Identity breaches through compromised Active Directory environments shaped the April challenge landscape.
Tampa, Fla, May 26, 2025: EC-Council, the global leader in cybersecurity education and training, and creator of the world-renowned Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credential, spotlighted the rising threat of identity-based cyberattacks with its April CEH Compete challenge, “Identity Infiltration: Breach the Directory.”
As enterprises rely increasingly on centralized identity infrastructures to manage access, the risk associated with compromised credentials and Active Directory (AD) vulnerabilities continues to grow. In April’s competition, participants faced a simulation where attackers had breached critical user accounts, leveraged advanced techniques such as Pass-the-Hash and Golden Ticket attacks, and created persistent backdoors within the AD environment.
Competitors were tasked with identifying entry points, analyzing privilege escalation methods, tracking unauthorized movements across the network, and restoring the integrity of the directory without disrupting operations. The challenge demanded a deep understanding of identity security, privilege management, and forensic analysis.
Identity-driven attacks represent one of today’s most serious cyber threats. According to EC-Council’s CEH Threat Report 2024, 64% of major breaches last year were linked to compromised or misused identities, with attackers exploiting weak authentication processes, misconfigured access rights, and unmonitored lateral movements within networks.
Following intense competition, Beatitude Sithole from Zimbabwe achieved the highest score, demonstrating expertise in threat detection, incident response, and directory recovery strategies.
As organizations expand their digital ecosystems, securing identities has become a top priority. CEH Compete ensures cybersecurity professionals are prepared to address the new realities of advanced identity compromise, where traditional network perimeter defenses alone are no longer enough.
To learn more about CEH Compete or participate in future challenges, visit
https://www.eccouncil.org/train-certify/certified-ethical-hacker-ceh-compete/
