You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
EC-COUNCILEC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist
The EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist (ECES) certification validates your ability to understand and apply cryptography in real-world environments. Designed for professionals and students, it covers symmetric and asymmetric algorithms, hashing, digital signatures, and quantum computing. Earning ECES proves you can select and deploy the right encryption standards to protect organizational data.
Exam formatMultiple Choice
Duration120 minutes
DeliveryEC-Council Exam Center (ECC EXAM)
Passing score70%
Free questions750
Content last reviewed 1 January 2025 · Up to date
The certification
What EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
6domains
18objectives
140concepts
$1,150exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist (ECES) program introduces professionals and students to the intricate field of cryptography. Covering a broad spectrum of topics, the program delves into modern symmetric key cryptography, offering detailed insights into Feistel Networks, Data Encryption Standard (DES), and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithms. Students also gain familiarity with other algorithms including Blowfish, Twofish, Skipjack, CAST, and TEA.
The curriculum extends to information theory basics as applied to cryptography, covering essential concepts such as hashing algorithms (MD5, MD6, SHA, GOST, RIPMD 256) and asymmetric cryptography with in-depth discussions on RSA, Elgamal, Elliptic Curve, and Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA). Throughout the program, students delve into crucial cryptographic principles like diffusion, confusion, and Kerckhoff's principle.
Practical application is emphasized, enabling students to work with cryptographic algorithms from classical ciphers like the Caesar cipher to contemporary methods such as AES and RSA. Beyond theory, the course equips students with hands-on experience setting up a VPN, encrypting a drive, and exploring steganography. Furthermore, ECES provides practical cryptanalysis and quantum computing knowledge, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of traditional and cutting-edge cryptographic concepts.
Who it’s for
The ECES program is designed for professionals and students who are involved in the selection and implementation of VPNs or digital certificates. It is ideal for network administrators, cybersecurity analysts, ethical hackers, and penetration testing professionals who need a deep understanding of cryptography to make informed decisions. Without understanding cryptography at some depth, people are limited to following marketing hype. Understanding the actual cryptography allows you to know which one to select. A person successfully completing this course will be able to select the encryption standard that is most beneficial to their organization and understand how to effectively deploy that technology.
Recommended experience
While there are no mandatory prerequisites, a basic understanding of networking and security concepts is recommended. The course is designed to be accessible to both professionals and students new to cryptography. Familiarity with basic IT and networking concepts; An interest in cybersecurity and data protection; No prior cryptography knowledge is required
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective EC-Council measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official EC-Council exam outline · checked 1 January 2025 · See the source
Cryptography Foundations and History
- Introduction and History of Cryptography
- Classical Ciphers (Caesar, Vigenere, Playfair, ADFGVX)
- Cryptographic Principles (Diffusion, Confusion, Kerckhoff Principle)
Symmetric Cryptography and Hashing
- Feistel Networks, DES, 3DES, and AES
- Block Cipher Modes (ECB, CBC, CFB, OFB, CTR)
- Hashing Algorithms (MD5, SHA, RIPEMD, Tiger, Whirlpool) and HMAC
Asymmetric Cryptography and Number Theory
- Number Theory and Mathematical Foundations
- RSA, Elliptic Curve, DSA, and Elgamal
- Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange and Random Number Generators
Applications of Cryptography
- Digital Signatures and X.509 Certificates
- PKI Infrastructure and Kerberos Authentication
- VPN Protocols (PPTP, L2TP, IPSec, SSL/TLS) and Disk Encryption
- Steganography and Steganalysis
Cryptanalysis
- Frequency Analysis and Differential Cryptanalysis
- Rainbow Tables and Password Cracking
- Modern Cryptographic Attacks
Quantum Computing and Cryptography
- Quantum Key Distribution and Qubits
- Lattice-Based and Post-Quantum Cryptography
On the day
The exam itself
Everything EC-Council publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationEC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist
Exam formatMultiple Choice
Duration120 minutes
Questions50 questions
Passing score70%
DeliveryEC-Council Exam Center (ECC EXAM)
LanguagesEnglish
Pricing$1,150
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path EC-Council lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist
Credential earnedEC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist Certification Renewal and maintenance
EC-Council certifications require renewal through continuing education credits. Specific renewal requirements for ECES are not detailed on the official exam page. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. EC-Council maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by EC-Council
Exam registration
Register for the exam through EC-Council Exam Center (ECC EXAM), EC-Council’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official EC-Council certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
Is the ECES exam available online or only at test centers?
The official exam page lists the test delivery as 'EC-Council Exam Center (ECC EXAM)', indicating that the exam is administered at EC-Council's authorized testing centers. Online proctoring is not mentioned.
What is the retake policy for the ECES exam if I fail?
The official page does not specify a retake policy for the ECES exam. EC-Council generally allows retakes, but you should check with the exam center or EC-Council's official channels for the most current policy.
Does the ECES certification require any continuing education to maintain?
EC-Council certifications require renewal through continuing education credits. Specific requirements for ECES are not detailed on the official page, so you should refer to EC-Council's certification renewal policies.
What job roles does the ECES certification map to?
The ECES program is beneficial for network administrators, cybersecurity analysts, ethical hackers, and penetration testing professionals who need to understand cryptography to select and deploy encryption technologies effectively.
Are there any hands-on labs or practical components in the ECES training?
Yes, the ECES program emphasizes practical application, including hands-on experience setting up a VPN, encrypting a drive, and exploring steganography. The training includes 20 hours of advanced training with practical labs.
Can I take the ECES exam without completing the official training?
The official page does not state that training is mandatory. However, the exam is designed to validate the knowledge gained from the ECES program, so completing the training is strongly recommended to ensure success.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2025-01-01 Up to date
Practice free questions 750 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept EC-Council measures — each one written out.
6domains
18objectives
140concepts
158free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official EC-Council exam outline · checked 1 January 2025 · See the source
1Cryptography Foundations and History117 questions
2Symmetric Cryptography and Hashing130 questions
3Asymmetric Cryptography and Number Theory127 questions
4Applications of Cryptography187 questions
5Cryptanalysis103 questions
6Quantum Computing and Cryptography86 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Introduction and History of Cryptography9 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
44 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
750 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
750questions
158pages
18objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Cryptography Foundations and History117 questions
2Symmetric Cryptography and Hashing130 questions
3Asymmetric Cryptography and Number Theory127 questions
4Applications of Cryptography187 questions
5Cryptanalysis103 questions
6Quantum Computing and Cryptography86 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
140concepts
750free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from EC-Council
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
3official links
140concepts mapped
The source
EC-Council’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official EC-Council outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 18 objectives, 140 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When EC-Council changes the outline, this page changes with it.
18objectives on the outline→140concepts written→750free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.