Why Your Next Certification Should Be The CPTS

What The CPTS Is:

The CPTS is a deep certification course from Hack the Box Academy designed to take penetration testing skills from entry to an intermediate level. This certification has been designed to provide a strong framework that will enhance practical knowledge in penetration testing and hands-on experience.
For participants, the CPTS courseware is designed in such a way that they go through each and every relevant topic which is necessary for a balanced understanding of methodologies in penetration testing.
CPTS is loud in the cybersecurity community with its more than 500 certified professionals ranging from students to world class red teamers, showing in every flare the worth and applicability of the certification to career advancement in penetration testing.
The CPTS certification is aimed at being a completely comprehensive learning experience that integrates theory with practical application, with an aim to make sure candidates are fully and well set to manage any real-world challenge thrown at them and have the guarantee of acquiring the right skill set in their chosen field of expertise.
Its quality and comprehensiveness of the materials in key themes make CPTS a great passway to bridge the gap for those who are serious about upgrading their skills more in relation to penetration testing. The practical, hands-on training commitment places it very strong to be positioned as the new golden standard in penetration testing certifications.

How Much Does it Cost?

For any student, the charge is only $8 per month plus $210 for an exam voucher (it should be noted every voucher gives you 2 attempts), making the pathway toward further knowledge in this field relatively accessible and inexpensive for anyone studying. There is the Silver Annual Package where for $490 you get 1 Years access to all Tier II modules and below which are unlocked permanently upon completion. This is the best option for anyone wanting to complete the CBBH or CDSA alongside or after the CPTS in the same year span, This also includes 1 Exam Voucher. However a cheaper option for non-students looking to obtain only the CPTS is $106 for a 1 monthly platinum and 1 monthly gold subscription and then the exam voucher with 2 exam attempts costs an additional $210.

Why Companies should choose the CPTS over OSCP:

It simply holds many advantages over the Offensive Security Certified Professional, making it the correct choice for most aspiring penetration testers. Perhaps one of the most important advantages of CPTS is the hands-on training in real-world scenarios. Unlike the OSCP, that really can be perceived as theoretical and very tough, the CPTS dwells on hands-on experience with real-world tools and techniques. This practical focus allows learners to directly apply their knowledge to situations they are most likely to encounter in a professional capacity, accelerating their mastery of penetration testing.

Another clear advantage of the CPTS is the affordability and accessibility associated with it. At $8 a month for students, the cost of the CPTS is significantly more affordable compared to the OSCP, which costs $1649 at the cheapest tier. For the CPTS this greatly brings down the barrier-to-entry price for many and allows more of them to have valuable certification without having to bear a huge financial burden. Furthermore, the CPTS is a flexible learning process that accommodates students and professionals by tailoring the learning process in the light of busy schedules.

Another-refreshed curriculum-also benefits the CPTS, getting continuous updating in line with contemporary trends and technologies within cybersecurity. While the OSCP is widely accredited and respected, the focus of the CPTS on current and emerging penetration testing techniques makes one really stand out in being prepared for modern challenges. Its focus on staying current with changing times in industry development is what positions a CPTS as an extremely forward-looking credential that maps very closely to the changing requirements expected of today’s cybersecurity professional.

How Do I know I’m Ready?

You don’t. You won’t know until you already have that 12th flag. If you have completed all the modules and successfully Attacking Enterprise Networks (AEN) blind then you have a huge chance of successful. The AEN module is a walk through itself so doing AEN blind means loading up the module, scrolling past everything to get the IP address and then just pretending this is the exam. No hints, no walkthrough. All you have is your notes and talent. Get as far as you can and try to fully compromise the environment (There is more to this module than you would originally think). If you don’t feel confident in an attacking vector then redo the module, do some more online research to understand the topic from the base up. After all this I would do a test report on AEN and ask someone to review it in the Discord.

What Should I Do After I Have Finished The Path?

Nothing. There is nothing required afterwards, all the knowledge is in the path. ProLabs like Dante and Zephyr can help practice methodology but the techniques and skills required there are outside of the scope for the CPTS Exam. In Pro Labs the method feels more clear but CTFy. In the sense that the path was more clear and there wasn’t as much real world clutter but the exploit was harder to actually exploit.

Boxes from the labs are outside of scope aswell. They are good for overall practice and for retired machines you can filter what you want to practice which can be useful. But most will teach and require methods not useful for the CPTS Exam.

My Experience During the Exam:

The CPTS examination itself is a very long, rigorous 10-day test where the candidate has to secure 12 out of 14 flags, and at the end of it, write up a high-quality, corporate-grade report. Stretching it over such a long period has both advantages and disadvantages—on one hand, it is very lenient and allows for an in-depth study of the exam material, and on the other, very demanding in commitment and time management. In my attempting, I took the full 10 days to search out all 14 flags. I did, however, come to feel that it had been rather longer than I expected. Just how long it took to ensure thorough attention to every detail in every task and detailed documentation became clear in how I was getting on when trying to juggle the complexity of the tasks with writing down everything that needed to be done.

One important thing I learned during the practice exercise is the need for breaks. At first, I did not want to divide my attention from the exam because I thought that taking breaks cost me time and resources, not mentioning leaving work specifically for the preparation of the exam. With this kind of mindset, intense periods of tunnel vision have cost me hours. Had I allowed myself to take allocated breaks to get some air and excessive, I probably would have done the exam tasks more effectively and with much more clarity.

This caused me to have only 24 hours to compile my report. Although more than 100 pages and 10,000 words were generated within this time constraint, the resultant report was hurried and lacked the finesse required for a quality submission. I realized that the first submission was not up to mark, and that I had not done as much justice for the efforts. Luckily, the second attempt came up, which gave me another chance. I reapplied myself to my report, putting in an extra two days of work in refining its quality and ensuring it would meet the high standards set by CPTS. This extra time enabled me to submit a more polished, professional report, thus reflecting my true capabilities.

Generally speaking, I enjoyed the challenge presented by the CPTS exam. The setting was very well thought out, and the exam itself was very well set up, organized, and provided good intellectual challenges. It certainly put my skills through a wide-ranging test. Thus, even though very challenging, it gave back in terms of reward for the effort and was an incredibly valuable opportunity to grow in penetration testing.

My Top 3 Tips:

Take breaks– Make sure to take 2-3 Breaks a day, stick to your usual routines and make sure to get some fresh air and healthy food. You will actually get more done and be able to think clearer

Use your notes and the academy modules – You have full access to your own notes as well as all the academy modules during the exam. Take full advantage of this, I quite often found myself back inside a module trying the commands and methodologies and found them to be a great success.

Think simpler, you’re overthinking it – Everything was already taught and you know it. Map out the attack vectors and what possibilities there are. Make sure to enumerate your position before you get tunneled on the wrong thing. If you have completed the pathway then you evidently have the skills!