical Hacker certificate teaches students to how to assess ethical and legal requirements of security assessment, analyze different phases of hacking, recommend strategies for evaluating the security of various systems, and implement the appropriate level of security controls. The program also prepares students for the industry-recognized Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification.

“This program appeals to a wide variety of audiences,” said Rebecca Mattox, program manager. “Nearly every company in the world has sensitive data to protect, from the military, to healthcare, to banking and television companies. What students learn in this program is applicable to the security of these segments and more. Still, the most significant thing about that program is that it is addressing the lack of security professionals in the workforce.”

The CEH credential certifies individuals in the network security discipline of Ethical Hacking from a vendor-neutral perspective, and informs the public that credentialed individuals meet or exceed the standards of the profession.

“By taking this training students will have access to a top industry experienced professional and the latest technology and trends in ethical hacking,” Mattox said. “Students get hands-on practice in a cloud environment called iLabs to practice their skills. They are tasked with finding security vulnerabilities that malicious hackers could potentially exploit in network systems. The program and the course content prepares students for real-world scenarios in the cyber-security field.”

Meenaxi Dave has served as the instructor for the Ethical Hacker certificate program since its launch in 2017. Dave is an experienced information security educator with proven success developing, delivering and evaluating IT security-training programs for college level students. As a recognized technology leader, Dave has served on multiple nonprofit boards and as a judge for SkillsUSA computer contest. Her professional certifications include CISSP, CEH, CompTIA Security+, Network+ and Linux+.

The College of Continuing and Professional Education is an approved EC-Council Testing Center for the CEH exam, and offers a discounted voucher to all students who complete the program.

For more information on the Ethical Hacker program or other technology-related offerings, visit ccpe.kennesaw.edu, call 470-578-6765 or email ccpe@kennesaw.edu.