48. CEH v13 Exam Modules Map and Practice Questions
48.5 Modules 16–20 Map (Wireless through Cryptography)
Last five – wireless, mobile, IoT/OT, cloud, crypto. Modern CEH weight. Aata map complete kara.
Module 16 – Hacking Wireless Networks
Book: ch25 (Wireless Security).
Focus: weak Wi-Fi hygiene; evil-twin awareness; never crack neighbour APs.
Blue: WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise where needed, strong PSK, guest VLAN, disable WPS if risky, monitor rogue APs in org process.
Module 17 – Hacking Mobile Platforms
Book: ch44 (Mobile Device Security – Android, iPhone, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi).
Focus: sideload risk, outdated OS, insecure apps, Bluetooth pairing hygiene – emulator/OWN device.
Blue: screen lock + biometrics, official app stores, MDM for shops, patch cadence, least app permissions.
Module 18 – IoT and OT Hacking
Book: ch43 (IoT and OT Security – Cameras, Smart Devices, Plant Networks).
Focus: default passwords on cameras; flat IT/OT networks as risk; safety note for plants.
Blue: change defaults, segment OT, inventory devices, vendor patch when available, no direct internet for PLC ideas.
Module 19 – Cloud Computing
Book: ch04–ch16 (EC2, S3, RDS, live project foundation), ch30 (Cloud and AWS Security).
Focus: shared responsibility, IAM keys, public S3, SG 0.0.0.0/0, IMDSv2 mindset.
Blue: S3 Block Public Access, IAM least privilege, CloudTrail on, GuardDuty awareness, no long-lived keys in code.
Module 20 – Cryptography
Book: ch33 (Cryptography Basics).
Focus: symmetric vs asymmetric ideas, hashing vs encryption, TLS role, why MD5/SHA1 password storage fails.
Blue: TLS 1.2/1.3, bcrypt/Argon2 for passwords, protect keys, prefer AES-GCM class authenticated encryption in modern stacks.
| Red team (attacker) does | Blue team (defender) detects / stops |
|---|---|
| Tests neighbour Wi-Fi "because CEH module 16" | Only OWN AP / lab router you control; WPA3/WPA2 strong |
| Leaves S3 public for "demo" on shared account | BPA + bucket policy review + CloudTrail |
| Stores lab passwords with MD5 "because notes" | bcrypt/Argon2; never MD5 for passwords |
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
In Modules 19–20, students mix things up: "encryption = hashing". That's an exam trap. Encryption is reversible with a key; a hash is one-way, for password verification. For cloud, keep a clear one-liner on shared responsibility. This is very important!
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
Module 19–20 मध्ये students mix करतात: "encryption = hashing". Exam trap. Encryption key ने reversible; hash one-way, password verify साठी. Cloud मध्ये shared responsibility ची एक line clear ठेवा. हे खूप important आहे!
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
Module 19–20 में students mix कर देते हैं: "encryption = hashing". Exam trap. Encryption key से reversible; hash one-way, password verify के लिए. Cloud में shared responsibility की एक line clear रखो. यह बहुत important है!
Lab
On OWN Free Tier: confirm S3 Block Public Access is On for a practice bucket; rotate any practice IAM access key you pasted in a file; enable CloudTrail in the account if not already (lab). Tick Module 19 Blue row in your map.
Extended teaching notes
Why this lesson matters
Cryptography fails when people invent it. Use standard libraries, modern algorithms (AES-GCM, TLS 1.2+, bcrypt/argon2) and protect keys in a KMS or secrets manager.
Where crypto shows up
[('Passwords', 'bcrypt/argon2/PBKDF2 via the framework hasher — never plain MD5/SHA1.'), ('TLS', "Terminate on ALB/nginx with ACM/Let's Encrypt; redirect HTTP to HTTPS."), ('JWT / API tokens', 'Short lifetime, rotate signing keys, store secrets outside Git.'), ('Disk / S3', 'Provider or customer-managed keys; least privilege on decrypt.')]
Mini case study
Suppose we are on a purple-team exercise for an Indian mid-size company (sample data). Red notes a technique from this lesson against a lab clone. Blue must show the control that stops it, the log that would have fired, and the ticket that hardens production. That is the standard this course trains you for.
Defender's worksheet (do this today)
- Write the lesson title, date and the exact lab target you are allowed to use.
- List three owned systems (VMs, apps, or cloud accounts) where this lesson applies.
- Run one safe check from the lesson on a lab system only. Paste the command and output.
- Write a two-sentence fix you would give a teammate.
- Name one related public advisory (CERT-In, CISA, NVD, or a vendor bulletin) with its date.
Indian workplace (sample data)
Suppose we are a junior analyst at Infosys, TCS, Wipro or a fintech SOC in Bengaluru/Pune. Turn this lesson into one checklist item with an owner, a due date and a place to store evidence (ticket + screenshot).
Global practice
Compare your notes with OWASP, CIS Benchmarks, NIST CSF/IR guidance or a cloud Well-Architected security question. Write five lines on what overlaps.
Everyday analogy
Explain the risk and the fix to a family member without jargon. If they can repeat the warning, you understand it well enough to teach juniors.
Key terms
- Control: a safeguard (patch, config, process, detection).
- Finding: a weakness backed by evidence.
- Remediation: the fix plus how you verified it.
- Scope: systems you have written permission to touch.
- Least privilege: only the access the task needs.
- Defence in depth: several layers so one failure does not end the story.
Common mistakes
- Skipping written permission "just for a quick scan".
- Practising on hostel, office or public targets without authorisation.
- Collecting tool output without writing the fix.
- Copying attack steps onto production to "verify". Defenders verify with versions, configs and patches.
- Publishing screenshots that contain secrets, cookies or internal hostnames.
Recap
- Evidence, fix, owner, date.
- Own lab only.
- Fix > spectacle.